The October 7 attack on Israel has won Hamas support among the Palestinian population, a poll shows. While in September only 12 percent of West Bank residents said they supported the militant movement, that figure now stands at 44 percent. Support has also risen slightly among Gaza residents, from 38 to 42 percent, but that increase is within the margin of error.
Khalil Shikaki, who conducted the poll on behalf of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, emphasizes to the AP that Gaza residents – who have lived under Hamas rule for almost twenty years – are more critical of the movement. According to him, it is also common for Hamas to gain popularity in the West Bank during wartime. But even during the current war, Hamas does not get the majority of Palestinians behind it.
Reuters – Palestinians wave Hamas flags during a demonstration in Hebron, West Bank.
The poll was conducted between November 22 and December 2, largely during the lull in fighting when Israel and Hamas exchanged prisoners. 1,231 Palestinians completed the questionnaire. The margin of error is 4 percentage points, slightly higher than usual because many respondents are displaced.
Of respondents in the West Bank, 82 percent expressed positive views about the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. In Gaza it was 57 percent. Only 10 percent indicated that Hamas has committed war crimes. The vast majority of respondents said they had not seen images of Palestinian fighters committing atrocities.
The poll results are bad news for the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the West Bank and is being put forward by Western countries as a body that could also govern Gaza after the war. However, the PA is unpopular among Palestinians because of corruption and cooperation with Israel. A large majority believes that the PA should be dissolved, and 88 percent demand the resignation of President Mahmoud Abbas.
Maarten Albers
Also read: Most Gazans would rather see Hamas leave
2023-12-13 21:22:30
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