Poll Reveals Persistent Palestinian Support for Hamas Attacks on Israel
A recent survey shows a steady majority of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank justify the October 7 attacks by Hamas, highlighting deep-rooted tensions.
Nearly six months after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, almost three out of four Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank (71%) believe the attacks were justified, according to a poll released by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR).
Last December, a poll conducted by the same organization found that 72% of Palestinian respondents similarly supported the Hamas attacks in southern Israel, which killed some 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals, most of them civilians, and captured 253 others, according to Israeli figures. In the ensuing sustained bombing campaign and ground offensive in Gaza, more than 32,000 Palestinians, about two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and 252 Israeli soldiers, have been killed.
This wartime survey of Palestinian public opinion, published amid increased international pressure for Israel to scale back its offensive against Hamas, shows that the war, now in its sixth month, has lifted support for the Islamist group in both Gaza and the West Bank.
After three decades of no progress on the political front, like it or not, Hamas’ actions brought attention back to the Palestinian cause
Ramallah-based political analyst Esmat Mansour told The Media Line that a lack of political horizons fed Palestinian sentiment. “After three decades of no progress on the political front, like it or not, Hamas’ actions brought attention back to the Palestinian cause,” he said.
“Palestinians across the political spectrum have lost faith in the international community, and now believe that armed resistance is the way forward,” said Mansour.
The overall poll figure has remained steady, but Palestinian support for the Hamas attacks has increased from 57% to 71% in Gaza over the past three months while dipping from 82% to 71% in the West Bank.
Israeli journalist-turned-political-analyst Eli Nissan told The Media Line that the poll findings are troubling.
“Even after six months, the support for the attacks increased, and despite all that has happened so far, the gap between the two sides remains huge,” said Nissan.
Along with Hamas, poll respondents gave high marks to the Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, over his conduct in the war. While 61% approved of him most recently, this number was down from 69% in December.
Hamas must go, and the [Mahmoud] Abbas-led Palestinian Authority should not be allowed to govern Gaza. It’s corrupt, undemocratic, and supports terror
“Hamas must go, and the [Mahmoud] Abbas-led Palestinian Authority should not be allowed to govern Gaza. It’s corrupt, undemocratic, and supports terror,” said Nissan.
Hamas, which is sworn to Israel’s destruction, has ruled Gaza since defeating Palestinian Authority (PA) forces in 2007. The PA exercises limited governance in the West Bank.
Among other questions in the poll was who Palestinians would vote for if new parliamentary elections were held today. A plurality—36%—said they wouldn’t vote. Among vote-getters, Hamas won the largest percentage—30%. This was followed by “none of the above,” which won 15%. Just below this, with less than half the support won by Hamas, was PA President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement, which won 14% of the vote. Finally, 6% of respondents surveyed said they would back third parties.
Abbas has seen his popularity plummet amid an almost decadelong impasse in US-sponsored negotiations on the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
The results by PCPSR highlight the challenges facing the Biden Administration’s postwar vision for Gaza and raise questions about Israel’s stated goal of ending Hamas’ military and governing capabilities.
While Washington tries to prop up the PA and Abbas, such findings make the job nearly impossible.
Washington has called for the West Bank-based PA, currently led by Abbas, to eventually assume control of Gaza and run both territories as a precursor to Palestinian statehood. US officials have said the PA must be revitalized, without letting on whether this would mean leadership changes.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, who leads the most right-wing government in Israel’s history, has made his position abundantly clear, rejecting any role for the PA in Gaza on the so-called “day after” and insists that Israel must retain open-ended security control there.
In the last few years, many survey results have indicated a further erosion of the PA’s legitimacy, and Abbas has seen a sharp drop in popularity as more and more Palestinians call on him to resign as PA president.
