JMCC Public Opinion Poll No. 22 - Part IV
Concerning some issues relating to Palestinian Refugees
August 1997

Results

Q.49 Taking into account the general current political situation, do you believe that:
Total 
West Bank 
Gaza Strip 
All refugees will return to their homes and lands including inside the Green Line
5.6% 
3.6%
9.1%
Only the refugees living outside Palestine will return to the areas of the PNA
10.6%
10.8%
10.3%
A small number of the refugees of the outside will be return to the PNA areas and also a small number of refugees will return to inside the Green Line
7.8%
5.8%
11.2%
Only a limited number of refugees from the outside will be returned to the PNA areas 
29.1%
31.7%
24.7%
No refugees will be allowed to return to the PNA areas or to inside of the Green Line
33.2%
35.1%
29.9%
No answer
13.6%
12.9%
14.8%
Q.50 If refugees were offered the chance to return to their lands and homes on the condition that they accept Israeli law and rule, do you believe that:
Total 
West Bank 
Gaza Strip 
All refugees will accept to return even on this condition
3.8%
3.2%
4.8%
A large number of refugees will agree to return under this condition
10.1%
11.1%
8.4%
A small number of refugees will agree to return under this condition
26.5%
28.5%
23.1%
No refugees will accept to return under this condition
47.6%
41.1%
58.9%
No answer
12.0%
16.1%
4.8%
Q.51 Do you think that permitting 100,000 refugees to return to their homes and lands in Israel is a good idea which would easen the refugee problem?
Total 
West Bank 
Gaza Strip 
Yes
21.4%
20.3%
23.3%
Maybe
42.4%
45.6%
37.0%
No
28.5%
26.6%
32.0%
No answer
7.6%
7.5%
7.8%
Q.52 How do you define yourself from the following choices?*
West Bank & Gaza Strip
Arab 
25.6% 
Palestinian
32.6%
Moslem/Christian
30.0%
From a certain village/city/camp
4.1%
From a certain clan
0.8%
Refugee
6.4%
Other
0.4%
* This is a multiple response - Total responses are 3466 - Valid cases = 1171 - Missing cases = 24

Q.53 How do you define yourself from the following choices?
Total
 
1st Choice
2nd Choice
3rd Choice
Arab 
17.9% 
27.7%
28.6%
Palestinian
30.9%
45.5%
18.4%
Moslem/Christian
45.1%
15.2%
26.7%
From a certain village/city/camp
0.8%
3.0%
8.2%
From a certain clan
0.6%
0.5%
1.3%
Refugee
2.4%
4.4%
11.7%
Other
0.3%
0.4%
0.6%
No answer
2.1%
3.3%
4.5%
West Bank
1st Choice
2nd Choice
3rd Choice
Arab 
20.2% 
28.0%
28.8%
Palestinian
34.3%
44.9%
17.8%
Moslem/Christian
40.7%
16.9%
29.3%
From a certain village/city/camp
0.7%
3.4%
10.4%
From a certain clan
0.9%
0.4%
1.1%
Refugee
1.7%
3.2%
7.7%
Other
0.3%
0.4%
0.8%
1.2%
2.8%
4.1%
Gaza Strip
1st choice
2nd choice
3rd choice
Arab 
13.9% 
27.2%
28.3%
Palestinian
24.9%
46.1%
19.4%
Moslem/Christian
52.7%
12.3%
22.1%
From a certain village/city/camp
0.9%
2.3%
4.3%
From a certain clan
-
0.7%
1.6%
Refugee
3.7%
6.6%
18.7%
Other
0.2%
0.5%
0.2%
No answer
3.7%
4.3%
5.3%
Q.54 Do you support the idea of transfering the duties of UNRWA to the PNA?
Total 
West Bank 
Gaza Strip 
Yes
26.5% 
29.1%
22.1%
No
61.3%
57.7%
67.6%
No answer 
12.2%
13.2%
10.3%
Q.55 In your view, what makes the refugee a refugee?*
West Bank & Gaza Strip 
Loss of the land
27.8%
Loss of the mother land
29.6%
Loss of the house 
19.5%
Living in a refugee camp
10.1%
Possession of an UNRWA card
6.8%
Poverty
5.5%
Other
0.7%
* This is a multiple response. - Total responses are 3451 - Valid cases = 1165 -  Missing cases = 30

Q.56 In your view, what makes the refugee a refugee?
Total
1st choice
2nd choice
3rd choice
Loss of the land 
28.1% 
28.7%
13.6%
Loss of the mother land
50.9%
26.9%
7.6%
Loss of the house
9.6%
12.3%
34.5%
Livining in a refugee camp
4.4%
10.1%
14.6%
Possession of an UNRWA card
2.7%
4.1%
12.7%
Poverty
1.6%
3.1%
11.3%
Other
0.3%
0.7%
1.2%
No answer
2.5%
4.1%
4.6%
West Bank
1st choice
2nd choice
3rd choice
Loss of the land 
26.6% 
40.4%
16.5%
Loss of the mother land
52.6%
27.3%
7.8%
Loss of the house
11.2%
13.2%
39.5%
Livining in a refugee camp
4.5%
9.0%
11.9%
Possession of an UNRWA card
2.6%
2.5%
10.0%
Poverty
0.8%
2.9%
8.3%
Other
0.1%
0.9%
1.6%
No answer
1.6%
3.7%
4.4%
Gaza Strip
1st choice
2nd choice
3rd choice
Loss of the land 
30.8% 
35.6%
8.4%
Loss of the mother land
47.9%
26.3%
7.3%
Loss of the house
6.8%
10.7%
25.8%
Livining in a refugee camp
4.1%
12.1%
19.2%
Possession of an UNRWA card
2.7%
6.8%
17.4%
Poverty
3.0%
3.4%
16.4%
Other
0.5%
0.2%
0.5%
No answer
4.1%
4.8%
5.0%
Q.57 From amongst the five final-status issues: the boundaries, Jerusalem, the settlements, the refugees, and water where do you list the refugee issue as to its difficulty? Do you see it first, second, third, fourth or fifth?
Total 
West Bank 
Gaza Strip 
First issue
21.1%
17.7%
26.9%
Second issue
29.6%
28.9%
30.8%
Third issue 
21.6%
22.7%
19.6%
Fourth issue
14.1%
18.2%
6.8%
Fifth issue
6.1%
4.0%
9.8%
No answer
7.5%
8.5%
5.9%
Q.58Are you satisfied with the postponement of negotiations on the refugee issue until the final negotiations?
Total 
West Bank 
Gaza Strip 
Yes
18.7%
19.3%
17.8%
No
61.2%
57.5%
67.6%
I don't know
14.4%
17.2%
9.6%
No answer
5.7%
6.1%
5.0%
Q. 59 Do you agree to give priority in solving the refugee problem to the refugees residing outside Palestine? For example the refugees of Lebanon, Syria and Jordan?
Total 
West Bank 
Gaza Strip 
I agree
45.7%
48.3%
41.1%
I do not agree
41.2%
37.9%
46.8%
No answer
13.1%
13.7%
12.1%
Q. 60 If Israel was to compensate the refugees and resettle them in an independent Palestinian State, and allowed refugees from abroad to return to the Palestinian state lands, do you believe this would be a just solution for the refugee problem, and will compensate them for the right of return?
Total 
West Bank 
Gaza Strip 
Yes
13.6%
12.4%
15.5%
No
59.8%
58.1%
62.8%
I do not know
22.1%
25.0%
17.1%
No answer
4.5%
4.5%
4.6%


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