Large rise in Palestinian support for armed struggle against Israel

[shira]

Support for Hamas and for armed struggle against Israel is gaining popularity in the Palestinian territories, a new survey showed Tuesday, despite languishing rehabilitation efforts in the war-battered Gaza Strip. The survey, carried out by the Jerusalem Media and Communications Center, shows that as far as local public opinion is concerned, the latest war in Gaza was a victory for Hamas.

Some 57 percent of those polled claimed that Hamas was victorious — a strong majority, albeit far short of the 70% who thought Hamas had won after 2012’s Operation Pillar of Defense in Gaza. Only 8% thought that Israel had won. Some 53% claimed the recent war achieved the interests of the Palestinian people, while a little more than 21% said that the war damaged those interests.

At the same time Fatah, Hamas’s rival, has weakened while Hamas is getting stronger. Before the conflict began, 41.7% of Palestinians said they trusted Fatah but by the end of the fighting that percentage had slipped to 35.1. On the eve of the war nearly 17% said Hamas was the organization they believed in most, while in the current survey 26% said they believed in Hamas. Support for the military struggle against Israel rose dramatically — from 31.5% on the eve of Israel’s Operation Protective Edge, launched in early July, to 42.7% in the new survey.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is still considered the most popular leader, with 23.3% of Palestinians supporting him, more than any other potential leader. However, that support seems to be wavering as in April the figure was 25.2% while those backing former Hamas prime minister head Ismail Haniyeh grew from 13.5% just before the war to 17.9% in the current survey. In general, on all questions and matters of current affairs, the residents of the West Bank showed a more extreme point of view compared to those in Gaza.

more...
http://www.timesofisrael.com/gaza-still-in-ruins-but-palestinians-say-hamas-won-the-war/#ixzz3HSqfh3zz

[bravenak]

1. They did just get the crap bombed out of them.

Of course they want guns. They are probably scared as hell that more bombs will come soon.

[shira]

2. There's a rise in support for terror attacks on Israeli civilians...

Rockets on Israeli cities. That's not self-defense. It's irrational hatred.

Read the OP and you'll see this little piece of insanity...

Some 53% claimed the recent war achieved the interests of the Palestinian people,

What interests could those possibly be when 2000 are now dead and Hamas had none of their demands met?

[bravenak]

3. I find all religious nutjobs to be religious nutjobs.

[shira]

4. We agree on that, except there are also irreligious nutjobs out there....

...who are just as irrational. Their politics blinds them every bit as much as religion blinds fundamentalists.

[bravenak]

5. Ideological nutjobs are just as dangerous, I agree.

[MrNJ]

6. Bookmarked for the next time

someone tells the fairy-tale of "peace-loving Palestinians" being misrepresented by the terrorist Hamas.

[bemildred]

7. That is called "losing deterrence". So "Protective Edge" resulted in lost deterrence.

Next time they should just call it "Operation Lose Deterrence". We can give them roman numerals as we go along: Operation Lose Deterrence II, Operation Lose Deterrence III, etc.

[Jefferson23]

8. +1

ha ha, very good.

[bemildred]

9. Just stating the facts here.

[Jefferson23]

10. Yep and appreciated.