The clouds of conflict are thick, the flames of war in the Middle East have not been extinguished, and a new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict has once again set off waves. Amid this tense and volatile war, a new opinion poll reveals the rise of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, as well as dissatisfaction with the international community's response.
At this time of change, I dug deep into the details of this poll and tried to read the deep information contained in it. Hamas's support in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank has reportedly risen, suggesting a growing recognition and support for the group.
Polls reveal that Hamas's large-scale attack on Israel on October 7 was the right decision in the eyes of the vast majority of Palestinians. The attack resonated widely in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with 57 percent of Gazans and a staggering 82 percent of West Bank residents supporting it. This seems to reflect people's desire to defend their rights and their dissatisfaction with Israel's actions.
However, it is worth noting that in this conflict, Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip were identified as war crimes by 95% of those surveyed. This has made the entire conflict even more complex and has attracted widespread attention from the international community. The situation in the Gaza Strip is even more worrying, with military operations resulting in more than 1860,000 people died and nearly 1.9 million** were left homeless.
Interestingly, Hamas's popularity has risen in both places, particularly in the West Bank, where support has surged from 12 percent to 44 percent. Support in the Gaza Strip also rose from 38 per cent to 42 per cent. This not only reflects recognition of Hamas's performance in the conflict, but may also mean a positive response to the Palestinian people's voices for their rights.
In the face of this conflict, the response of the international community has become the focus of concern of the Palestinian people. According to the poll, 87 percent of Palestinians believe that the reaction of the United States and other Western countries to the new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict "shows a disregard for international humanitarian law." Seventy percent of Palestinians believe that Western countries' claims to support a "two-state solution" are actually "not serious." This underscores disappointment with the international community and antipathy towards Western countries.
In this tense atmosphere, it is also worth paying attention to the views of the Palestinians about their own future. Although Israel, the United States and some European countries have said that Hamas cannot participate in the governance of the Gaza Strip, 60 percent of Palestinians support Hamas's continued control of Gaza. However, this is as high as 75 percent in the West Bank and 38 percent in the Gaza Strip, reflecting stark differences in attitudes towards Hamas in different regions.
Most notably, Hamas Politburo leader Ismail Haniyeh has higher approval ratings in both places than Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. But the most popular among the Palestinians is Marwan Barghouti, a high-ranking member of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah), who has been imprisoned by Israel for many years. Fatah is the political faction that dominates the Palestinian national authority.