Palestine's bid for UN
membership has strong support among people worldwide but many are
unsure whether their government should back an upcoming resolution,
a BBC poll shows.
Just under half of the 20,446
people interviewed across 19 countries between July 3 and August 29
say their government should vote for membership, while 21 per cent
hope their leaders will block the move. Thirty per cent are
undecided.
A clear majority of the public in
nine countries support the resolution, with the strongest backing
coming from the Muslim world, the BBC World Service-commissioned
survey shows.
Ninety per cent of Egyptians
quizzed want their government to vote in favour, while 60 per cent
of Turks, 52 per cent of Pakistanis and 51 per cent of Indonesians
support the controversial Palestinian bid.
President Mahmoud Abbas has
promised Palestinians he will seek UN membership from the Security
Council next Friday, despite stiff opposition from Israel and the
United States, who say only direct negotiations can resolve the
Israel-Palestinian conflict.
Washington, Israel's main ally, has
already announced it will use its veto to block the Palestinian bid
in the Security Council.
US citizens expressed the strongest
opposition, with 36 per cent against, while 25 per cent of Indians
are opposed to the move.
Public opinion across the European
Union was similar, with just over half of those polled in France,
Germany and Britain backing the bid.
'If countries' citizens had a vote
at the UN, the poll suggests that Palestine would receive official
UN recognition,' GlobeScan Chairman Doug Miller says.
'However, with many people
undecided or opposed, domestic repercussions are unlikely if their
governments choose to vote against recognition.'
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