Palestinians: Always Out Of Step With The Rest Of The Arab World

Palestinian Arabs seem to march to the beat of a different drummer--during Operation Desert Storm they supported Saddam Hussein at a time that the Arab World allied itself under US leadership. During the second war they did the same. Is suppose that it is no surprise then that when it comes to support for the new US administration, Palestinian Arabs are again out of step:

While support for America's leaders has risen markedly throughout the Arab world with the coming of a new American administration, it has actually declined among Palestinians, a Gallup poll published Monday has found.

Despite the steps that Obama has taken, not only to restore relations with the Arab world in general but to be more supportive of the Palestinian position vis-a-vis Israel--Palestinian Arabs appear not to have noticed:

...Indeed, among Palestinians and Lebanese, it has taken a turn for the worse from the Bush administration to the Obama administration, dropping by 3% in Lebanon (25% in May 2008 to 22% in March 2009) and 6% among West Bank Arabs (13% in August 2008 to just 7%).

It is unclear if this drop is the result of these Arab populations' concerns over Israel's January 2009 Operation Cast Lead, which enjoyed American political support and silence from then-president-elect Obama, or if it is related to the profound culture wars taking place in these two societies between radical Muslim forces and relative moderates or even liberals.

Whatever the reason may be, Palestinian Arabs give the impression that they do not know when they have it good.

Technorati Tag: Obama and Palestinians .