RAMALLAH, West Bank, March 20 Fear of a Palestinian civil war has dropped substantially since last month's Hamas-Fatah power-sharing agreement, a poll published Tuesday said.A telephone survey of 802 Palestinians by Near East Consulting found 80 percent felt the threat had diminished, the WAFA news agency reported. It also found 69 percent of respondents were more optimistic the unity government would be able to ease or eliminate international sanctions imposed when Hamas won a parliamentary majority in January 2006. Hamas refuses to recognize Israel as a state and has been branded a terrorist organization by numerous aid-giving countries.The poll said a 52 percent majority of respondents give credit to Hamas for moderating its harsh anti-Israeli political stance since February when the two parties struck the deal in Mecca.Prior to the agreement, violence was increasing daily, with armed factions of both parties in running street fights.Only 4 percent see peace with Israel as being in the realm of priority or possibility, although overall support for peace remains high at 68 percent, the survey said.Copyright 2007 by UPI
