Palestinians support Hamas' decision to go to war against Israel, poll finds
If Ramallah has a center, it is Al-Manara Square. Six streets meet here and pedestrians confidently make their way through the narrow roundabout, forcing cars to get out of the way. He is always busy.
Demonstrators will gather here to protest, but when CNN visited this Sunday morning, people were going about their business. Still, photos of the war in Gaza posted around the square and hung on banners and billboards remind anyone who needs to be reminded of the horrors unfolding not far away.
“This destruction resembles the conscience of the world,” reads a sign beneath a picture of rescue workers clearing debris.
Another photo shows ambulances outside a hospital with the words “Medical heroes demand action: Stop the massacre in Gaza!”
In his office a mile away, where desks and shelves creak under piles of paper, Khalil Shikaki reflects on the conflict.
Palestinians, he says, overwhelmingly support Hamas' decision to go to war against Israel.
His research firm, the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR), has just released the results of its latest study on Palestinian attitudes.
Seven hundred and fifty adults in the West Bank and 481 in Gaza were interviewed face-to-face and face-to-face. Data collection on Gaza occurred during the recent ceasefire, when it was safer for researchers to move around.
The poll, which has a margin of error of four points (instead of the usual three points), found that almost three quarters (72%) of all respondents agree that Hamas's decision to launch its attack on Israel on October 7th , ” correct.” .”
Less than a quarter (22%) said it was “wrong.”
But that doesn't mean supporting atrocities, he adds. “No one should see this as support for the atrocities that Hamas may have committed that day.”