Palestinians increasingly favoring ‘peaceful negotiations’ over ‘armed resistance’ - poll

A new JMCC poll reveals a major shift in Palestinian public opinion, with 55.8% now favoring peaceful negotiations over armed resistance, up from 28% in 2023. Support for the October 7 attack dropped to 15.7%, while backing for a two-state solution rose to 47.9%. Trust in Hamas fell to 6.7%, and Fatah leads voting intentions at 27.5%.

A new poll by the Jerusalem Media and Communications Center (JMCC) reveals a dramatic shift in Palestinian public opinion away from armed resistance and toward peaceful negotiations. Conducted among 1,200 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza between August 20 and 25, 2026, the survey found that 55.8% now view peaceful negotiations as the best way to achieve national goals, a near-doubling from 28% in 2023. Only 13.3% see armed resistance as most effective, down sharply from 37.1% in 2023. The decline in support for violence is reflected in views on the October 7 attack: only 15.7% now believe it served Palestinian national interests, down from 30.9% in September 2025 and 45% in September 2024. A majority of West Bank respondents (50.1%) and 35.2% of Gazans said Hamas's invasions had hurt national interests. Support for a two-state solution rose to 47.9%, up from 27.3% in September 2023. Trust in political parties has eroded: Hamas trust fell to 6.7% from 12% in July 2022, and Fatah trust declined to 22.3% from 28.8%. Fatah leads voting intention at 27.5% versus Hamas at 7.6%. Trust in Mahmoud Abbas remains very low at 6.9%. The poll also found that 39.6% believe the Palestinian Authority will collapse, and 58.1% think Israel deliberately maintains a weakened PA.