re: Israel appropriates more West Bank land for probable settlements

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You know what drives Palestinians into the arms of Hamas? The continued illegal appropriation of their land by Israelis.

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The Palestinian people are reacting the same way we would under such circumstances which explains why the war has increased Hamas' popularity both in Gaza and the West Bank, while decreasing Abbas' popularity who they increasingly see as a quisling. Furthermore, most Palestinians support armed resistance as long as they are under a blockade. The Palestinians have had ten years to watch Abbas in action, and the message they've gotten loud and clear is that non-violence will get you no where with a Likud government. The surest way to guarantee no future rocket attacks is to give them access to the sea instead of denying them access to its own territorial waters, or give the nonviolent Palestinians like Abbas tangible results for the adherence to nonviolence. Bibi's problem is that he was put in power by the settlers and rejectionsits, and if he ever gave Abbas an inch, it would cause his government to collapse.

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Hamas's support has surged after its war with Israel and would win Palestinian elections if they were held today, an opinion poll suggests.

The Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research's poll, released on Tuesday, suggested Hamas leader Ismail Haniya would win almost twice as many votes as Fatah's Mahmoud Abbas, in a two-way presidential election.

More than half of respondents said armed resistance - a pillar of Hamas's ideology - would help gain a Palestinian state, as opposed to 20 percent who said they supported non-violent means.

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