[Al Arabiya Latest] Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party would defeat the rival Islamist faction Hamas if a legislative election were held now, according to an opinion poll published on Monday.Discontent with Hamas over slow-moving Palestinian unity talks and Israel's ban on Gaza reconstruction aid have led to a sharp decline in the Islamist group's popularity according to the survey conducted by the Jerusalem Media and Communication Centre (JMCC.) The poll showed Fatah would win 38.5 percent of the vote compared to 18.8 percent for Hamas, with the remainder going to smaller factions. In the 2006 election, Hamas won 74 parliamentary seats to 45 for Fatah.
According to the poll, 26.5 percent of those surveyed blamed Israel for the deadlock in the Hamas-Fatah dialogue while 23.5 percent pointed a finger at Hamas and 15.5 percent said Fatah was responsible. Only 17.8 percent of Palestinians trust Abbas, but he is still the most trusted Palestinian personality, followed by the head of the Hamas government in Gaza, Ismail Haniyah, with 14.8 percent, the poll showed.
Abbas has said he plans to call a general election in January 2010 at the end of the mandate of the current Hamas-dominated legislature.