Abbas's popularity dips over Gaza war report

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"Anger among Palestinians over President Mahmoud Abbas's original position on a Gaza war report critical of Israel has cost him public support in a rivalry with Hamas, a poll showed on Sunday.

The survey by the Jerusalem Media and Communications Center (JMCC) indicated Abbas would receive 16.8 percent of the vote, with Hamas Islamist leader Ismail Haniyeh running neck-and-neck with 16 percent, if a presidential election was held now.

In terms of overall popularity in the occupied West Bank and in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, Abbas's rating dropped to 12.1 percent from 17.8 percent in the previous JMCC poll in June. Haniyeh's approval rating held steady at 14.2 percent.

Abbas, whose Fatah party lost control of the Gaza Strip to Hamas in fighting in 2007, has said his administration erred in approving a U.N. decision in Geneva two weeks ago to delay action on the report on the December-January Gaza war.

He was widely believed to have bowed to U.S. pressure over the matter, taking a stance that surprised and angered many Palestinians and, according to the JMCC, led to his popularity decline in the new poll."

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[LeftishBrit]

1. Both Abbas and Haniyeh seem very unpopular at present.

Are any better/ more popular alternatives emerging?