Palestinians prefer living under Netanyahu over Abbas, report says

“I prefer Israeli sovereignty, a hundred percent,” said one PA resident.

By Josh Plank, World Israel News

There may be a huge gap between the opinions of Palestinian Authority (PA) officials and PA residents concerning Israel’s sovereignty plans, Channel 13’s Arab affairs commentator Zvi Yehezkeli reported on Tuesday.

Yehezkeli interviewed several Arab residents of Judea and Samaria about their opinions on Israel applying sovereignty over portions of the territories. Some were interviewed openly, while other interviews were documented with hidden camera glasses.

“It is a million times better for Israel to be responsible for the entire territory. We’re ready to live under Israel’s military boots rather than under the head of Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas],” one person said.

“What has the PA done for us?” one businessman asked. “I don’t want a state. I want money. Money is preferable to a state. The entire Palestinian people wants this. What does it want? It doesn’t want the PA. The PA robbed us and destroyed us.”

When asked why Palestinians always say they want a state, resistance, and intifada, the businessman replied, “Our government is looking for it. We want money.”

Yehezkeli asked another man who would win if an election was held in PA-controlled areas between Abbas and Bibi Netanyahu. “Bibi,” the man responded without hesitation.

“In Israel there’s law and order. Life is good,” said a PA policeman, adding that in the PA “all the money goes to Abu Mazen, to the PA, to those leaders.”

“I prefer Israeli sovereignty, a hundred percent,” he said.

Yehezkeli also noted that when the United States moved the embassy to Jerusalem, the PA promised a wave of violence, but the public mainly chose not to take to the streets. He feels that on the issue of annexation, the gap between PA leadership and the people may be even wider.