Palestinian Public Opinion Polls:
Attitudes About Terrorism

(Updated March 2016)

Palestinian Polls: Table of Contents | Views on Peace with Israel | Attitudes on Internal Politics

Do you think ISIS serves the Palestinian cause? Does it harm it? Or does it have no impact on the cause?
            (JMCC, March 2016)

	Total	West Bank	Gaza
Serves the cause	2.8%	2.7%	3.1%
Harms it	52.1%	44.1%	65.3%
Has no impact	38.9%	45.2%	28.4%
Don't know/No answer	6.2%	8%	3.2%

Lately, there has been news in the media about ISIS forces advancing in Iraq and Syria. What responses do you have towards this: very positive, moderately positive, moderately negative, or very negative?
            (JMCC, March 2016)

	Total	West Bank	Gaza
Very positive	.9%	.7%	1.3%
Positive	5.2%	5.2%	5.1%
Negative	18.8%	19.6%	17.6%
Very negative	63.3%	60.1%	68.7%
Don't know/No answer	11.8%	14.4%	7.3%

To what extent do you support or oppose the continuation of knife attacks against Israelis?
            (JMCC, March 2016)

	Total	West Bank	Gaza
Strongly support	25.3%	18.1%	37.1%
Support	30.9%	24%	42.4%
Oppose	21.4%	25.1%	15.3%
Strongly Oppose	19.7%	28.8%	4.4%
Don't know/No answer	2.7%	4%	.8%

Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose or strongly oppose the continuation of the current uprising?
            (JMCC, March 2016)

	Total	West Bank	Gaza
Strongly support	22%	16.5%	31.1%
Support	33.9%	27.5%	44.7%
Oppose	22.4%	26.4%	15.8%
Strongly Oppose	18.6%	25.2%	7.6%
Don't know/No answer	3.1%	4.4%	.8%

At this moment, do you support or oppose a Third Intifada?
            (AWRAD, February 2016)

	Total	West Bank	Gaza
Support	42%	38.8%	47.3%
Oppose	53.7%	56.9%	48.2%
Don't know/No answer	4.3%	4.3%	4.4%

Do you believe that a new Intifada would advance or impede the Palestinian quest towards statehood?
             (AWRAD, February 2016)

	Total	West Bank	Gaza
Advance	39.4%	36.4%	44.4%
Impede	50.2%	51.1%	48.7%
Don't know/No answer	10.4%	12.5%	6.9%

What is your opinion of ISIS?
            (PCPSR, September 2015, December 2015)

	September 2015	December 2015
ISIS is a radical group, unrepresentative of true Islam	91%	88%
ISIS represents true Islam	6%	7%
No answer/Don't know	3%	5%

Do you support or oppose the war waged by the West and Arab countries against ISIS?
            (PCPSR, September 2015, December 2015)

	September 2015	December 2015
Support	83%	77%
Oppose	13%	20%
No answer/Don't know	4%	3%

Do you think that most Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces in the most recent violence actually attacked someone?
             (PCPSR, December 2015)

	Total
Yes they attempted to, or did, shoot, stab, or run over Israelis	51%
No, they were not attempting to, and did not, stab, shoot, or run over any Israelis	47%
Don't know/refuse	2%

Do you think that the current confrontations will lead to a new, armed intifada?
             (PCPSR, December 2015)

	Total
Yes they will lead to a new, armed intifada	37%
They will lead to wide-scale peaceful popular resistance	18%
They will develop in both directions	13%
The confrontations will stay as they are now	19%
The confrontations will dissipate	10%

Say a third uprising (intifada) erupts; would you be in favor of a peaceful popular uprising or in favor of a violent one?
             (PCPO, November 2015)

	Total
Peaceful, non-violent popular uprising	29.9%
A violent uprising	42.1%
Neither	27.8%
Don't know/refuse	.2%

According to your opinion, is what happening now in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are fleeting confrontations, a popular stir or a third Intifada?
             (PCPO, November 2015)

	Total
Fleeting confrontations	14.8%
A popular stir as an onset for a third Intifada	49.4%
A third intifada	32.2%
Don't know/refuse	3.6%

To what extent do you think ISIS has a presence in the Gaza Strip?
             (JMCC, August, 2015)

	Total	West Bank	Gaza
Large presence	2.2%	2%	2.4%
Moderate presence	10.6%	6.5%	17.3%
Small presence	32%	25.4%	43.1%
No presence	46.3%	52.7%	35.6%
No answer/Don't know	8.9%	13.4%	1.6%

Do you believe that the ISIS phenomena is widespread among Palestinians?
            (IMRA, July 29, 2015)

	Total
Yes	19.7%
No	65.1%
Don't know/No answer	15.2%

Do you believe the practices of ISIS that you see in the media are justifiable in creating a real Islamic State?
            (IMRA, July 29, 2015)

	Total
Yes	1.7%
No	92.5%
Don't know/No answer	5.8%

Do you believe that ISIS represents real Islam?
            (IMRA, July 29, 2015)

	Total
Yes	1.4%
No	92.8%
Don't know/No answer	5.8%

What is your opinion of Palestinian Islamic Jihad?
             (The Washington Institute, July 2015)

	West Bank	Gaza
Very good	34.3%	29.8%
Fairly good	36.5%	55.4%
Fairly bad	11.1%	11.3%
Very bad	17.9%	4.4%

What is your opinion of Hezbollah?
         (The Washington Institute, July 2015)

	West Bank	Gaza
Very good	27.5%	17%
Fairly good	41.7%	39.7%
Fairly bad	18.5%	32%
Very bad	12.1%	11.3%

Do you support or oppose suicide bombings operations against Israeli civilians?
          (Not necessarily exact question wording)

Month	Year	Pollster	Support	Oppose
September	2013	Pew	62.0%	28.0%
April	2013	Pew	40.0%	49.0%
March	2013	JMCC	29.0%	56.1%
February	2006	JMCC	56.2%	40.7%
June	2005	PCPO	42.4%	53.4%
November	2004	PCPO	54.5%	33.1%
November	2004	PCPO	46.0%	37.9%
September	2002	JMCC/PCPSR	64.3%	27.7%
August	2002	JMCC/PCPSR	52.3%	45.5%
May	2002	JMCC/PCPSR	52.0%	46.9%
December	2001	JMCC/PCPSR	81.8%	15.7%
July	2001	JMCC/PCPSR	85.9%	11.3%
April	2001	JMCC/PCPSR	74.1%	15.9%
July	2000	JMCC/PCPSR	51.6%	42.7%
August	1997	JMCC/PCPSR	28.2%	56.0%
May	1997	JMCC/PCPSR	23.6%	64.7%
April	1997	JMCC/PCPSR	32.7%	54.5%
March	1996	JMCC	5.3%	65.0%
August	1995	JMCC/PCPSR	24.3%	62.2%
June	1995	JMCC/PCPSR	32.8%	52.3%

What are your views of the following Muslim extremist groups?
          (Pew Research Center, September 2013)

	Al-Qaeda	Hamas	Hezbollah	Taliban
View Favorably	35%	48%	43%	29%
View Unfavorably	53%	45%	49%	50%
Undecided	12%	6%	8%	20%

Do rockets fired from Gaza toward Israel help, harm or make no difference to the Palestinian goals?
          (Jerusalem Media & Communications Center, March 2013)

	Total	West Bank	Gaza
Helps	38.4%	35.0%	44.4%
Harms	29.7%	29.1%	30.7%
Makes No Difference	27.7%	30.2%	23.5%
No Answer	3.3%	4.85%	0.5%

Did you support or oppose the August 2010 Hamas attack on settlers near Hebron that resulted in the death of four settlers? (PCPSR, October 2010)

Follow up: What do you believe was Hamas' motivation behind the attack? (PCPSR, October 2010)

Do you support or oppose armed attacks against Israeli civilians inside Israel? (Harry Truman Research Institute/PCPSR, March 1-7, 2009)

Do you support or oppose launching rockets from the Gaza Strip against Israeli towns and cities such as Sderot and Ashkelon? (Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, March 13-15, 2008)

Do you support or oppose the bombing attack that took place in a religious school in West Jerusalem? (Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, March 13-15, 2008)

Do you consider acts such as the kidnapping of foreigners, the burning of internet cafe's, and the bombing of foreign schools as criminal acts deserving condemnation, or as nationalistic acts deserving support? (Truman Center/PSR, June 12-20, 2007)

Is the conflict in Gaza between factions or individuals? (Near East Consulting, May 22 and 24 2007)

Do you support or oppose the firing of rockets into Israel by Palestinian factions? (Near East Consulting, May 22 and 24 2007)

Does firing rockets into Israel provide any real benefit to the Palestinians? (Near East Consulting, May 22 and 24 2007)

Palestinian factions blamed for violence in the Gaza Strip: (Near East Consulting, May 22 and 24 2007)

Do you support or oppose releasing Alan Johnston without conditions? (Near East Consulting, May 22 and 24 2007)

Effect of Palestinian Suicide Bombings on Chances for Self-Determination (Gallup, January 2006)

Do you support the resumption of the military operations against Israeli targets as a suitable response within the current political conditions, or do you oppose them and find them harmful to Palestinians national interests? (Jerusalem Media & Communications Center, February 2006)

Hamas has executed violent operations against Israeli targets inside Israel and in the West Bank and Gaza strip against civilians and against military troops, now and after Hamas victory in the PLC elections, do you believe that Hamas should continue with such operations or that it should halt them?(Jerusalem Media & Communications Center, February 2006)

The PA president, Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, called upon the Islamic Resistance Movement “Hamas” to abandon violence and to hold a dialogue with Fateh saying that the atmosphere is appropriate now for conducting such a political dialogue, which is considered to be indispensable.  Do you agree with that, or not? (PCPO, June 6-11/2005)

And who do you believe planned the 9/11 attacks against the United States? (PORI, September 2003)

Terrorism is NEVER justified under any circumstances. (PORI, September 2003)

Hamas is a terrorist group. (PORI, September 2003)

[Hamas are freedom fighters.] (PORI, September 2003)

If the Ministry of Education wanted to name a youth soccer tournament after Baruch Goldstein who killed unarmed Palestinians in an attack, would that be a good ting or bad thing? (PORI, September 2003)

Do you consider Palestinian bombings of Israeli buses and restaurants to be acts of terrorism? (PORI, September 2003)

Do you consider attacks by Israelis against Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders to be acts of terrorism? (PORI, September 2003)

Some say that the ideal way to achieve Palestinian national goals is through negotiations, others say through armed struggle, what is the opinion closer to your viewpoint? (Source: JMCC Poll, December 2002)

In general, do you support or oppose Arab participation in the "International Coalition Against Terrorism" led by the U.S.? (Source: IMRA, October 2001)

Do you think that attacks such as the ones in the U.S. are consistent with Arab interests? (Source: IMRA, October 2001)

The following questions were asked immediately after several terrorist attacks in late February and early March 1996

Do you believe that the Palestinian Authority (PA) should prevent such attacks? (Source: JMCC Poll, March 1996)

Do you think that the PA should prevent such attacks by force or by persuasion? (Source: JMCC Poll, March 1996)

(This question was asked only to those who said that the PA should prevent such attacks)

Do you think that the PA is capable of preventing such attacks? (Source: JMCC Poll, March 1996)

Have you been exposed personally to provocations from Israelis as a result of the attack? (Source: JMCC Poll, March 1996)

Are you afraid from revenge by Israelis? (Source: JMCC Poll, March 1996)

Are you afraid now from using Israeli buses? (Source: JMCC Poll, March 1996)

Is your fear a result of the treatment of Israeli passengers or from explosions? (Source: JMCC Poll, March 1996)

(This question was asked only to those who said that they are afraid now from using Israeli buses)

Do you feel that the suicidal attacks contribute to the achievement of Palestinian National goals ? (Source: JMCC Poll, March 1996)

To what extent do you support or oppose the idea of forming a national salvation authority through which Hamas can join in the ruling? (Source: JMCC, March 1999)

Which position serves Hamas best, Taking power , participating in the authority with other or not participating at all in the authority? (Source: JMCC, March 1999)  

Fateh movement is considered the main party in the Authority while Hamas is considered the main opposition pole; to what extent do you believe in the possibility of any cooperation between them? (Source: JMCC Poll, April 2001)

Do you believe that the wave of agitations and confrontations of last month was to benefit to the Palestinian cause? (Source: JMCC Poll, November 1996)

During and in the aftermath of the incidents last month, how do you evaluate the performance of the PNA in benefiting from them? (Source: JMCC Poll, November 1996)

Some believe that the intervention of the Palestinian security forces in last month's confrontations was correct and the others believe that it was not. What is your opinion? (Source: JMCC Poll, November 1996)

Do you think armed resistance against Israel is still legitimate under the current political situation? (Source: JMCC Poll, Palestinian Attitudes, June 1995)

Do you support the continuation of military operations against Israeli targets as an adequate response to the current political conditions, or do you oppose it and see it as harmful to Palestinian national interests? (Source: JMCC Poll)

What about the intensification of Palestinian demonstration and protests against Israel? Do you support or oppose this intensification of Palestinian demonstrations and protests against Israel? (Source: JMCC Poll, April 1997)

These are numerous ideas for solving the problems stemming from the recent violations of some aspects of the agreement (Abu Ghniem, Har Homa, closure of institutions, etc...) Some believe that the answer is to intensify the negotiations, other say the negotiations should be stopped, and others say the answer lies in intensifying popular protests. What is your opinion? (Source: JMCC Poll, April 1997)  

In your opinion what should the PA (Palestinian Authority) do regarding popular protests. Do you think the PA should encourage these protests, should not interfere in these protests, or should the PA prevent these protests? (Source: JMCC Poll, April 1997)  

* Similar question asked in same poll

Follow up: If you answered yes, why?* (JMCC Poll, Palestinian Attitudes, June 1995)

Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose, the PA preventing violence against Israeli soldiers? (JMCC, March 2000)

Concerning armed attacks against Israeli civilian settlers in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, I…. (PCPSR)

Concerning armed attacks against Israeli soldiers in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, I…. (PCPSR)

Concerning armed attacks against Israeli civilians inside Israel, I…. (PCPSR)

Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose, the PA preventing violence against Jewish settlers? (Source: JMCC, March 2000)  

Internal Palestinian efforts are underway to create a consensus around means of fighting Israeli occupation. These efforts call for cessation of armed attacks against Israeli civilians inside Israel. Do you support or oppose these efforts? (Source: PSR, August 2002)

Do you strongly, or somewhat, support or strongly, or somewhat, oppose stopping all kind of operations inside Israel ? (Source: JMCC Poll)  

Some say that the ideal way to achieve Palestinian national goals is through negotiations, others say through armed struggle, what is the opinion closer to your viewpoint? (Source: JMCC Poll, December 2001)  

Are you with the resumption of the military operations only inside Israel, only inside the occupied territories or inside Israel and the occupied territories? (Source: JMCC Poll, September 2002)  

And what about Hizbullah methods and the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, do you think the Palestinians should emulate these Lebanese methods? (Source: PSR, July 2000)

Sources: IF_NECESSARY