Hamas' Haniyeh leads Abbas in poll

RAMALLAH, West Bank, March 10 (UPI) -- Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh would defeat Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas if an election were held this week, a poll indicated.

The poll, published Monday by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, based in the West Bank, also showed Hamas' popularity among Palestinians has increased in the wake of Israel's 22-day military incursion into Gaza, which began in late December, The Jerusalem Post reported.

The Palestinian militant group's popularity rating in a previous poll conducted in December before Operation Cast Lead measured 28 percent, but has since risen to 33 percent, the newspaper said.

Haniyeh's personal popularity rose from 38 percent to 47 percent in the latest poll, while Abbas' popularity level fell from 48 percent to 45 percent, figures indicated.

The poll, conducted last weekend, surveyed more than 1,270 Palestinians. It had a margin of error of 3 percentage points, the Post said.