An overwhelming majority of the Palestinian public in the West Bank and Gaza Strip support the formation of armed militias that operate outside of the Palestinian Authority, a new survey shows.
According to the Ramallah-based Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR), 84% of the public in the Gaza Strip and 65% in the West Bank support groups such as the Lions’ Den. Just 22% of respondents said they were against the formation of such groups.
Lions’ Den, a group of disparate fighters from the West Bank cities of Nablus and Jenin, first appeared in the summer, united in their opposition to Israeli raids and dissatisfaction with the PA leadership. It has claimed responsibility for several shooting attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers in recent months and has been the target of IDF action.
The survey also found that 87% of the Palestinian public believe the PA does not have the right to arrest members of such armed militias either to stop them from attacking Israeli targets or for their own protection from Israeli operations. Just 10% said that they approved of such arrests.
Regarding the new right-wing Israeli government currently being formed by former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, 61% said they expect its policies to be more extreme and aggressive, while 30% said they expect no real change. Only 4% said they expected the new government to be less extreme. Just over half of respondents, 58%, said they expected the new government to end the status quo at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and allow Jews to pray at the site.