According to recent polling, the proportion of Gazans who support a two-state solution has nearly doubled since December, from 35% to 62%.
The polling, conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR), was conducted between March 5 and 10 in the West Bank and areas of the Gaza Strip where there was “no ongoing daily fighting.”
The PCPSR conducted previous surveys in September and December 2023, during which the change in support for a two-state solution by Gazans was minimal, 34% to 35%, respectively.
Compared to Gaza, support for a two-state solution in the West Bank barely grew, from 30% in Septemeber 2023 to 33% by December and 34% by March.
The PCPSR links support for a two-state solution to the feasibility of the solution and the chances of a Palestinian state.
Palestinians split on achieving a Palestinian State
The data also showed a clear drop in support for armed resistance as the best means of achieving a Palestinian State from its peak in December.
In December, support for armed resistance across the Palestinian Territories was 63%, 68% in the West Bank and 56% in the Gaza Strip.
The latest polling showed support for armed resistance at 46% across the Palestinian Territories, 51% in the West Bank, and 39% in the Gaza Strip.
Although both showed a drop in support for armed resistance, the West Bank and Gaza Strip diverged on the alternative to armed resistance.
The West Bank showed an increase in support for negotiations from 18% in December 2023 to 27% in March 2024; despite the increase, this figure is still less than the support for negotiations in the West Bank in September 2022 (32%).
In the Gaza Strip, support increased mostly for peaceful popular resistance from 19% in December 2023 to 27% in March 2024. Support for negotiations was not far behind at 23%.
Overall, changes in support for different methods of achieving a Palestinian State have remained steady in the Gaza Strip, with the only major change in support being a fall in support for armed resistance in March 2024.
In the West Bank, however, opinions on different methods of achieving a Palestinian State have changed rapidly and radically between different surveys.
Support for negotiations, peaceful popular resistance, and armed resistance (32%, 24%, 35%, respectively) shifted from a relatively even split in September 2022 to a peak of support for armed resistance (68%) in December 2023.
Although, by March 2024, support for armed resistance had fallen to 51%, support for other solutions remained lopsided, with support for peaceful resistance only coming to 12% and negotiations at 27%.
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