West Bank Palestinians demonstrate in support of Hamas and its terror atrocities

• West Bank Palestinians support Hamas’ terror war:
  “The people wants [Hamas’] Al-Qassam Brigades!”

• West Bank Palestinians call for PA Chairman Abbas’ resignation:
  “The people wants to take down the president [Abbas]!”
   
• Gazan civilian says they support Hamas’ massacre of Israelis
   
• Recent polls prior to Hamas’ terror war:

- 57% of Gazans expressed at least somewhat positive opinion of Hamas

- Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh would defeat PA leader Mahmoud Abbas 56% to 33%

- Hamas would win legislative election if held

• Hamas won 2 recent West Bank student union elections
   
• US President Joe Biden wrote on X (formerly Twitter) today: "The vast majority of Palestinians are not Hamas. And Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people"
   
• PMW: It is unknown where Joe Biden is getting his information, but clearly he is not talking to Palestinians.

Palestinian protesters marched through the streets of the West Bank this week cheering support for Hamas in response to its terror atrocities in southern Israel, expressed criticism of PA leader Mahmoud Abbas.

In Ramallah they were chanting:

Protesters: “The people wants the [Hamas’] Al-Qassam Brigades!

The people wants the [Hamas’] Al-Qassam Brigades!”

[“Al-Aqsa Radio – News Flashes,” Twitter account, Oct. 18, 2023]

In Hebron and Nablus they screamed

Protesters: “The people wants to take down the president [Abbas]!

The people wants to take down the president[Abbas]!”

[Quds News Network, Twitter account, Oct. 18, 2023]

Near Ramallah protesters tried to block a main thoroughfare jarred with the PA police.

[Al-Jazeera TV, YouTube channel, Oct. 17, 2023]

These protests come despite the open verbal support given by the Palestinian Authority through its media and by Fatah leaders to Hamas’ terror that has been documented by Palestinian Media Watch.
 

Hamas has been popular in both Gaza and the West Bank for years. In the most recent poll measuring political support taken by the “Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research” published in June, Hamas was the most popular Palestinian political party if legislative elections were held. In an election for president, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh would defeat PA leader Mahmoud Abbas 56% to 33%. Ominously, both would be defeated by terrorist prisoner Marwan Barghouti, who is serving five life sentences for murder.

A July poll taken by the FIKRA forum of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy found that "57% of Gazans express at least a somewhat positive opinion of Hamas—along with similar percentages of Palestinians in the West Bank (52%) and East Jerusalem (64%)."

Significantly, the FIKRA poll also found that the terror groups most active in recent months leading up to the poll were also the most popular among Gazans: “Organizations like Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and Lion’s Den receive the most widespread popular support in Gaza. About three quarters of Gazans express support for both groups."

The two recent university student union elections held at Birzeit University in Ramallah and An-Najah University in Nablus in the West Bank, were both won by Hamas. Many observers see these election results as a good indicator of public support for Hamas.
 

Similarly, a Palestinian man speaking in the Gaza Strip stated that the Gazans support “everything Hamas is doing”:

Unidentified Gazan civilian: “We are for everything the resistance (i.e., Hamas) is doing. We are for the Al-Qassam [Brigades]. We are for the [Al-Quds] Brigades. We are for every Palestinian faction.”

[“Fateh_Pal65,” Twitter account, Oct. 15, 2023]

US President Joe Biden wrote on X (formerly Twitter) today: "The vast majority of Palestinians are not Hamas. And Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people."

It is unknown where Joe Biden is getting his information but clearly he is not talking to Palestinians.