(Independent-UK) - Eric Silver A mob stormed the office of a Ramallah polling organization Sunday to stop it publishing a survey showing that most Palestinian refugees were ready to abandon claims to return to what is today Israel. The crowd pelted Khalil Shikaki, director of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, with eggs, smashed computers, and assaulted nine staff members. The poll, conducted among 4,500 refugees in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Jordan, asked where they would want to live if Israel recognized a right of return. Only 10% chose Israel, even if they were allowed to live there with Palestinian citizenship; 54% opted for a Palestinian state; 17% for Jordan or Lebanon, and 2% for other countries. Another 13% rejected all these options, preferring to sit it out and wait for Israel to disappear.
2003-07-14 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive