On Thursday, Birzeit University near Ramallah published a survey of Palestinian opinion that responded to this central Western claim. Their answer was as nuanced as a brick.
Researchers from Birzeit gathered the data through face-to-face interviews with thousands of Palestinians throughout Judea and Samaria, and at three points in southern Gaza. They also spoke to residents of southern Gaza and with evacuees from the combat zones in northern Gaza.
Some 75% of Palestinians support the Hamas-led slaughter of Oct. 7. Another 11% don’t have an opinion. They’re neutral about whether it’s a good idea to rape and torture, and behead, burn alive and abduct women, men, children and infants. Still, three-quarters of Palestinians think it’s a terrific accomplishment.
Likewise, 75% of Palestinians seek the annihilation of Israel. They want a Palestine “from the river to the sea.” This position is distinct from a position of supporting a Jewish-Arab state from the river to the sea, or the so-called “one-state solution,” which only 5.4% of Palestinians support. Another 17.2% support the two-state solution, (13.2% in the P.A. controlled areas in Judea and Samaria, and 22.7% in Gaza).
If Hamas doesn’t represent the Palestinians, it’s hard to understand who represents them. Seventy-six percent of Palestinians support Hamas. Eighty-eight percent of Palestinians in Judea and Samaria support Hamas, and 60% of Gaza residents support Hamas. The P.A. enjoys the support of just 10% of Palestinians.
