Palestinians support Hamas, reject disarming: poll

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OTTAWA — A majority of Palestinians support Hamas and the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks and oppose disarmament of the terrorist group as a means of ending the war in the Gaza Strip, according to a poll.

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And most Palestinians view “armed struggle” as the best way to secure a Palestinian state, with negotiations and peaceful resistance receiving lower marks.

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Sobering a new survey was published this week headquartered in Ramallah Palestine Center for Policy and Survey Research. The results could complicate Canada's joint terms for recognition of Palestinian statehood, including the disarmament of Hamas and the transfer of control to President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Support for the October 7 attacks is strong among Palestinians

Support for the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, which saw Palestinian terrorists unleash a wave of kidnappings, murders and sexual assaults on Israeli communities surrounding the Gaza Strip, is around 50%, the poll found, with support for the attacks high among West Bank residents.

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These attacks have begun well organized and well funded demonstrations and intimidation rallies here in CanadaFar-left and anti-Israel activist groups hold regular rallies on city streets, outside Jewish-owned businesses and even in Jewish neighborhoods, accusing Israel of carrying out a so-called “genocide” in the Gaza Strip.

When asked what means of securing a Palestinian state would be most effective, 41% chose armed struggle, 36% said negotiations, and 19% chose peaceful resistance.

Opinion polls suggest that public support for Hamas has only increased since the October 7 attacks, both in the Gaza Strip and especially in the West Bank.

Disarmament of Hamas is one of Canada's conditions for their September recognition of a Palestinian state — has little support among Palestinians.

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Eighty-five percent of West Bank residents oppose disarmament of Hamas, while that number drops to 55% among Gazans.

Hamas support far exceeds Palestinian Authority – Abbas

Hamas's approval rating is 60%, while Abbas' approval is only 20%.

“Public opinion shows continued deep dissatisfaction with President Mahmoud Abbas: three-quarters disapprove of his performance and 80% want his resignation,” the pollsters wrote in their summary.

“This unpopularity is reflected in the presidential polls, where Abbas is polling with just 13% of the vote.”

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Conversely, support for Fatah's Marwan Barghouti, Hamas' rival, is the highest among all Palestinians, while Hamas remains the most popular at the party level.

“This is reinforced by the view that Hamas is more deserving of leadership than Fatah under Abbas,” the sociologists write.

“However, a significant portion of the public is deeply disillusioned with the status quo, with nearly a third believing that no party is worthy of representing the Palestinian people.”

Mixed two-state solution support

Canada's demands that the PA hold general elections in 2026 have received support from about two-thirds of Palestinians, but 60% of those surveyed do not believe the PA actually intends to hold elections.

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The survey also found that 53% of respondents believe that Canada joint recognition of a Palestinian state brings the end of the Israeli occupation closer, and 45% disagreed.

Support for a two-state solution is also mixed, the poll shows.

Forty-seven percent of respondents prefer a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders, while 18% prefer a confederation between a Palestinian state and Israel.

Twelve percent prefer a single state where Palestinians and Israelis live on equal terms, while 24% declined to answer.

The survey was conducted among 1,200 Palestinians, 760 from the West Bank and 440 from Gaza, with a margin of error of ±3.5%.

Efforts should be aimed at deradicalizing Palestinians, expert says

Casey Babb, director of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute's Promised Land program and Canada's security adviser, said Toronto Sun The polls only confirm what observers have been warning for years: support for Hamas among Palestinians remains high.

“This group is not a foreign entity that was parachuted into Gaza, but a Palestinian organization that represents the very spirit of the Palestinian people,” he said.

“If we want peace to happen, the West needs to focus not on performative politics and hope, but on the deradicalization of the Palestinian people, which will take generations.”

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