Support for the militant terror group Hamas dropped nearly 10-percent from last year, according to a new study conducted by the Jerusalem Media and Communications Centre. In the West Bank and Gaza Strip, approval of the group dropped from 27.7-percent to 18.8-percent. The organization explains the plummet in support for the group due to the growing rift between Hamas and Fatah as well as the delays in reconstruction funding to Gaza following the Israeli strikes. The drop in approval for Hamas clearly improved Fatah’s figures, with the group obtaining 34.9-percent support in the poll compared to 26-percent last year.
However, President Barack Obama continues to receive widespread support in the Arab world, even from the Palestinians. According to the poll, 35.4-percent of the respondents to the poll think that the new U.S. approach to the peace process will succeed in resolving the conflict.