What Palestinians Really Think of Hamas – Foreign Affairs, 25/10/2023
▻https://www.arabbarometer.org/wp-content/uploads/what-palestinians-really-think-of-hamas-2023-10-26-08-4941.pdf
Before the War, Gaza’s Leaders Were Deeply Unpopular—but an Israeli Crackdown Could Change at
The argument that the entire population of Gaza can be held responsible for Hamas’s actions is quickly discredited when one looks at the facts. Arab Barometer, a research network where we serve as co-principal investigators, conducted a survey in Gaza and the West Bank days before the Israel-Hamas war broke out. e ndings, published here for the rst time, reveal that rather than supporting Hamas, the vast majority of Gazans have been frustrated with the armed group’s ineective governance as they endure extreme economic hardship. Most Gazans do not align themselves with Hamas’s ideology, either. Unlike Hamas, whose goal is to destroy the Israeli state, the majority of survey respondents favored a two- state solution with an independent Palestine and Israel existing side by side.
Continued violence will not bring the future most Gazans hope for any closer. Instead of stamping out sympathy for terrorism, past Israeli crackdowns that make life more dicult for ordinary Gazans have increased support for Hamas. If the current military campaign in Gaza has a similar eect on Palestinian public opinion, it will further set back the cause of long-term peace.
