Just under half of Palestinians living in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip – 44 percent – admit having “no trust at all” in the Hamas-led government, according to a survey conducted by the Arab Barometer on the eve of Hamas’ violent incursion into Israel.
The second most common response among the 790 respondents in the West Bank and 399 in Gaza at 23 percent was “not a lot of trust” in Hamas, recognized internationally as a “terrorist organization.” Fewer than one in three – 29 percent – maintain “a great deal of trust” or “quite a lot of trust” in their government.
Only 27 percent of those surveyed said their favored political party was Hamas. Exactly one-third of under 30s supported Hamas, compared to just 23 percent of those older than 30. More people admitted to supporting Fatah than Hamas.
The survey also learned that Palestinians have a strong desire for political change. Only a combined 26 percent of Palestinians believe the government is responsive to the needs of the people, with three percent answering “very responsive” and 23 percent “largely responsive.” The majority of Palestinians said “nothing is effective” when trying to voice their concerns.
Almost half of Palestinians – 48 percent – support democracy and affirmed that “democracy is always preferable to any other kind of government.” A mere 26 percent believe non-democratic governments are preferable.
Notably, almost three-quarters of those surveyed – 73 percent – favor a “peaceful settlement” to the Israeli-Hamas conflict, with only 20 percent of Palestinians supporting the destruction of Israel by military means.
