Just over half of Palestinians still support a two-state solution as the answer to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, according to a survey conducted by Arab News in conjunction with the YouGov research company and published on Sunday.
The survey, entitled “Prospect, Peace and Politics: Where do Palestinians Stand?” polled a total of 953 Palestinians living in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, 467 men and 486 women, over the course of two weeks from April 28 until May 11.
The survey was conducted online in English and Arabic. Most of the respondents were between the ages of 25-45, and only about 50% of respondents reported having any kind of employment.
A majority of those surveyed – 63% – expressed that they felt represented neither by the Hamas political party nor the Fatah party, according to Arab News. Three-quarters reported a belief that the Palestinian Authority leadership is not capable of making peace with the Israeli government.
The future of Palestinians in Israel
In terms of the geopolitical future of the region, the second most popular option after a two-state solution was the creation of a single Israeli-Palestinian secular state, which 21% of respondents supported.
PALESTINIANS ENJOY the beach in Gaza City, on Sunday, after a ceasefire went into effect. With a little imagination, ingenuity and investment, Gaza could be turned into an enormously requested vacation spot. (credit: ATIA MOHAMMED/FLASH90)Arab News further reported that 13% of those surveyed would willingly choose to become citizens of a single unified Israeli state, and 11% would opt for “living under full Israeli occupation without obtaining citizenship.”
Finally, 4% of respondents said that their ideal solution would involve Gaza being incorporated into Egypt, the West Bank going to Jordan and the Palestinian citizens on either side receiving citizenship from either Egypt or Jordan.
Regardless of how a potential future state is organized, over 40% of respondents put economic development as their highest priority for their government going forward.
The vast majority of Palestinians surveyed believe that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not truly intend to pursue any kind of peace deal, according to Arab News. “Israeli intimidation and illegal
Furthermore, there was a sharp split in the Palestinian opinion of the Abraham Accords, with 52% claiming it had caused Israel to be more “aggressive toward Palestinians” and 43% claiming the opposite.
The survey was publicized as a part of Arab News’ marking of the “Nakba’s 75th anniversary” which took place on May 15, 2023 and commemorated the “catastrophe” of Israel’s establishment in 1948.
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