The barbaric massacre carried out by Hamas on 7 October caused many Israelis to realize that there is no partner for peace with Israel on the Palestinian side. Hamas's murderous conduct accurately demonstrated to Israelis what the Palestinian view is the final solution to the "Jewish problem" – leaving no doubt that the Palestinian terrorist organizations must be eliminated in the broadest sense of the word.
But despite the painful encounter with reality, there are still those who believe that Abbas and the Palestinian Authority are partners for a future settlement with Israel, and that the end of the war with Hamas and the toppling of his regime will create an opportunity to renew the political process between Israel and the Palestinians.
The same voices, both in Israel and especially in the United States and Europe, believe that the Palestinian Authority, headed by Mahmoud Abbas, must be strengthened so that it will be part of the solution for the day after the collapse of the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip.
According to the same claim, Mahmoud Abbas is Israel's partner and represents the Palestinian people.
But when you ask the Palestinian public what it thinks about Abbas and the Palestinian Authority, you get a completely different reality.
According to public opinion polls conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Research Surveys (PCPSR), led by Prof. Khalil Shikaki, who since 1994 has conducted weekly opinion polls in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, it can be clearly seen that the Palestinian public does not support Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority.
In the past, the president of the Palestinian Authority has won the support of the Palestinian public, especially in the first years of his rule, which began in January 2005, when he stepped into the great shoes of Yasser Arafat, who died in November 2004.
However, following Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014, there was a huge shift in Palestinian public opinion against Mahmoud Abbas, and dissatisfaction with his performance grew.
The latest poll, conducted just before the massacre, at the end of September 2023, shows that 76 percent of Palestinians are dissatisfied with Abbas' performance, while 78 percent think he should resign.
The poll also shows that if Mahmoud Abbas runs against Hamas candidate Ismail Haniyeh, Abbas will be defeated and will win only 37 percent of the votes, compared to 58 percent for Haniyeh.
Even in the West Bank, which only thanks to the IDF's military presence is controlled by the Palestinian Authority and has not fallen into the hands of Hamas, Abbas loses to Haniyeh (45 percent vs. 50 percent). Overall, 62 percent of Palestinians believe that the Palestinian Authority is a burden on the Palestinian people, leaving no room for doubt as to what Palestinians think of Abbas and his regime.
Not only is the Palestinian Authority perceived by Palestinians as a corrupt body that collaborates with Israel and helps it perpetuate the occupation, but history teaches us that Abbas, a Holocaust denier and promoter of terrorism, is not a true partner for peace with Israel
In light of the dismal figures Abbas receives in the polls, Israel and the world must internalize that as far as the Palestinian public is concerned, the era of Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority is over. Not only is the Palestinian Authority perceived by Palestinians as a corrupt body that collaborates with Israel and helps it perpetuate the occupation, but history teaches us that Abbas, a Holocaust denier and terrorist, is not a true partner for peace with Israel.
Twice he chose not to respond positively to the Israeli hand extended for peace: in 2008 during the negotiations with Olmert when he was offered the establishment of a 100 percent Palestinian state, including the division of Jerusalem, and in 2014 during the negotiations with Netanyahu as part of the outline of US Secretary of State John Kerry.
If even his Palestinian compatriots do not support him, Israel and the West would do well to stop their blind addiction to the rule of Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority.
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