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INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6” x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. ProQuest Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with with permission permission of the of copyright the copyright owner. owner.Further reproductionFurther reproduction prohibited without prohibited permission. without permission. SURVEY RESEARCH IN PALESTINE: POLITICS AND ACADEMIA by Christina Zacharia Hawatmeh Submitted to the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of American University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology Chair: Samih K. Farsoun Mary Gray Gay You Dean of the College n , 2 a o f Date 2001 American University 6 Washington, D.C. 20016 ANEMGMI WHVERSITl UBKAkj Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UM! Number: 3022078 Copyright 2001 by Zacharia Hawatmeh, Christina Elizabeth Ail rights reserved. UMI__ ® UMI Microform 3022078 Copyright 2001 by Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. @COPYRIGHT by Christina Zacharia Hawatmeh 2001 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. For Hala Sara Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. The Government are very keen on amassing statistics. They collect them, raise them to the nth power, take the cube root and prepare wonderful diagrams. But you must never forget that every one of these figures comes in the first instance from the village watchman, who just puts down what he damm pleases. - Sir Josiah Stamp Inland Revenue Department (England) 1896-1919 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. SURVEY RESEARCH IN PALESTINE: POLITICS & ACADEMIA ABSTRACT BY Christina Zacharia Hawatmeh This dissertation seeks to put in sociological perspective the recent introduction and usefulness of public opinion polling in Palestine. In tracing attempts, over several decades, by the Palestinians to make themselves heard and understood and to gain international recognition, the study recognizes both the polls' significance as an extension of that cause and their potential in building state institutions and strengthening national development. When measured against arguments that the surveys are a political by-product of the faulty 1993 Oslo accord, however, it becomes evident that the issue warrants a closer look by any serious study on the Palestinians. The dissertation analyzes the debates surrounding the question of foreign funding for Palestinian NGOs, especially those that conduct the polls. At the center of II Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. this debate is the contention that western support, financial and otherwise, for Palestinian research centers actually aims at weakening the grassroots organizations that had served and kept together the West Bank and Gaza Strip populations during the most difficult periods of the occupation. In particular this study examines the legitimacy of the polls within the larger context of their credibility and potential in serving the real needs of Palestinian society. To this end, the methodology used in conducting them and the issue of the representativeness of opinions surveyed are discussed. The analysis places emphasis on the effects of Palestinian culture, on the process itself and its results, especially in a political atmosphere that has been de-developed and charged with tension, insecurity and continued conflict. This study further argues that in the absence of a census of all Palestinians, including those still living in exile, no sample can be truly representative of what the entire population of Palestinians thinks. In trying to bridge the legitimacy gap in the practice of public opinion polling in Palestine, this dissertation offers recommendations to organizations III Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. entering into the field of survey research, which if not capable of contributing to their development as an integral and dynamic part of Palestinian society, will at least form a basis for further relevant research. IV Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are many who deserve credit and thanks for their help and effort on this dissertation. To begin, I wish to thank my committee members: Professor Gay Young for her valuable insights and comments and Professor Mary Gray for the work and expertise she brought to the study. A special thanks to the chair of the committee, my mentor and friend, Professor Samih K. Farsoun. I also wish to thank all at the Center for Palestine Research and Studies, especially Professor Khalil Shikaki, for allowing me to work so closely with them on their opinion polls and their wonderful friendships. It was an experience that I will never forget and one that was much greater than put into the words of this dissertation. This study would not have been possible without the immense support that I have received from my family and friends. Thank you mom, dad and Cathy. I also thank Dr. Randa Hawatmeh and Alia Dugum for their constant encouragement and love. And to George, my husband, I thank you for your help, understanding and patience. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................... II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................ V LIST OF TABLES ...........................................VIII Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION........................................1 2. PALESTINE AND THE PALESTINIANS: RESISTANCE, ORGANIZATION AND OPPOSITION ......... 20 Occupation for the Long Haul The Prison of Occupation: Organized Resistance Intifada Heralds New Era The Oslo Accords 3. PALESTINE STUDIES: POLITICS & ACADEMIA .........106 Numbers: Power & Empowerment In Palestine, Studies Palestine Studies After Olso 4. SURVEY RESULTS AND THE PROCESS BEHIND THEM . .165 Problems with Using and Understanding Survey Data VI Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 5. REPORTING THE SURVEY RESULTS .................... 191 Tests of Significance Corrections Further Reflections 5. CONCLUDING THOUGHTS AND ANALYSIS ............. 2 07 The Baby and the Bath Water APPENDIX 1. Results of CPRS Public Opinion Poll #23 June 28-30, 1996 ............................... 240 2. Results of CPRS Public Opinion Poll #24 September 26-October 17, 1996 .................. 263 3. Results of CPRS Public Opinion Poll #25 December 26-28, 1996 ........................... 292 BIBLOGRAPGHY ............................................... 318 VII Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Distribution of Palestinians in The Labor Force, 1986 (numbers in Thousands) 4 5 Table 2 Comparison of Selected Indicators: Occupied Territories, Middle East, North Africa and Jordan, 1 9 9 1 .............47 Table 3 Five Types of Palestinians (1990/91 E s t i m a t e s ) ................................. 118 Table 4 Comparison of the 1997 Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) Census Data and Israeli Estimates . .131 Table 5 Attitudes toward Continuing the Peace Process, by Region (Poll # 2 3 ) ............195 Table 6 Attitudes toward Continuing the Peace Process, by Gender (Poll # 2 3 ) ........... 195 Table 7 Attitudes toward Continuing the Peace Process, by Education (Poll #23) .... 196 Table 8 Attitudes toward the Peace Process by Region (Poll # 2 4 ) ......................196 Table 9 Attitudes toward the Peace Process by