Why a Land for Peace Deal With Gaza Can Never be an Option

With thanks to The Israel Guys, see full article at https://tinyurl.com/252t486h

 

The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research recently released a new poll citing the opinions of Arabs living in the Gaza Strip, Judea, and Samaria. After eight months of war, it would be easy to assume that the general opinion of the population would be wholeheartedly against Hamas and the atrocities committed against Israel on October 7th but the information shown in the poll depicts a far different reality. What does this poll say, and what does it indicate about the future of these contested areas?

The frightening and overwhelming opinion of the Arabs living in these areas are as follows: 

·        Hamas was right to attack Israel

·        Hamas will win the war

·        Hamas should govern the Gaza Strip and not the Palestinian Authority

·        The majority support Hamas over all other political parties

·        More Arabs support an armed struggle over a two-state solution

These statistics speak more loudly and factually than any chant on a college campus or slanted media headline, proving that, ultimately, peace is as likely now as it was following the Israeli withdrawal of Gaza in 2005. The aim of the withdrawal from Gaza was peace between the Gazans and Israelis, but that has been seen to fail multiple times in the last 19 years, most notably and horrifically on October 7th, 2023. Based on these statistics, the likelihood of this violence to spread appears to be more potent than it has been in recent years since the most support for Hamas was shown in Judea and Samaria, whereas it was slightly less in the Gaza Strip (though a majority still supported Hamas). This bloodthirsty and hateful mindset that is still held by many of the civilians in Gaza, Judea, and Samaria proves that no ceasefire or two-state solution will ever create peace in the hostile environment that envelopes this region. 

It is also well known that many, if not all, of these statistics will be largely ignored by the majority of the world so that the world may better criticize Israel. Thankfully, despite this unfortunate reality, these statistics are not without purpose as they help better educate, equip, and analyze the situation and reality for those who are willing to listen.