Gazans distrust Hamas, rare survey says

About 67 percent of Palestinians in Gaza had little or no trust with Hamas that governs them, according to a rare survey conducted before the terrorists attacked Israel on 7 October.

Analyzing the poll, Amaney Jamal, dean of Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs, said the sentiment "is especially important because of the (erroneous) argument that all of Gaza supports Hamas, and therefore all of Gaza should be held accountable for the actions, atrocious actions of Hamas."

Jamal is one of the driving forces behind the Arab Barometer which conducts surveys and polling in the region, including in Gaza where fieldwork concluded on the eve of the attacks on Israel.

She said that Hamas, which won elections in the Palestinian territories in 2006 and is designated a "terrorist" organization by Washington and the European Union, was seen as "corrupt" and "authoritarian" by many respondents.

"Seventy-five percent said in the previous 30 days, they could not afford to feed their households. So again, this is an impoverished society, a society that is basically saying the Hamas-led government has some levels of corruption," Jamal said.

Second occupation

"When we ask people, who do you blame?… we thought that the number-one culprit was going to be Israel because of the blockade. But most people cited Hamas corruption, more so than they cited the Israel blockade."

Jamal, 52 and born in California and brought up in her family's native Ramallah, said there was also a perception that "the Palestinian Authority or the Hamas-led government across time have become more dictatorial — and more authoritarian."

"For the average Palestinian in the West Bank or in Gaza (they say) 'we have this (Israeli) occupation and then we have these Palestinian governments that are also authoritarian.' So a common phrase is we used to be occupied by one power, now we're occupied by two."

The latest Arab Barometer was undertaken in Gaza, where 399 people were surveyed, and the West Bank, where 790 were polled, from the end of September to 6 October. Its findings were published in the journal Foreign Affairs.

"About 60 percent said that they believed they could not express their opinions freely and openly at the eve of the attacks (and) about 72 percent said that they could not protest peacefully against the Hamas-led government," Jamal said. "There was fear of retaliation or retribution from the government."

The Palestinian Authority of president Mahmud Abbas, which runs Palestinian areas in the West Bank, fared poorly in Jamal's survey, with only 9 percent of responses favorable.