A recent opinion poll conducted among Palestinians and published on Wednesday reveals a significant surge in support for the Hamas terror group in the West Bank. Surprisingly, backing for Hamas has also increased in the heavily affected Gaza Strip.
The poll indicates an overwhelming rejection of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, with nearly 90 percent of respondents calling for his resignation.
According to the survey, 72% of participants believe that Hamas was justified in initiating its October 7 offensive, with 82% of respondents in the West Bank and 57% in Gaza expressing support.
The results of the poll, conducted by a Palestinian research institute, suggest potential challenges for the postwar vision for Gaza outlined by the Biden administration and cast doubt on Israel’s stated objective of eliminating Hamas.
The Biden administration has advocated for the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, currently under Abbas’s leadership, to eventually take control of Gaza, overseeing both territories as a step toward statehood.
However, the survey underscores the complexities and potential resistance to such a transition.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at the helm of Israel’s most right-wing government in history, has vehemently opposed any role for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza.
Netanyahu insists that Israel must maintain some level of security control in the region following the recent conflict.
In an interview ahead of the survey’s publication, pollster Khalil Shikaki suggested that Israel’s current stance may evolve, with the possibility of a future government reconsidering Netanyahu’s conditions.
Shikaki proposed that Israel might opt for a unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, although he cautioned that the prevailing assumption is that Israel will continue to occupy the territory fully.
