(New York Times) Raja Abdulrahim - On the day that Hamas's political leader was targeted in Iran, small groups of Palestinians in a number of West Bank cities turned out to protest, some chanting pro-Hamas slogans and waving the group's green flag. This outpouring of sympathy was notable because the Palestinian Authority generally has shown little tolerance for such open shows of support for its main rival in the past. Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the Palestinian Authority has been losing support to factions like Hamas that favor armed struggle and are actively fighting Israel, according to a recent poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research. "The PA is reading the room right now" said Tahani Mustafa, a senior Palestinian analyst at the International Crisis Group. "If they were to clamp down on Hamas supporters, it would be absolutely disastrous." In a video of one protest in the West Bank city of Jenin on July 31, one Palestinian man yelled, "We from the land of Jenin affirm that we are all Hamas." Ms. Mustafa added, "In terms of Hamas's popularity, yes, they are the de facto leaders of Palestinians, whether we like it or not."
2024-08-11 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive