After almost three months of war, increasing reports and interpretations of experts, both in the Israeli and international media, contend that there is a turning point in the attitude of the Palestinian public in general and in the Gaza Strip in particular towards Hamas.
On the one hand, based on interviews with Gazans who criticize Hamas and blame it for the catastrophic situation it has caused in the Gaza Strip, it would appear that its status has weakened significantly among Palestinian society, especially in the in the coastal enclave it controls.
In practice, however, despite the hope of many that it would be possible to reach Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation and peace – and that the Palestinian people will denounce a culture of support for terrorism and the glorification of murdering Jews – reality illustrates otherwise.
A public opinion poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR) led by Prof. Khalil Shikaki from December 2023 clearly shows that Hamas’s barbaric carnage raised its prestige among the Palestinian public – which once again proves that the Palestinian collective is not a partner for coexistence with the Jewish state.
Thus, almost three-fourths (72%) of all Palestinians justify the attack by Hamas on October 7, when even among the residents of the Gaza Strip, many of whom are destitute, only 37% believe that the move was wrong. In this context, it is not surprising that 63% of Palestinians believe that the way to realize their national aspirations is via an armed struggle, while only 20% of them believe that these must be achieved at the negotiating table.
Another horrific datum that emerges from the survey, which clearly illustrates how radical Palestinian society is, is that only 10% of them believe that Hamas has indeed committed war crimes – even though they documented all of the atrocities they committed, including murdering and abusing the bodies of innocent civilians. Regarding the future of Gaza, 60% of Palestinians prefer to see Hamas rule the Strip, compared to only 7% who would like to see the Palestinian Authority rule it under Mahmoud Abbas.
Mahmoud Abbas is no partner for peace
Despite growing radicalization among Palestinian society, there are still those who believe that Abbas’s PA is still a partner for a future settlement with Israel and that at the end of the war against Hamas and the collapse of its rule, there would be an opportunity to renew the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.
The same voices, both in Israel and especially in the US and Europe, believe that the PA under the leadership of Abbas should be strengthened in order for it to be part of the solution for the day after the collapse of Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip. For them, the head of the PA is Israel’s partner and he is the one who represents the Palestinian people.
However, reality shows that Abbas and the PA are perceived differently by the Palestinians. At the beginning of his term in 2005, he indeed won the support of the Palestinian public. But following Operation Protective Edge in 2014, there was a huge turn in Palestinian public opinion against the PA president, when dissatisfaction with his performance grew.
The September PCPSR survey – conducted on the very eve of the massacre – showed that more than three-fourths (76%) of Palestinians were not satisfied with Abbas’s performance, while 78% believe that he should resign from his position.
The survey also illustrated that if he runs in the elections against the Hamas candidate Ismail Haniyeh, Mahmoud Abbas would be defeated, obtaining only 37% of the votes compared to 58% for Haniyeh. Also, 62% of Palestinians believe that the PA is a burden on the Palestinian people, a figure that leaves no room for doubt as to what they think of Abbas and his regime.
The status of Abbas and the PA among Palestinian society has weakened significantly following the October 7 massacre by Hamas. The December poll shows that Haniyeh would have won 78% compared to only 16% for Abbas in the presidential elections, while in the elections to the Palestinian Parliament, Hamas would have won by 51% compared to only 19% for Abbas’s Fatah Party. This is a meteoric rise in support for the terrorist group, especially among Palestinians living in the West Bank who are controlled by the PA.
These clearly illustrate that not only is Palestinian society a radical one that sanctifies violence and terrorism, but also that the Palestinian public no longer wants the rule of the PA under Abbas. They want Hamas to lead them in their fight against Israel, which should not end with the realization of the two-state idea but rather with the destruction of the Jewish state and its inhabitants.
The decision-makers in Israel should know and recall this information when one of them still thinks it is necessary to distinguish between Hamas and the civilian population, or when external pressure comes from Washington to start a peace process with the PA and agree to make concessions that would endanger Jews.
In conclusion, in light of the dismal results that Mahmoud Abbas receives in the polls, the world must realize that from the point of view of the Palestinian public, the era of Abbas’s rule is over. Not only is the PA perceived by Palestinians as a corrupt entity assisting Israel to perpetuate the occupation, but history teaches us that Abbas, who denies the Holocaust and encourages terrorism, is not a true partner for peace. The Palestinians want Hamas; we must understand this fact before it is too late.
The writer is a lecturer and research fellow at the University of South Wales, UK, and a research fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS). His recent book is Israel: National Security.