Dada El-Kurd

For example, when asked about whether they would support a Hamas candidate or a Fatah candidate if elections were held for the presidency, 34% of Palestinians say they would vote for a Fatah candidate, 24% would say a Hamas candidate, 9% would say they would keep President Mahmoud Abbas,

And a whopping 32% would say they wouldn't even vote.

And this non-voting percentage goes up to 47% if the elections are just between Mahmoud Abbas and a Hamas candidate.

And they also ask about direct support of political parties.

So there's a more direct question in the latest poll from October 2025.

Again, it shows 24% support Fatah, hardly a majority.

35% support Hamas, again, hardly a majority.

9% support third parties.

And 32% either say they don't know or refuse to answer.

So this is not a situation where either of these parties have a mandate.

And it's clear that neither party is representing the Palestinian people right now, nor do their actions have majority support.

Now, some might wonder, is this debate emerging because of the sheer level of destruction in Gaza?

We are talking over 70,000 people killed in Gaza that we can even confirm so far.

Is it that in this context, this context of severe consequences from Israel, what prompted this debate and self-reflection?

Well, the short answer is no.

Palestinians have always debated these issues.

And in the absence of a functioning national liberation movement with all of its institutions, they haven't been able to hold any particular party accountable for its actions.

I could point to a lot in Palestinian history to demonstrate this, but I'll point out an essay by a Palestinian intellectual, Azmi Bshara, that he wrote and released within a month of October 7th.

This essay titled Moral Matters and Hard Times again demonstrates that Palestinians have never shied away from this discussion and indeed made criticisms of these political parties very quickly following the attacks.

Now, of course, Bashara lays the blame for civilian deaths on Israel, given that it targets Palestinian civilians, as he argues, out of racism and as he argues to try to turn the population against armed tactics and armed resistance.