Palestinians reject calls for Hamas disarmament
A poll published on October 28 has found that most Palestinians oppose the disarmament of Hamas and remain deeply sceptical that Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan will bring a lasting end to Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, reports Middle East Eye and agencies. The survey, conducted between the 22nd and 25th of October by the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR), reveals widespread mistrust of international initiatives and continued dissatisfaction with the Palestinian Authority (PA).
According to the poll, around 70 percent of Palestinians across the occupied West Bank and Gaza reject Hamas’s disarmament, even if this means risking renewed Israeli attacks. Opposition was strongest in the occupied West Bank, where 80 percent of respondents supported Hamas maintaining its weapons, compared to 55 percent in Gaza.
The findings underscore a significant rift between public sentiment in Palestine and the goals of the Trump administration’s proposed peace plan. Sixty-two percent of Palestinians surveyed said they did not believe the plan would succeed in ending the conflict “once and for all.” Scepticism was higher in the West Bank (67 percent) than in Gaza (54 percent), where residents have endured years of devastating bombardment.
The poll also shows that support for Hamas remains stronger than for its rival, Fatah, which dominates the PA under President Mahmoud Abbas. Overall, 35 percent of Palestinians said they support Hamas, compared to 24 percent for Fatah. In Gaza, Hamas’s popularity rises to 41 percent, while 32 percent of respondents expressed no preference for either faction.
Mahmoud Abbas has previously stated that Hamas should be disarmed under any ceasefire arrangement and has openly denounced the group and called for them to have no part in any future governance of Gaza.
Public opinion on Abbas remains overwhelmingly negative. Just 23 percent of respondents said they were satisfied with his leadership, and 85 percent called for his resignation. The survey also indicated that imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti would win a presidential election if pitted against Abbas or senior Hamas figure Khaled Meshaal.
This poll makes it clear that the large majority of Palestinians reject Hamas’s disarmament, viewing it not simply as a security issue but as a question of their right to national self-determination. For many, disarmament under pressure from Israel or Western powers would amount to accepting continued subjugation, particularly while occupation and military attacks persist, exposing Trumps peace plan as a colonial endeavour.
The disarmament demand reflects a pattern in which foreign governments determine the conditions for Palestinian sovereignty. Thus, exposing the recognition of a Palestinian state by the UK and others as an act of virtue signaling on the international stage, designed to quell discontent on the streets across Europe through empty words, while ultimately denying Palestinian autonomy in practice.
The PCPSR report concludes that, despite the ceasefire, “the past two years have led to greater support for Hamas rather than the opposite,” highlighting growing disillusionment with both Fatah and international mediation efforts as the humanitarian crisis and Israel’s genocidal occupation in Gaza and the West Bank persists.
Middle East Eye and agencies, The Guardian, Maghrebi.org
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