OTHER THAN THAT HOW'S THE BOYCOTT WORKING OUT?:

Poll shows Palestinians now favor Hamas over Fatah: The militant group, which opposes peace talks and Israel, has reversed a two-year decline in popularity (Richard Boudreaux, 3/18/08, Los Angeles Times)

During three months of foundering peace talks overshadowed by violence, the U.S.-backed Palestinian leadership in the West Bank has lost popular support and is now viewed as less legitimate than the Islamist government of rival group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, according to a poll released Monday.

The survey is the latest sign that the Bush administration's effort to shore up secular Palestinian leaders and isolate Hamas is failing. That effort, part of a strategy to stabilize the Middle East through an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord, includes diplomatic support and promises of economic aid to the West Bank.

Polling data collected in the West Bank and Gaza this month show that Hamas, which rejects peace talks and continues to fight Israel, has gained sharply in popularity since December, reversing a two-year decline.

The poll was conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, an independent think tank the administration has cited in the past to make the case that its strategy in the region is working.

If you don't let Hamas run a state of Palestine why would Palestinians hold them responsible for its problems?

Posted by Orrin Judd at March 18, 2008 9:27 AM