90% of Palestinians back October 7 massacres – Netanyahu

“Murdering Jews pays off,” says Israeli prime minister, excoriating nations backing unilateral Palestinian statehood and noting widespread popular support among Palestinians for 2023 massacres.

By World Israel News Staff

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu excoriated countries that joined the French-led initiative last week to recognize unilateral Palestinian statehood, calling the move a reward for lethal antisemitism and highlighting popular support among Palestinians for the October 7, 2023, massacre of Israelis.

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday as part of High-Level Week, Netanyahu praised the Trump administration for combating antisemitism while lambasting France, Britain, Australia and Canada for embracing unilateral Palestinian claims to statehood amid surges of domestic antisemitism.

“Trump’s administration is forcefully fighting the scourge of antisemitism. And every government here should follow its lead,” Netanyahu said.

“But instead, many do the opposite. They actually reward the worst antisemites on earth.”

The prime minister claimed that close to 90% of Palestinians, both in the Gaza Strip and in Judea and Samaria, backed the massacres of Israelis on October 7, 2023.

“The leaders of France, Britain, Australia, Canada and other countries unconditionally recognized a Palestinian state. They did so after the horrors committed by Hamas on October 7t — horrors praised on that day by nearly 90% of the Palestinian population,” Netanyahu continued.

“Nearly 90% of Palestinians supported the attack on October 7. Not supported it — they celebrated. They danced on the rooftops; they threw candies. That’s both in Gaza and in Judea and Samaria — the West Bank, as you call it.”

“And it’s just the way they celebrated another horror — 9/11. They danced on the rooftops, they cheered, they threw candy.”

“You know what message the leaders who recognized a Palestinian state this week sent to the Palestinians? It’s a very clear message. Murdering Jews pays off.”

While Netanyahu did not provide a source for the figure, polling of Palestinians has consistently shown widespread support for the 2023 attacks.

However, the levels of support have varied widely, depending in part on the framing of the question.

A poll published by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in November 2023 showed that 72% of Palestinians – including 82% of those in Judea and Samaria compared to 57% of those in the Gaza Strip – said the decision to invade Israel was “correct,” with 22% of all Palestinians saying it was incorrect.

A poll released a month earlier by Arab World for Research and Development (AWRAD) found similar results, with 75% of Palestinians saying they backed the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.

When the question was phrased exclusively on moral grounds, though, the level of support rose to well above 90%.

The AWRAD poll found that 98% of Palestinians said they felt pride over the October 7 attacks, including 94.3% who said they felt pride “to a great extent” with regards to the attacks. There was no significant difference between Gazans and residents of Judea and Samaria.