Hamas Support Grows among Palestinians, So Do Anti-US Sentiments - Poll

By Staff, Agencies

A wartime opinion poll among Palestinians showed a rise in support for the resistance movement Hamas, which appears to have ticked up even in the ‘Israeli’-bombarded Gaza Strip.

The survey showed an overwhelming rejection of Western-backed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, with nearly 90% saying he must resign.

The survey was conducted from November 22 to December 2 among 1,231 people in the occupied West Bank and Gaza and had an error margin of 4 percentage points.

In Gaza, poll workers conducted 481 in-person interviews during a weeklong cease-fire that ended on December 1.

The survey provided insights into Palestinian views of the October 7 Operation Al-Aqsa Flood by Hamas and other Gaza resistance groups in the ‘Israeli’-occupied Palestinian territories.

Despite the devastation, 57% of respondents in Gaza and 82% in the West Bank believe Hamas was correct in launching the October operation, the poll indicated. A large majority believed Hamas' claims that it acted to defend the al-Aqsa Mosque compound against extremist ‘Israeli’ settlers and win the release of Palestinian detainees.

The findings by a Palestinian pollster signal more difficulties ahead for US President Joe Biden administration's postwar vision for Gaza and raise questions about the ‘Israeli’ entity’s stated goal of ending Hamas' military and governing capabilities.

The poll also signaled widespread frustration with the international community, particularly the United States, key European countries and even the United Nations, which has pushed for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.

“The level of anti-Americanism and anti-Westernism is huge among Palestinians because of the positions they have taken regarding international humanitarian law and what is happening in Gaza,” according to the poll.

The United States and its Western allies have said they were still not drawing any red lines for ‘Israel’, which has left more than 18,600 Palestinian martyrs during a yet-ongoing war against the Gaza Strip.