West Bank Palestinians split over Israel’s right to exist, Poll pinds

Palestinians in the West Bank remain deeply divided over Israel’s right to exist, but a majority favor diplomacy over armed struggle as the best way to resolve the conflict, according to a survey by Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies (INSS).

The survey found that 46% of respondents believe Israel does not have the right to exist, while 41% recognize that right. In a separate question about Israel’s future, 42% said they believe it could cease to exist in either the short or long term, compared with 32% who considered such a scenario impossible.

Despite these divisions, the findings indicate a clear preference for negotiations. Fifty-two percent of respondents said diplomacy was the best way to resolve the conflict, while 13% favored nonviolent popular resistance and 12% supported armed struggle.

In addition, 57% said violent resistance had failed and that Palestinians should instead focus their efforts on international diplomatic action.

However, no proposed political solution received majority support. Twenty-seven percent backed a two-state solution, while 22% favored a single binational state with equal rights for all citizens. Another 26% supported establishing a Palestinian state “from the river to the sea” with no permanent Jewish presence, while 17% favored a Palestinian state across the entire territory in which Jews could remain as citizens or residents.

On the future of Gaza, 40% said Hamas should disarm, although fewer than half of that group believed the organization would actually agree to do so. Asked who should govern the Gaza Strip, 32% supported a technocratic government, 21% favored the Palestinian Authority, and another 21% backed a Fatah-Hamas unity government. Just 5% supported continued Hamas rule.

Uncertainty also surrounds the eventual succession of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, with 44% of respondents expressing no preference. Among those who named a potential successor, Marwan Barghouti led with 34% support. Barghouti is serving multiple life sentences in Israel for his role in planning deadly terrorist attacks. Hussein al-Sheikh received 8%.

Economic hardship and security concerns dominated respondents’ daily priorities. Ninety-seven percent identified unemployment and economic difficulties as major problems, while 96% cited violence by Israeli settlers and 91% pointed to Israeli military operations in the West Bank. Six in ten respondents said they felt a low or very low sense of personal security.