Poll finds nearly 80% of Palestinians want Abbas to resign

By JOSEPH KRAUSS
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — A new poll has found that nearly 80% of Palestinians want President Mahmoud Abbas to resign. The findings released Tuesday show widespread anger over the death of an activist in security forces’ custody and a crackdown on protests over the summer. Support for the rival Hamas remained high months after the 11-day Gaza war in May. The Islamic militant group was widely seen by Palestinians as having scored a victory against a far more powerful Israel while the Western-backed Abbas was sidelined. The head of the polling center, who has been surveying Palestinian public opinion for more than two decades, says it’s the worst polling he’s ever seen for Abbas.