AMMAN — A
poll conducted by the
Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in the
West Bank and the Gaza Strip between June 22 and 25 has shown a significant
change in the domestic balance of power in favor of Hamas and its leadership
after Fatah had managed to restore some of the popularity it had lost in the
aftermath of the April 2021 cancellation of the legislative and presidential
elections, the May 2021 Israeli war on Gaza, and the killing of the opposition
figure
Nizar Banat at the hands of the Palestinian security services.
اضافة اعلان
Today, Hamas and
Fatah enjoy almost the same level of public support, with the gap narrowing to
1 percentage point in favor of
Hamas after it was 6 points in favor of
Fatah in
March 2022. It is noticeable that the drop in Fatah’s popularity has occurred
in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, though the drop has been greater in
the latter. Fatah’s declining popularity is evident in two other ways.
For one, the gap in
popularity between the head of Fatah, President Mahmoud Abbas, and head of
Hamas Ismail Haniyyeh, has now reached 22 points in favor of Haniyyeh after it
was only 16 points three months ago. Moreover, the demand for Abbas’
resignation from the presidency of the Palestinian Authority (PA), has risen to
over three quarters while those still in favor of Abbas have dwindled in size
to less than one fifth of the public. Another indicator of Fatah’s decline can
be seen when looking at the widening gap between those who think Hamas is the
more deserving of representing and leading the Palestinian people compared to
those who think “Fatah under Abbas” is more deserving than Hamas. Today, the
gap stands at 10 percentage points in favor of Hamas compared to just two
points in favor of Hamas three months ago.
In
Palestinian-Israeli relations, the results indicate a significant decline in
support for the two-state solution. The results show one of the likely reasons
for the decline: a significant increase in the belief that a two-state solution
is no longer feasible or practical due to settlement expansion, rising to 70
percent. But the findings also indicate a similar decline in support for a
one-state solution with equal rights for Jews and Palestinians, indicating a
hardening of public attitudes similar to what was observed in mid-2021 in the
aftermath of the Israeli war on Gaza. Support for a return to an armed uprising
is also rising to form a clear majority, reinforced by a broad support for the
recent shootings inside Israel by individual Palestinians who did not belong to
known forces and movements. However, there are significant differences in the
attitudes of Gazans compared to West Bankers, where the largest percentage of
the latter remains opposed to armed attacks.
However, it is worth noting that the percentage of those
viewing positively the recent “confidence-building” measures between the PA and
Israel has risen to about two-thirds. Moreover, despite the rising tension over
Al-Aqsa Mosque, the majority continues to view the Palestinian-Israeli conflict
as a national conflict, over land and sovereignty, rather than a religious
conflict.
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