Article74 Magazine

Salah Abed Rabbo 
UYAC - Spokesperson (West Bank) 

On 20 March 1998, SHAML, the Palestinian Diaspora and Refugee Center, located in Ramallah, hosted a discussion among NGOs, other institutions, and activists focused on the issue related to refugees. The session was organized to discuss and analyze the significant number of questionares about the refugee issue. A paper, entitled, “The Problem of Opinion Polls Among Refugees in the Camps: Statistics Department & Pollsters,” was presented by the Director of the Palestinian Department of Statistics, Dr. Hassan Abu Libdeh. 

The opinion polls and surveys focus on a variety of themes related to the refugees, including social issues, economic issues, psychological issues and political issues including the right of return. From a national perspective, however, Palestinians should not question the right of return because the right of return is self’evident. It is a historical, legal and natural right for the Palestinian people, based on the principles of international law, human rights law, and natural law. There is national agreement that this is true. The right of return is a red line which should not be crossed. 

For this reason, researchers should avoid questioning the basic right of return even though it may raise questions about academic/research freedom. Questions related to the right of return, however, are important and should be addressed. While the political situation or balance of power - internationally and locally - does not alter the basic right of return, the political context in which the right of return must be implemented has been affected by the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993. In this respect, questions related to the right of return are important because they keep refugees up to date with the current situation. They keep refugees in touch with the issue, they illustrate how international law is not being implemented, and the questions remind refugees that the right of return is their right. 

Understanding the Mechanics of Opinion Polls 
When carrying out opinion polls, especially in the refugee communities, the researcher needs to be aware that the way in which questions are phrased; the characteristics of the people who are surveyed; the way in which the results are interpreted; and, the way in which the aim of the questionnaire is implemented can benefit or harm the refugee community along with any political solution to the refugee issue. It is important to understand how the range of political solutions for Palestinians are affected by results of questionnaires. 

It is also important for people to be aware, as participants in the SHAML seminar noted, of the aims behind, and the source of funding for the research. For example, Israeli academics who conduct research on refugee issues may have a clear purpose or viewpoint and the results of the questionnaire may benefit that view point. The results of the questionnaire must be analyzed scientifically rather than emotionally. Results of questionnaires may be contradictory because people who respond to the questions may wonder if and how their answers will affect the political solution to the refugee issue. 

To whom should opinion polls be addressed? 
Some participants asked why questionnaires on the refuee issue are aimed only towards refugees and rather than all Palestinians, keeping in mind that refugee issue is a national issue and that the right of return is a national right for all Palestinians. To distinguish between refugees and Palestinian might pose a future danger for national unity. It is important, rather to keep in mind that both refugees and other Palestinians who either do not live in refugee camps or were not displaced from their homes and land are living in the same condition, according to the same norms. These norms constitute a triangle with the three sides - important to all Palestinians - being the land, the individual, and the state. While Palestinian refugee comprise three out of four Palestinians, the rest (one quarter) will gradually become refugees if the policies and practices of land confiscation, bypass road and settlement construction continue. When a closure is placed on the West Bank and on the different areas A, B, and C, as marked out under the Oslo Accords, for example, all Palestinians are refugees, even as they live in their own land. 

The importance of polls in the local context 
In order to avoid confusion, especially when there may be contradictions in the poll results, it is important to be open and honest about the aim of the poll. The results of opinion polls and, more importantly, analysis of the results, should be published. The aims, results and analysis of polls should not be left undefined or only stated in general terms. It is important for representatives of educational/research institutions and campaigns for the defense of refugee rights to have the courage to decide what is right and wrong, either in methods or in results that seem to be contradictory. If questionnaires are contradictory, they should not simply be discarded, but rather studied carefully so that the methodology can be further developed and refined. 

Opinion polls in the Palestinian community are an important test of free speech and the separation of powers within the Palestinian Authority. There must be respect for the legal right to conduct polls and for free access to the results of polls. If people feel that freedom of speech is respected, they will be more willing to respond to questionnaires while researchers will be more confident in the results. The use of polls is a new reality and it is important that we understand the mechanics so that we are able to develop polls that are reliable and benefit both scientific research and the national solution.