New York, September 3, 2014: A recent poll has shown that a large majority of Palestinian Arabs –– 60% –– reject permanently accepting Israel’s existence and instead suggest their leaders “work toward reclaiming all of historic Palestine, from the river to the sea.” The poll, conducted throughout the Palestinian Authority (PA) territories, commissioned by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and conducted during June 15-17, showed that 55% of Palestinian Arabs in Judea/Samaria and 68% in Gaza rejected statehood alongside Israel, supporting instead Palestinian statehood in place of Israel.

The poll also showed that two-thirds of Palestinian Arabs support continued “resistance” [i.e., terrorism] against the Jewish state, while those who say they support a two-state solution view such a move as “part of a ‘program of stages’ to liberate all of historic Palestine later” (Michael Wilner, ‘Majority of Palestinians now oppose two-state solution, new poll finds,’ Jerusalem Post, July 12, 2014).

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, “The idea constantly claimed by U.S. administrations, other politicians, the Israeli left, pundits and the media that Palestinian Arabs accept Israel and are willing to live in peace is false and that error is exposed by this survey –– a survey which was, incidentally, completed before the eruption of the recent Gaza war.

An October 2010 Arab World for Research & Development opinion poll  found that an overwhelming 85% of Palestinians would oppose a peace settlement with Israel if it entailed Palestinian compromise on key issues.

“While this report notes that “the Washington Institute characterized the poll’s results as a sudden, hardline shift within the Palestinian community,” numerous Palestinian polls indicate this Palestinian Arab rejectionist, pro-terror view has been stable for years, as we note below:

• September 2013: A large majority –– 62% –– of Palestinian Arabs justify the use of suicide terrorism. In the words of the Pew Survey, “in some countries, substantial minorities of Muslims say attacks on civilians are at least sometimes justified to defend Islam from its enemies; in the Palestinian territories, a majority of Muslims hold this view.” Only 16% of Palestinians said that suicide bombing is never justified (‘Muslim Publics Share Concerns about Extremist Groups,’ Pew Research Survey, September 10, 2013).

• July 2011: A staggering 73% agree with the hadith (Islamic tradition), quoted in Hamas’ Charter, about the need to kill Jews. Only 34% of Palestinians accepts the idea of a peaceful Palestinian state living alongside Israel as the solution to the Arab/Israeli war, as against 61% who rejected the idea. 66% said that the Palestinians’ real goal should be to start with setting up a Palestinian state alongside Israel but then move towards creating a single Palestinian-controlled state. 72% of Palestinians support denying Jewish history and connection to the land of Israel. An overwhelming 92% of Palestinian insist on Jerusalem being the Palestinian capital, as against a mere 1% who believe it soul be the Israeli capital. Only 3% of Palestinians believe that Jerusalem should be the capital of both Israel and a Palestinian state, and 4% believe it should be a neutral international city. 62% of Palestinians support a policy of kidnapping Israeli soldiers and holding them hostage and 53% favor teaching songs about hating Jews in Palestinian schools. 22% of Palestinians supported firing rockets at Israeli cities and citizens (Gil Hoffman, ‘6 in 10 Palestinians reject 2-state solution, survey finds,’ Jerusalem Post, July 15, 2011).

• An October 2010 Arab World for Research & Development opinion poll  found that an overwhelming 85% of Palestinians would oppose a peace settlement with Israel if it entailed Palestinian compromise on key issues such the legally baseless, so-called ‘right of return’ of Arab refugees and their millions of descendants; Jerusalem; borders; and Jewish communities in Judea & Samaria. In contrast, only 12% of Palestinians would accept such a peace agreement. 

• October 2010: A Palestinian Center For Research And Cultural Dialogue (PCRD) poll found that 59% of Palestinians in Judea and Samaria aged between 18 and 30 years favor Iran possessing nuclear weapons, as opposed to a mere 29% who do not (‘A poll Conducted By The Palestinian Center For Research And Cultural Dialogue – PCRD,’ September 30 – October 2, 2010).

• October 2010: A Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research poll conducted September 30 to October 2 found that 51% of Palestinians supported the murderous August 31 terror attacks by Hamas which killed 4 Israeli civilians near the Bani Nayim junction, with only 44% of Palestinians opposed. Palestinians oppose talks with Israel by a majority of 66% to 30% – 68% oppose in Judea and Samaria and 62% in Gaza (Chana Ya’ar, ‘Poll: Most PA Arabs Back Recent Murder of Israeli Civilians,’ Israel National News, October 5, 2010).

• July 2010: A Palestinian Center for Public Opinion (PCPO) found that Palestinians oppose by an overwhelming 82% to 14% the renunciation of the so-called ‘right of return,’ the legally baseless demand that all Palestinian refugees of the 1948-49 war and their millions of descendants return to Israel. This opposition was expressed even if the price of maintaining the ‘right of return’ was the non-conclusion of a peace agreement with Israel. The poll also found that, by a nearly identical margin of 82% to 13%, Palestinians oppose the Palestinian leadership waiving the ‘right of return’ in exchange for financial compensation for refugees and their descendants (41% in the West Bank versus 20% in Gaza) (‘PCPO Poll of Palestinians – 81.8 % won’t drop right of return even if means deal breaker and no state, Hamas more popular in West Bank than Gaza,’ Independent Media Review Analysis, July 12, 2010)

• April 2010: More than two-thirds of Palestinians – 66.7% – reject the creation of a Palestinian state within the pre-1967 armistice lines with some land exchange as a final settlement of the Palestinian problem, whereas only 28.3% would accept such a solution; more than three-quarters of Palestinians – 77.4% – reject Jerusalem serving as the capital of Israel and a future Palestinian state, whereas only 20.8% accept this proposal; Palestinians support PA refusal to negotiate with Israel until it stops Jewish construction in West Bank and eastern Jerusalem by 78.6% to 19% and rejects further negotiations if Jewish construction continues by an overwhelming 83% to 14.3% (An-Najah National University Public Opinion Poll, 8-10 April 2010).