By Taghreed Saadeh
The latest Palestinian public opinion poll shows the Fatah movement leading in voter support ahead of potential legislative elections, while President Mahmoud Abbas ranks first among the political figures trusted by respondents, narrowly ahead of imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti and Mohammed Dahlan.
The findings of Palestinian Public Opinion Poll No. 105, conducted by the Jerusalem Media and Communication Centre (JMCC) in 2026, point to a political landscape in which Fatah maintains the lead in a hypothetical legislative election, while support for Hamas has declined significantly. At the same time, the poll records a growing share of Palestinians who do not identify with any political party.
The survey polled 1,200 people, including 715 respondents in the West Bank and 485 in the Gaza Strip, with the sample designed to reflect geographic and demographic distribution.
According to the results, Fatah received 27.5% of intended votes if legislative elections were held, compared with 7.6% for Hamas. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) received 1.7%, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) 0.7%, and the Palestinian National Initiative 1.1%. A further 9% said they would vote for independent candidates.
Meanwhile, 40.2% said they would not vote, while 6.2% remained undecided.
The results also reveal notable differences between the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In the West Bank, Fatah secured 23.5%, compared with 5.6% for Hamas. In Gaza, Fatah’s support rose to 33.4%, while Hamas stood at 10.5%. The figures indicate that Fatah remains ahead of Hamas in both territories, according to the poll.
Among the political figures included in the survey, Mahmoud Abbas ranked first with 6.9%, followed by Marwan Barghouti with 6.3% and Mohammed Dahlan with 5.8%. Another 9.8% selected other political figures.
The poll also found that 22.3% of respondents expressed trust in Fatah, compared with 6.7% who said they trusted Hamas. The remaining responses were divided among other political parties or those who declined to provide an answer.
The survey also examined Palestinians’ assessment of the repercussions of the October 7 war and their views on the future of the Gaza Strip.
The findings suggest that a significant segment of Palestinian public opinion sees Gaza’s future as tied to a broader Palestinian political framework. 42.9% of respondents expected the Gaza Strip to be administered as part of a Palestinian state, while 17.3% expected it to be governed through the Palestinian Authority.
Meanwhile, 14.7% expected Hamas to retain control of the Strip, while 14.8% anticipated Israeli administration.
Views differed between the West Bank and Gaza. In the West Bank, 38.6% expected Gaza to become part of a Palestinian state, compared with 49.3% in the Gaza Strip itself.
The figures reflect a clear preference among broad segments of the Palestinian public for Gaza’s future to remain linked to a Palestinian political entity rather than develop as a separate entity.
As for the priorities for the next phase, ending the war in Gaza ranked first at 50.1%, followed by improving economic conditions at 16.9%, rebuilding Gaza at 13.4%, and achieving national unity at 8.9%.
The findings indicate that ending the war, alleviating the suffering of the population and rebuilding Gaza remain the foremost concerns of Palestinian public opinion, while national unity and the future of the Palestinian political system continue to be significant priorities.
Regarding a political solution to the conflict, the poll found that the two-state solution was supported by 47.9% of respondents.
Meanwhile, 21.7% favored a single, binational state, while 18.6% supported the establishment of a single Palestinian state across all of historic Palestine.
Despite the Palestinian Authority’s financial crisis and mounting political pressures, 50.4% of respondents said they did not believe the financial crisis would lead to the collapse of the Palestinian Authority, while 39.6% expected it to collapse.
At the same time, 69.4% said the Palestinian Authority should remain in place and be preserved, compared with 23% who believed it should be dissolved.
The findings point to continued public reliance on the Palestinian Authority as a political and administrative framework, alongside a clear demand for a reassessment of its role, performance and future direction.
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