The Israel Project released on Thursday the full results of a poll carried out throughout the Palestinian territories, surveying Palestinian public opinion on a wide variety of topics. The questionnaire was carried out between June 20 and July 8 by American pollster Stanley Greenberg in partnership with the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion, and was sponsored by the Israel Project. 1,010 Palestinian adults were interviewed in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in an 'intensive, face-to-face survey in Arabic'. Just Journalism noted how the only British coverage of the initial results ignored the significant evidence of Palestinian rejectionism. Since the publication of the full poll data, there has been no coverage in the British media. Of particular significance among the poll's findings are Hamas' low approval ratings, mixed support for a two-state solution, the prevalence of socially conservative attitudes among the respondents, and the endorsement of extremist statements and policies. Mon. 25 Jul. 2011 @ 16.32 - Hamas has exploited Arab unrest, in Egypt and elsewhere, to increase arms smuggling into Gaza, according to Israeli defence officials. Haaretz cites Israeli sources stating Hamas has exploited the unrest in the region following the Arab Spring in order to dramatically escalate its stock of advanced weaponry in the Gaza strip. In particular the Egyptian army's 'diminished control in the Sinai', on the border with both Israel and Gaza, has allowed Hamas to smuggle in a variety of weapons including 'improved high-trajectory rockets, ready-made explosive devices, anti-tank missiles and possibly anti-aircraft missiles'. 'Israeli sources: Arab Spring let Palestinians ramp up Gaza arms smuggling' highlights the role of the Iranian regime in co-ordinating the smuggling of weapons into Gaza, after initially using routes through Sudan and 'Damascus via Turkey' by sea and by air respectively: 'The Iranians have operated on two main routes. One has been by sea, from the Persian Gulf to Sudan and from there in convoys to Egypt and the Strip. The other has been by air, from Tehran to Damascus via Turkey, and then to the Syrian port of Latakia, to Alexandria and on to Gaza.' Head of pro-Hamas organisation uses comment piece in Al Jazeera to note 'speculation' that Norwegian attack was by a Muslim; correction reveals he initially described Christian arsonist behind 1969 Jerusalem attack as 'Jewish'. The day after the double massacre in Norway, during which at least 93 people were killed in a shooting spree and bomb attack, Al Jazeera published an opinion piece by Ibrahim Hewitt. In 'Norway, Islam and the threat of the West', Hewitt, who is the senior editor at the pro-Hamas lobby group Middle East Monitor (MEMO), excoriates the West for hypocritically focusing on Islamic extremism while ignoring the threat of home-grown right-wing terrorists. However, instead of focusing on white supremacists, Hewitt instead highlights supposed Jewish terrorists in Israel - forcing Al Jazeera to publish a correction. Hewitt opens by noting that, 'of course, there was speculation that these two [attacks] were "Islamic-terror related". He continues to argue that the media has sought to downplay any discussion of motivation now that it is clear that the perpetrator is not a Muslim, and is preparing the way for the attack to be dismissed as the act of a lone 'madman', rather than an ideologue driven by right-wing views and links to Christian fundamentalists. Fri. 22 Jul. 2011 @ 16.06 - Protests against cuts in UNRWA's services in Gaza City go unreported in British media. A demonstration outside the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) which closed off access to the building for two hours, was reported by Ma'an News Agency on Wednesday. UNRWA is responsible for the welfare of Palestinian refugees throughout the Middle East. The protesters stated that they were opposing UNRWA 'minimizing its services'. Wednesday's protests followed a Hamas-organised mass rally last Friday in the An Nuseirat and Al Bureij refugee camps in central Gaza. A Ma'an News Agency article cites Hamas spokesman Youssef Farahat calling the UNRWA cuts a 'conspiracy against the Palestinian people in general and the Gazans in particular'. Neither of these anti-UNRWA demonstrations, however, has been reported by the British media.
July 26, 2011 Media Analysis Israel Project: Poll results of Palestinian public opinion
The Wire Hamas in Gaza: Arab unrest enables arms smuggling
The Wire MEMO senior editor identifies Christian arsonist as 'Jewish'
Mon. 25 Jul. 2011 @ 15.18 -The Wire Hamas in Gaza: Protests outside UNRWA HQ unreported in UK media
Tuesday, 26 July 2011
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