[Timber Loftis]

Originally posted by Barry the Sprout: Lets make this clear - the terrorist attacks being carried out at present are not carried out by the majority of people, or with their consent. I see no reason why if a state were formed it would be complicit in terrorism or harbour terrorists. Your, admittedly unfortunate as opposed to deliberate, assumption that Palestinians engaging in terrorist activities have the support of the state in some manner is a little disturbing.

Well, your post made me realize that I actually don't know how much the palestinians support their terrorist members. So, I went and did a bit of research. Looking for Palestinians against terror turned up little evidence, though I thought I heard about a group in Palestine dedicated to opposing terror. However, research regarding Palestinian support for terror turned up something interesting.

Poll: Majority of Palestinians Support Terror NewsMax Wires, NewsMax Staff Monday, Sept. 23, 2002 A public opinion poll recently conducted by the Palestinian Center for Political and Statistical Research shows that the vast majority of Arabs living under PLO-rule support terror activities against Israel. More than 90 percent of those surveyed expressed support for attacks against IDF soldiers and Yesha (Judea, Samaria, and Gaza) residents. Over half said they support terror against civilians within pre-1967 Israel. The results of the poll were published on September 15 in the Palestinian daily Al-Ayam. Last Friday night, some 60,000 Arabs who hold Israeli citizenship chanted, "With blood and spirit we will liberate al-Aksa," at a rally sponsored by the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in the Umm el-Fahm soccer stadium. Speakers at the event denounced the policies of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as well as U.S. President George Bush. The rally was held under the banner "Al-Aksa in Danger," referring to the mosque that stands on the Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest site. Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israel Radio this morning that the Islamic Movement should be banned. He said that the group "is a cancerous growth, which threatens the Zionist character [of the State]."

and

JNW News Poll shows Palestinian Jew-hatred at fever pitch By Jerusalem Newswire Editorial Staff October 17, 2003 Jerusalem (www.jnewswire.com) - A public opinion poll just published shows that 75 percent of Palestinian Arabs support the October 4 homicide bomb attack on a Haifa family restaurant in which 21 people were slaughtered. Carried out by the Ramallah-based Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research from October 7-14, the results of the poll further dispelled Western assertions that the general Palestinian public is opposed to terrorist acts against Israelis. Terror pays While 85 percent of the respondents said they feel now is the time for a mutual ceasefire, 59 percent said they believed terrorist atrocities such as the bombing of the Maxim Restaurant in Haifa had helped to achieve the Palestinians' goals in ways negotiations could not. Israel has long accused the Palestinians of using terrorism as a political tool against the Jewish state. ************* Celebrating carnage Palestinian street celebrations immediately following the attack, together with the results of the new opinion poll, sent a clear message to Israelis Friday that their supposed "peace partners" have no compunction about seeking their blood. Past opinion polls have shown widespread Palestinian support for a continuation of terrorist attacks. The 75 percent approval rating for the Haifa massacre, however, surpassed past Palestinian support for terror. Frenzied hate In yet another act of Palestinian religious intolerance and open Jew-hatred, a mob of Arab youths set upon Joseph's Tomb in Shechem during the predawn hours Thursday with the intent of attack a large group of Jewish worshippers. The group of 500 Jews had been allowed by the IDF to visit the Jewish holy site in observance of the Sukkot holiday. As the second half of the group began their prayer service, the army received an urgent warning that they would soon come under attack, and hastily evacuated the civilians. Shortly after, Palestinian Arabs set the tomb alight by hurling flaming tires at the place were only minutes earlier Jews had been worshipping their God. Despite official PA promises to protect the holy site, and Muslim claims of religious tolerance, Joseph's Tomb was ransacked and its Jewish religious items destroyed only hours after the IDF withdrew from the site in October 2000. http://www.jnewswire.com/news_archiv...ing_hatred.asp

Now, I also found information indicating the President Bush has said only a small minority of Palestinians support terror. If memory serves me correctly, this may have come from his 2003 State of the Union, but I'm not certain. I'd like to know what he based the statement on. I would think it unlikely that a majority of Palestinians would support terror, but the information my brief searching turned up indicated that is in fact the case. Feel free to correct me if you have better information.

[ 02-26-2004, 01:13 PM: Message edited by: Timber Loftis ]