New polling data suggest that if genuine elections were held today, Hamas would score a landslide victory over Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah, exposing the total collapse of the Palestinian Authority’s public legitimacy.
The decree issued by Mahmoud Abbas calling for elections in the West Bank, Gaza, and the diaspora is being presented as a reform initiative. In practice, however, it appears to be a political survival maneuver amid an unprecedented legitimacy crisis facing the Palestinian Authority.
Surveys conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) show that between 80% and 88% of the public want Abbas to resign. In hypothetical elections, Hamas would receive around 60% support — roughly double that of Fatah. Even after months of intense fighting and devastation in Gaza, more than half of respondents say the October 7 attack was a “correct decision.”
The gap between the Palestinian Authority leadership and the Palestinian street continues to widen. In the West Bank, anger and deep distrust dominate public sentiment. In Gaza, despite a strong desire for reconstruction, political support is largely conditioned on Hamas remaining armed and in power.
