Majority of Palestinians back October 7 massacres, oppose disarming Hamas – poll

A new poll shows most Palestinians still support the invasion of Israel on October 7th and oppose a two-state solution with Israel.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

A majority of Palestinian Arabs oppose a two-state solution recognizing the State of Israel, oppose disarming Hamas, and support the Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7 and the subsequent massacres of Israelis, a new poll shows.

The poll, published on Tuesday, was conducted from October 22 to 25 in Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research.

A total of 1,200 respondents were surveyed in face-to-face interviews, including 760 in Judea and Samaria and 440 in Gaza.

The poll found that a plurality of Palestinian Arabs believe that terrorism, referred to as “armed struggle,” is the “best means of achieving Palestinian goals,” with 40% favoring terrorism, compared to 36% who said negotiations and 19% who prefer “peaceful popular resistance.”

Support for terrorism was slightly higher in Judea and Samaria (43%) than in Gaza (35%).

More than half (53%) of Palestinians oppose a two-state solution involving Israel, compared to 45% who support it, with effectively equal levels of support in Gaza and Judea and Samaria.

Hamas remains the most popular faction among Palestinians, with 29% of respondents declaring they plan to vote for the group if new elections for the Palestinian Authority’s legislature are held, compared to just 20% who back the ruling Fatah party, 7% who prefer third parties, and 35% who do not plan to vote.

Among those who do support a faction, 53% back Hamas, compared to 36% who favor Fatah.

Support for Hamas was significantly higher in the Gaza Strip (35%) than in Judea and Samaria (24%).

Less than a third (29%) of Palestinians support disarming the Hamas terror organization in exchange for a permanent end to the war in Gaza, while 69% oppose it. Arabs in Judea and Samaria were most likely to oppose disarming Hamas (87%), with just over half (55%) of Gazans opposed to the move.

Gazans were also less likely to believe Hamas will emerge victorious from the war, with just 27% predicting the terror group will win, compared to 29% who said Israel will, and 43% who said neither side would be victorious.

Among Arabs in Judea and Samaria, 48% believe Hamas will emerge victorious, compared to 5% who believe Israel will.

More than one-third (39%) of Palestinians say the decision to invade Israel on October 7th, 2023 was incorrect, while 53% say it was the correct decision.

Gazans were less likely (44%) to back the 2023 invasion than Arabs in Judea and Samaria (59%).