This Is Actually A West Bank War

Two polls about the sentiments of Palestinian Arabs from Gaza butchering of people inside of Israel showed the same curious result, that Palestinian Arabs in the West Bank were much more in favor of the massacre than those from Gaza. the Arab World For Research and Development showed support for the October 7 in the West Bank being 83% compared to 64% in Gaza. West Bank Arabs similarly had greater support for Hamas at 87.7% compared to Gazans at 59.6%. The quarterly poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR) of December 2023 showed much the same, where “support for Hamas has more than tripled in the West Bank compared to three months ago”, with 82% of Arabs in the West Bank and just 57% of Gazans saying that October 7 was the “correct” action.

*Figure 1: Comparison of West Bank and Gaza Arabs about supporting October 7 Massacre and the Commitment to destroy Israel to gain all of historical Palestine*

The question is what are the reasons for West Bank Arabs being so much more supportive of the massacre than Gazans.

Brunt of response. Many commentators have said that they believe that Gazans are facing the repercussions of the attack while West Bank Arabs have not seen their neighborhoods leveled. The poll numbers possibly support such notion with 87% of West Bank Arabs and 44% of Gazans thinking Israel will lose the war. Gazans likely feel they have already lost.

I would like to offer some other potential reasons.

Gaining self-determination. Gazans got autonomy and self-determination in 2005 when Israel left the Gaza Strip for Palestinian Arabs to rule themselves. West Bank Arabs yearn for that same self-determination that Gazans already have so are even more committed to the fight.

Killing Israeli Jews

West Bank Arabs have shown a dramatic preference for violence which began to spike after the May 2021 attacks, which gained further momentum in polls starting in December 2022.

*Figure 2: Sentiment of West Bank Arabs about Israeli Jews and opposition to coexistence*

Killing Jewish Civilians Inside Israel. In March 2021, 17.8% of West Bank Arabs supported “armed attacks against Israeli civilians inside Israel.” That figure jumped to 33% after the May 2021 attacks and stayed roughly at that level until September 2022. It spiked again in December 2022 to 46% and has stayed at that level, with a peak of 57% in March 2023.

Supporting “Intifada”. Along with the increased desire to kill Israeli Jewish civilians is the rising preference in the West Bank for an “Intifada”, the misnomer which means terrorism and war. In March 2021, 29% of West Bank Arabs supported an Intifada which jumped to 51% in the June 2021 poll. Support softened through September 2022 to 38%, but spiked again in December 2022 to 51%, peaking at 54% in December 2023.

Ending The Palestinian Authority

While Gazans have been ruled by Hamas, West Bank Arabs have been ruled by the Palestinian Authority. They have long felt that the PA is corrupt but that sentiment has gained momentum.

*Figure 3: Sentiment of West Bank Arabs about Palestinian Authority and feeling safe*

Palestinian Authority is a “Burden” and Abbas Should Resign. West Bank Arabs have long complained about their leadership. PA President Mahmoud Abbas was elected in 2005 to a four-year term and remains in power fifteen years later, refusing to hold elections.

In December 2020, 50% of West Bank Arabs thought the PA was a burden on Palestinians and 61% thought Abbas should resign. After the May 2021 Hamas-Israel fight, 55% thought the PA a burden with 70% thinking Abbas should resign. In March 2023, the numbers jumped again to 66% and 76%, respectively. Those figures continued to rise into the October 7 massacre.

Dissolve the Palestinian Authority. Not surprisingly based on the sentiments above, West Bank Arabs grew increasingly of the view that the PA should be dissolved, from 34% in March 2021 to 49% in March 2023.

West Banker Arabs Feel Less Safe. Some of this attitude can be tied to feeling safe. In March 2021, 64% of West Bank Arabs felt safe. That dropped to 46% from December 2022 to June 2023, as the Israeli Defense Forces conducted raids into West Bank towns to foil terrorist plots by several new groups such as the Lion’s Den and Jenin Brigades, terrorist groups unique to the West Bank.

West Bank War

While Hamas rules Gaza and was able to launch this war having built deep infrastructure in the land since 2006 with hundreds of miles of tunnels throughout the Strip, the war is actually ABOUT the West Bank and Israel proper.

Gazans know that Hamas isn’t great having lived under their harsh and corrupt rule since 2007 when it threw out the Palestinian Authority. West Bank Arabs only know the PA and welcome a change of regime but most importantly, a change of situation. They want the Jewish settlers gone, ideally from all of Israel, and from the West Bank at a minimum.

Hamas successfully got rid of Jews and Israel in Gaza, and West Bank Arabs want this “war of liberation” to do the same in the West Bank and Israel. Figure 2 shows that 40% of West Bank Arabs opposed a “two state solution” in December 2020 which grew to a significant majority of 71% by March 2023. Figure 1 highlights West Bank Arabs now have a 74% commitment to “retaking” all of “historical Palestine” compared to 66% of Gazans.

Hamas called this war the “al Aqsa Flood,” referencing Islam’s holy mosque in Jerusalem, far from Gaza. Palestinian Arabs believe that stopping Jews from visiting the Jewish Temple Mount is the main reason for the war – followed vey closely be retaking all of “historical Palestine.”

*Figure 4: Poll of all Palestinians about the reason for October 7 massacre has majority focused on Jerusalem – stopping Jewish visitation and ending the Jewish State*

The fighters from Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and others were particularly brutal in raping and mutilating women and babies, killing the elderly and burning families alive. And they recorded it, ensuring that Israel would respond to the attack with full force to bring a full war. And it’s a war which Palestinian Arabs – especially those in the West Bank – want to see to liberate themselves from Israel and the PA.

*Figure 5: Poll of all Palestinians about the end goal for the war is about the destruction of Israel*

The war is taking place in Gaza but it is not about Hamas or Gaza. This fight is being conducted with the support of all Palestinians by the Palestinian army to liberate Jerusalem. To some, that means the West Bank, to others it means Israel, and for yet others, it’s all of “historical Palestine” which encompasses a “Palestinian State from the River to the Sea.”