Palestinians’ heroes: Murderers, rapists and kidnappers of babies

54% of Palestinians polled support an ‘armed struggle’ against Israel, an 8-point rise from the previous poll three months ago.

By Bassam Tawil, Gatestone Institute

More than eight months after Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, most Palestinians continue to voice support for the atrocities committed by the Iran-backed terrorist group, including the murder, rape, beheading and burning of hundreds of Israelis.

This ongoing support for Hamas comes amid US-led efforts to end the current war in the Gaza Strip, a move that would effectively keep Hamas in power to prepare for its next massacre of Israelis.

Support for Hamas also coincides with the Biden administration’s and some European nations’ ongoing promotion of creating a Palestinian state right next to Israel.

This move would not only open the door for more atrocities against Israelis, but would also put Israel in grave danger because the Palestinian state, even under the supposedly watchful eye of a chaperone, would essentially be ruled by the same murderers and rapists who took part in the October 7 carnage.

Three public opinion polls conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) after the October 7 Hamas-led attack have shown that an overwhelming majority of Palestinians support the crimes committed on that day, and which claimed the lives of 1,200 Israelis.

The first poll, conducted in December 2023, found that Palestinian support for the massacre stood at 72%. The second poll, conducted in March 2024, showed that 71% of Palestinians support the massacre.

The third poll, published on June 12, found that two-thirds of the Palestinians believe the atrocities were “correct.” According to the latest PSR poll, only 17% of Palestinians believe that the October 7 massacre was “incorrect.”

One of the reasons why most Palestinians continue to support the October 7 massacre is because they believe that the murder, rape and beheading of Israelis has “revived international attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and that it could lead to increased recognition of Palestinian statehood,” PSR noted in its analysis of the June 12 poll.

This indicates that the majority of Palestinians see the recent recognition of a Palestinian state by some European countries, together with the Biden administration’s demand for “a concrete, time-bound and irreversible path to a Palestinian state,” as a reward for the horrors of October 7.

These European nations — Ireland, Norway, and Spain — have sent a message to the Palestinians that the only way they can get international recognition for their state is by murdering Jews.

In a similar vein, the Biden administration has communicated to the Palestinians that the October 7 atrocities have heightened their likelihood of creating a terror state ruled by the Iranian regime and its Palestinian proxies, which would be used as a launchpad to murder more Jews and destroy Israel. This is evident in the administration’s continued support for a “two-state solution.”

The poll showed that most Palestinians (61%) would prefer to see Hamas control the Gaza Strip after the war, as opposed to only 16% who favored a “new Palestinian Authority with an elected president, parliament and government.”

Only 6% chose the current Palestinian Authority (PA) without Mahmoud Abbas, and another 6% chose the return of the PA to the Gaza Strip but under his control.

Unsurprisingly, the poll also showed that if a Palestinian presidential election were held today, most Palestinians would vote for a candidate who has Jewish blood on his hands: arch-terrorist Marwan Barghouti, who is serving five life terms in prison for his role in the murder of five Israelis, would win 42% of the vote, followed by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh (27%) and Mahmoud Abbas (5%). Nearly 90% want Abbas to resign, as the level of dissatisfaction with his performance stands at 86%.

When asked which political party they support, the largest percentage selected Hamas (40%) followed by Abbas’s ruling Fatah faction (20%), while 8% choose other or third-party groups, and 33% said none of them or did not know.

The previous PSR poll, conducted three months ago, showed that 34% of Palestinians supported Hamas and 17% selected Fatah. This means that support for Hamas during the past three months has witnessed a 6-point rise.

In another sign of Hamas’s rising popularity among the Palestinians, 32% said they would vote for Hamas in a new parliamentary election, while Fatah would get only 17%.

The percentage of Palestinians who believe that Hamas is the most deserving of representing and leading the Palestinians has also risen from 49% three months ago to 51% today.

In a blow to the Biden administration’s effort to “revitalize” the PA, an overwhelming majority (72%) of Palestinians believe that the new government appointed by Mahmoud Abbas and headed by Mohammad Mustafa will not succeed in carrying out reforms. Another 77% of Palestinians believe that the new government will not succeed in combating corruption.

Most Palestinians know what the Biden administration does not want to know: that the PA leadership cannot be trusted to implement any reforms or combat financial and administrative corruption.

In yet another blow to the Biden administration, the latest poll found that 65% of Palestinians oppose the idea of a “two-state solution.”

In addition, 54% of Palestinians polled support an “armed struggle” against Israel, an 8-point rise from the previous poll three months ago.

The results of the PSR poll again reaffirm that a majority of Palestinians continue to support a terrorist group whose goal is to destroy Israel and replace it with an Islamist state. They also show that the Palestinians’ favorite leaders are murderers, rapists, and kidnappers of Jewish babies.

The results of the poll also confirm what a Palestinian state would look like: it will be a terror state funded and armed by Qatar and Iran.

Hamas has already pledged to carry out more October 7-style atrocities against Israelis. Hamas Official Ghazi Hamad said that he would repeat the October 7 attack time and again until Israel is annihilated, and that everything Hamas did was justified. This tenacity is exactly why there is no substitute to destroying Hamas.

Hamad also said that Egypt and Qatar have exerted no pressure on Hamas whatsoever to accept Biden’s proposed ceasefire, and that media reports about threats to expel Hamas leaders from Qatar are false.

The PSR poll results show that most Palestinians have become so radicalized that they look up to murderers and rapists as heroes and role models. It is an outcome should be noted by the Biden administration and those Europeans who are desperate to see a Palestinian state and are pushing for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Or is it possible that this is why they want Hamas to win?

To see the Jews finally get their comeuppance for having had the gall not to accept their role as crushed victims after World War II, but instead to work hard and transform a land of malaria-infested swamps, sand dunes and deserts into a successful modern state?

Amjad Taha, a political strategist and analyst from the United Arab Emirates, commented:

“If a ceasefire means Hamas terrorists, rapists, and kidnappers of babies remain in Gaza, then no one in Israel, Gaza, or the Middle East wants that. Keeping Nazis in power and giving them a moment to breathe is unacceptable. Israel should swiftly and decisively eliminate Muslim Brotherhood terrorist forces in Gaza.”