Militant Islam Monitor > Articles > Khalil Shikaki -'Pal' Propagandist & Brother of Palestinian Islamic Jihad Founder To Speak At JStreet aka Jews4Jihad Events
Khalil Shikaki -'Pal' Propagandist & Brother of Palestinian Islamic Jihad Founder To Speak At JStreet aka Jews4Jihad Events
Fuhrer Of 'Pal'.Ctr. For Policy & Survey Research Uses 'Think Tank' To Hype 'Pal' Victimhood vs Israeli 'Agressor' Narrative
August 29, 2024
MIM :The Media Line - Jerusalem Post interview with Khalil Shikaki, the fuhrer of the 'Palestinian Center For Policy And Survey Research' published on August 24th 2024 posted below and is further proof that former PIJ 'think tank' operative Khalil Shikaki is a "Pal" propagandist (aka pathological liar) who masquerades as an 'objective observer/researcher' while operating under the aegis of the 'Palestinian Ministry Of Justice' and being required to report to the 'Palestinian' Authority'.
His PCPSR aka PSR is mainly funded by the Ford Foundation and the European Union who are also the main funders of the 'Palestinian Authority'.
"The organization (PSR) is non-profit and is funded mostly by the European Union and the Ford Foundation.[3]"
The European Union and Ford Foundation are also the main funders of Shikaki' and his 'handlers' in the 'Palestinian Authority'.
MIM: The misleadingly named 'Palestinian Israeli Conflict' the vicisstudes of which Shikaki claims to be 'objectively' documenting at his Palestinian Center For Policy And Survey Researeh the vehicle by which Shikaki promotes the the 'Palestinian'victimhood narrative' in the West and in an undisquised effort to influence Western countries' policies.
The PCPSR aka PSR 's blatant pro 'Palestinian' advocacy epitomizes the 'con' in 'conflict of interests'.
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"The European Union (EU) has provided short-term emergency financial support to the Palestinian Authority to address its most pressing financial needs. The EU is the largest donor of foreign aid to the Palestinian Authority.
"The EU and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) established relations in 1975 as part of the Euro-Arab Dialogue. "
MIM: Shikaki tries to play both sides to maintain a facade of objectivity and neutrality.
https://neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu/news/european-commission-and-palestinian-authority-agree-emergency-financial-support-and-principles-2024-07-19_en
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MIM:At the same time Shikaki is always blaming Israel for Pal./Hamas et al's actions while defending Islamonazi atrocities and aggression by claiming it is because of differing 'perceptions' by "Palestinians' and Israeli's'.
Shikaki's Ramallah based "The Palestinian Center For Policy And Survey Research" was founded in 1992 and is the Middle East spinoff of PIJ USA's Fuhrer Sami Al Arian's 'World Islamic Studies Enterprise' (WISE) where Shikaki was Director and Researcher in 1991.
JStreet is promoting and touting Shikaki as a keynote speaker at 4 of their events nationwide, the first one is scheduled to be held in Philadelphia on Wed. Nov. 6th 2024. Hopefully the Philly Pyramid Club venue will cancel the JStreet event when informed of Shikaki's (and JStreet's) jihad support.
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"Jews4Jihad: J Street Philly To Host Khalil Shikaki - Brother Of Pal.Islamic Jihad Fuhrer - Helped Establish PIJ Network In US"
August 2, 2024
MIM: The Jews4Jihad aka J Street Philadelphia are holding their '6th Annual Event' on Wednesday,November 6 at the Pyramid Club in Philadelphia, starting at 6:30 pm. " to celebrate the strength and resilience of our pro-Israel,pro -peace- pro -democracy movement".
"We'll be joined by community leaders, local and national J Street staff – including J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami – and by two extraordinary experts in Israeli and Palestinian politics, Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin and Dr. Khalil Shikaki."
MIM: Dr.Khalil Shikaki is the brother of Fathi Shikaki aka Shaqaqi, who founded Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza in 1981. He was eliminated by the Mossad in 1995 in Malta. Khalil Shikaki was directly involved in the establishment of a PIJ wing in the United States inTampa, Florida where he took the position of Director and Research Associate of the newly created World & Islam Studies Enterprise (WISE), a think tank 'which promoted public policy initiatives set up by then-University of South Florida computer science professor, Sami al-Arian. PIJ is a designated terrorist organisation in many countries.
In 1991 Shikaki was employed as professor at the University and working for the PIJ as the Director and Researcher of the 'World Islamic Studies Enterprise' as a Public Relations and 'publicity agent' for the PIJ while at the University of South Florida in Tampa. He left to take a job at An Najah University in Nablus, a notorious terrorist hub.
While in Nablus Khalil Shikaki established his own spinoff of the World Islamic Studies Enterprise' (WISE) in 1993 which moved to Ramallah in 2000 and exists to this day.
He tellingly named his 'enterprise' "The Palestinian Center For Policy And Survey Research".
Despite his obvious terrorism ties Khalil Shikaki is described as a 'moderate' which affords him influence and access to the media, educational institutions and policy makers. In reality he is acting as a propagandist/publicity agent and PR operative to promote the fake narrative of the non existent 'Palestinians' and advocate for the establishment of a "Palestinian State".
In his role as director of the "Palestinian Center For Policy And Survey Research' Dr. Khalil Shikaki reprised his role as the director and researcher of the PIJ's "World Islamic Studies Enterprise" at the University of South Florida.
J Street's promotion of Khalil Shikaki by inviting him to speak at their Nov. 6th event in Philadelphia proves their role as 'Jews4Jihad' and useful idiots who are aiding and abetting Israel's enemies…
For the entire posting see :https://www.militantislammonitor.org/pf.php?id=8122
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MIM: The 'About' page of Khalil Shikaki's 'think tank' is the Ramallah based Palestinian Center For Policy And Survey Research (PSR aka PCPSR) is the Gaza reincarnation of WISE. Shikaki founded PSR in Nablus in 1993 while a professor at Al Najah University immediately after leaving his position at WISE at the University of South Florida. The oxymoronically named 'Palestinian Ministry Of Justice' is proof that PSR serves as a propaganda arm for jihad groups promoting the 'Palestinian' victimhood vs Israelis/Jews as agressors narrative.
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"The PSR is registered as a non profit institution at the 'Palestinian Ministry Of Justice'."
Dr. Khalil Shikaki , Director and Senior researcher: Associate Professor of Political Science, Ph. D. in Political Science, graduated from Columbia University in 1985.
https://www.pcpsr.org/en/about-psr-page
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MIM:Excerpt from Wikipedia information about The Ministry of Justice of Palestine. The MJP's website is at the time of this posting inaccessible.
Any pretence of neutrality on Shikaki's part and those of his supporters, be it at Brandeis University's Crown Center For Middle East Studies where he is a Senior Fellow, or being promoted as a Middle East expert by the Jews4Jihad of J Street.
"In 2015, the PA required that all Palestinian NGOs, including PCPSR, report their activities and funding to the cabinet.[3]"
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MIM: Excerpts:
"The Ministry of Justice of Palestine was established in 1994 after the partial lifting of the Israeli occupation in certain areas and the arrival of the Palestinian National Authority. The ministry aims to meet societal needs by establishing the rules of justice, equality and order.[1]"
The organization has been the object of hostility ranging from pressure from the Palestinian Authority to mob violence. In 2003, PCPSR's offices in Ramallah were ransacked by dozens of rioters after the center published poll findings showing that only 10% of Palestinian refugees would choose to live in Israel if offered the right of return.[3] Rioters marched from the PCPSR's office to Yassir Arafat's compound a few blocks away. According to Shikaki, the demonstrators wanted to send a message to PA President Mahmoud Abbas that the right of return was non-negotiable.[4] In 2015, the PA required that all Palestinian NGOs, including PCPSR, report their activities and funding to the cabinet.[3]
The organization is non-profit and is funded mostly by the European Union and the Ford Foundation.[3]
In 2021, PCPSR released a poll showing a surge in Palestinian support for Hamas and plummeting support for Abbas after the 2021 Israel-Palestine crisis.[5]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_Center_for_Policy_and_Survey_Research
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About
PSR is an independent nonprofit institution and think tank of policy analysis and academic research. PSR was founded with the goal of advancing scholarship and knowledge on immediate issues of concern to Palestinians in three areas: domestic politics and government, strategic analysis and foreign policy, and public opinion polls and survey research. PSR research units conduct and organize four types of activities: research and policy analysis, empirical surveys and public opinion polls, task forces and study groups, and meetings and conferences. The units focus on current public policy issues with a special reliance on empirical research as a tool to advance scholarship and understanding.
PSR is dedicated to promoting objective and nonpartisan research and analysis and to encouraging a better understanding of Palestinian domestic and international environment in an atmosphere of free debate and exchange of ideas. PSR is registered as a nonprofit institution in the Palestinian Ministry of Justice.
https://www.pcpsr.org/en/about-psr-page
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MIM: Discover The Networks documented the founding of WISE in 1991 at the University of South Florida which was billed as a 'think tank' for 'academics' and functioned as a propaganda arm of The Palestinian Islamic Jihad headed by convicted terrorist Sami Al Arian. Khalil Shikaki is listed as a 'senior research fellow'. WISE was shut down after being raided by the FBI in 1995.
"The federal agents who raided WISE and ICP headquarters also found a letter Al-Arian had written in 1995 to solicit money from a Kuwaiti associate: Referencing a recent pair of suicide bombings that had killed 21 Jews at a bus station in Western Israel, Al-Arian urged his acquaintance "to try to extend true [financial] support of the jihad effort in Palestine so that operations such as these can continue."
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MIM:'Discover The Networks' documented the founding and jihad activities from 1991 until the FBI raid and shutdown of The World Islam & Studies Enterprise (WISE) the US based propaganda arm of Palestinian Islamic Jihad operating out of and colloborating with the University of South Florida In Tampa,
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World & Islam Studies Enterprise
Founded in 1991 as an "Islamic think-tank" by leaders of Palestine Islamic Jihad
* Sponsored events that featured radical Islamic speakers, including Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, who was convicted in connection with numerous terror plots
* Was shut down in 1995 by federal authorities, due to its terrorist ties
Established in 1990 and formally incorporated in 1991, the World & Islam Studies Enterprise (WISE) was an "Islamic think tank" created "to promote scholarly research and dialogue between Muslim and Western scholars." The organization was headquartered in Tampa, near the University of South Florida (USF) campus where WISE's founder, Sami Al-Arian, was a tenured professor of computer science. Al-Arian was also the covert North American leader of the terrorist group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).
In addition to Al-Arian, key officials of the nascent WISE included: (a) its managing editor of periodicals and publications, Mazen al Najjar, who also served on PIJ's governing board; (b) ***senior research fellow Khalil Shikaki, the brother of PIJ co-founder Fathi Shikaki;*** (c) acting director Ramadan Abdullah Shallah, who went on to become PIJ's Secretary General in the mid-1990s; (d) research assistant Tarik Hamdi, who in May 1998 met with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, where he gave the al-Qaeda leader a battery pack for the very same satellite phone that bin Laden would use to orchestrate the deadly U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania three months later; (e) board member Hisham Sharabi, who encouraged Palestinians to drive Israeli personnel from the West Bank and Gaza via "armed struggle"; and (f) boardchairman Taha Jabir Al-Alwani, who has also served as an officer and/or memberof such organizations as the Fiqh Council of North America, the Graduate School of Islamic & Social Sciences, the International Institute of Islamic Thought, the Council of the Muslim World League, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference's Islamic Fiqh Academy.
To view a list of all of WISE's incorporators, officers, staffers, and board members, click here.
Other noteworthy individuals who worked with WISE between 1991 and 1995 included professors John Esposito and John Voll of Georgetown University's Prince Alwaleed Bin-Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, and University of Maryland professor Charles Butterworth, who, citing the Jewish state's repeated "violations of international law," has long advocated a boycott aginst Israeli academic institutions.
Among WISE's leading financial supporters were the Virginia-based International Institute of Islamic Thought and the SAAR Foundation.
WISE, which in 1992 signed a cooperative agreement with USF's Committee for Middle East Studies, published a scholarly journal that featured writings in political science, philosophy, sociology, economics, religious studies, and other social science disiplines. The think tank also co-sponsored seminars and roundtable discussions about issues pertaining to Islam and the Middle East.
Among the more notable speakers who addressed WISE-sponsored events between 1991 and 1995 were the Islamic Group leader Omar Abdel Rahman, who was later convicted in connection with numerous terror plots; Hassan Turabi, the Sudanese religious and political figure who, according to U.S. counterterrorism official Oliver Revell, was involved in terrorist activity; and Khurshid Ahmad, a longtime member of the al Qaeda-affiliated Pakistani group Jamaat-e-Islami. WISE also invited Rashid-el-Ghannoushi, the leader of Tunisia's Islamist Al-Nahdah Movement, to speak at one of its events. But the U.S. State Department refused to grant Ghannoushi a visa, because in 1989 he had been exiled from Tunisia for conspiring to carry out violence against that country's government.
WISE was a sister organization to the Islamic Committee for Palestine (ICP), which Sami Al-Arian had established in 1988—ostensibly to alleviate the suffering of impoverished Palestinian widows and orphans, but in fact to promote the agendas of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. As INS Special Agent William West put it, both WISE and ICP were "fronts for the purpose of fund-raising activities for the Islamic Jihad and the Hamas terrorist organizations." They also engaged in "other support-type activities," said West, "primarily to allow for the perceptually legitimate entry of foreign nationals, aliens into the United States who are leaders and/or operatives" of such entities.
In 1995 the FBI began to aggressively investigate WISE and ICP alike, on suspicion that they were PIJ front groups. That November, federal agents raidedthe offices of both organizations and seized all of their contents, among which were some 500 videotapes of past conferences they had sponsored to promote (and fundraise for) PIJ. One video of a 1991 event in Cleveland, for instance, showed Sami Al-Arian declaring: "God cursed those who are the sons of Israel … Those people, God made monkeys and pigs … Let us damn America, let us damn Israel, let us damn them and their allies until death." In another confiscated video, Al-Arian said: "We assemble today to pay respects to the march of the martyrs and to the river of blood that gushes forth and does not extinguish, from butchery to butchery, and from martyrdom to martyrdom, from jihad to jihad."
The federal agents who raided WISE and ICP headquarters also found a letter Al-Arian had written in 1995 to solicit money from a Kuwaiti associate: Referencing a recent pair of suicide bombings that had killed 21 Jews at a bus station in Western Israel, Al-Arian urged his acquaintance "to try to extend true [financial] support of the jihad effort in Palestine so that operations such as these can continue."
Given the serious nature of these and other materials unearthed in the federal raids, the U.S. government permanently shut down both WISE and ICP.
https://www.discoverthenetworks.org/organizations/world-and-islam-studies-enterprise-wise/
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MIM:Excerpts from JPost - Media Line interview with Shikaki:
"Friedson also inquired about any Palestinian empathy for the October 7 attack."
***Shikaki indicated that there was little to no empathy on the Palestinian side. He explained that most Palestinians are focused on what they see on TV, particularly Al Jazeera, where they witness "women and children being killed every day," which distances them from empathizing with the Israeli victims. ***
***He also noted that the Israeli and Palestinian perceptions of the events of October 7 differ significantly. While Israelis see the atrocities committed, "the overwhelming majority of Palestinians" do not believe that such atrocities took place.***
However, many Palestinians do acknowledge that taking hostages, particularly women, children, and the elderly, was "unacceptable" and a violation of international law.
But the ongoing violence by Israel overshadows any hesitation they might feel about Hamas's actions on that day."
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Most Palestinians support West Bank groups but don't back Hamas, researcher says
By FELICE FRIEDSON, GIORGIA VALENTE/THE MEDIA LINE
Published: AUGUST 23, 2024 01:56Updated
Despite the ongoing "dehumanization and lack of trust" between Palestinians and Israeli Jews, both groups are weighing the choice between regional war and peace, Dr. Khalil Shikaki said.
Gliding through the maze of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is challenging even in normal times. To gain insights into the Palestinian perspective during the Israel-Hamas war, one man stands out for his ability to provide answers. Do the Palestinian people support Hamas after October 7? Did they before? Is an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement still within reach?
Dr. Khalil Shikaki, pollster and founder of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, shared his views in an in-depth interview with The Media Line's Felice Friedson and Giorgia Valente.
Friedson asked if Dr. Shikaki had any hopes for a resolution to the conflict and whether he had new polling data to share. Acknowledging the "very, very grim situation," Shikaki expressed cautious optimism.
***He observed that despite the ongoing "dehumanization and lack of trust" between Palestinians and Israeli Jews, both groups are weighing the choice between regional war and peace. ***
He stressed that, when given the option, "a majority of Israeli Jews and a majority of Palestinians" favor a comprehensive peace agreement over war. Shikaki mentioned that his team was working on a joint Israeli-Palestinian survey, to be released in the coming few weeks, that would explore this dynamic further, with the hope that leadership, possibly from the US, could help bring about such peace.
***When asked about Palestinian support for Hamas 10 months into the conflict, Shikaki explained that while a certain percentage of Palestinians support Hamas, it has never been a majority. He stated that "it has always been a minority" in both Gaza and the West Bank, with roughly 40% of Gazans consistently supporting Hamas over the past decade due to shared values. In the West Bank, support was much lower, around 20%, but has surged to 40% since October 7, not because more people share Hamas's values but because they now support Hamas's policies. This shift is driven by the perception that Hamas's attack on October 7 has brought international attention to the Palestinian cause and increased the urgency of finding a resolution.***
***Friedson also inquired about any Palestinian empathy for the October 7 attack. Shikaki indicated that there was little to no empathy on the Palestinian side. ***
***He explained that most Palestinians are focused on what they see on TV, particularly Al Jazeera, where they witness "women and children being killed every day," which distances them from empathizing with the Israeli victims.***
He also noted that the Israeli and Palestinian perceptions of the events of October 7 differ significantly. While Israelis see the atrocities committed, "the overwhelming majority of Palestinians" do not believe that such atrocities took place. However, many Palestinians do acknowledge that taking hostages, particularly women, children, and the elderly, was "unacceptable" and a violation of international law.
***But the ongoing violence by Israel overshadows any hesitation they might feel about Hamas's actions on that day.***
For most Israelis, the atrocities were committed, but the overwhelming majority of the Palestinians does not believe that atrocities against women and children took place on that day. Most Palestinians do believe that Hamas acted sometimes in a manner that was contradictory to international law. For example, taking women and children and elderly hostages in Gaza.
"The majority of Palestinians believe that this is unacceptable, that this is a violation of international law. But when they look at what Israel is doing, that seems to basically overcome any hesitation that they might have in viewing what happened on October 7 as a correct decision by Hamas."
Many of the West and many of Israelis have opined that Hamas withholds all kinds of food and humanitarian aid. How do a lot of the people living there feel? Are they afraid to say that this is true?
Do they feel that others are exaggerating it, even though you've had even UN offices say that this is the case? What is the pulse on the ground in this particular area?
"As far as we can tell, there is tremendous criticism in Gaza against the manner in which aid is being distributed. But the extent to which this is blamed on Hamas is debatable.
We do not see a majority of Palestinians in Gaza blaming Hamas for the failed process of delivery and distribution of aid."
***Most Palestinians believe it is the Israeli measures and policies that it implements on the ground that create such conditions for gangs and armed groups to act on their own, sometimes justifiably because they are hungry. ***
They feel that unless they take matters into their own hands, they will continue to be hungry. Many people believe that the conditions that were created, that led to current anarchy in Gaza, and that Israel, by targeting Hamas police in Gaza, has essentially prevented any kind of law enforcement or imposition of law and order.
***"That led to the miserable situation with regard to aid distribution, and that it is not Hamas deliberately stealing food or aid, or that Hamas is acting in a manner that denies people access to such aid, but that it is rather a matter of a situation in which Hamas' ability to control Gaza is weakened by the day by the acts that Israel is currently implementing there."***
Now, you're tailing polls. You have people who are data collectors that you employ to go into Gaza, go into the West Bank, to understand what's happening as well in Israel. Who are these people?
How do you weed them out? I'm sure it's very difficult at this time.
"We have been collecting data in Gaza and in the West Bank and in east Jerusalem for the last 31 years. Many of the people that we have have been trained at least four times a year. All of our teams are trained four times a year, and many of them have stayed with us all these years.
"We think that we have the best data collection team that we can have, and that they are very well trained. Based on that experience, based on the tests that we do, based on the quality control that we exercise, the team is the best that there can be."
Dr. Shikaki, we had a journalist that has done work for us in Gaza over the years, and he did speak to people who were saying that Hamas was taking the goods. We had video of this happening, so is it possible that this does still happen? That even if your people are getting a general consensus that there are people that are afraid to speak out, whether it's a minority or not, it is happening?
"We expect that people are more willing to talk now than before because of the anarchy prevailing. Hamas's ability to control or punish people today is much more limited than it was at any time before. So the grip of Hamas over Gaza has softened considerably, and we would expect that people are much less afraid to express their views today.
"The fact that there are, of course, incidents in which Hamas people do take aid is, of course, probably not in dispute because we also hear that, and when we ask people, some people do say that. But this is not a majority. It's not even a significant minority.
The majority of Palestinians do not point out that this is a Hamas action, but rather that this is the result of the environment that Israel has created, leading to this anarchy in which the ability of those who distribute the food and aid is extremely constrained. They can do very little against armed men, gangs, sometimes from big families who need the food, and sometimes merchants who want to sell the food that is the aid at higher prices in the market, and for them having the ability to organize themselves into armed groups and take control of the goods is an indication that there is really no one in control in Gaza today. And day by day, this is the prevailing perception in Gaza, that Hamas' control is weakening, and along with that comes the kind of environment in which the aid distribution is suffering considerably."
Dr. Shikaki, by way of background, you were born in a refugee camp in Rafah. You attended the American University of Beirut and completed a doctorate at Columbia University. You also co-founded the Crown Center at Brandeis.
You co-published a textbook with an Israeli, Arabs and Israelis, Conflict and Peacemaking in the Middle East from the Israeli-Palestinian and Israeli-Palestinian, Arab-Palestinian perspectives. How different would that book look today?
"That book was essentially an attempt to understand the dynamics of Israeli-Palestinian conflicts and the Arab-Israeli conflict at large. We have a third author with us who is an Egyptian who covered the Arab side of the story of that conflict. Our job in the book was to trace the developments to determine why this conflict is so resilient, why it has been very difficult to resolve it over the years, and why we did occasionally manage to come very close to reaching a peace agreement, why this has been more successful with state-to-state relations such as Egypt or Jordan and Israel, or the Abrahamic Accords, but remained extremely difficult to do the same with the bilateral Israeli-Palestinian relations. So the book outlined those factors that have contributed to the resilience of the conflict, while at the same time pointing out those opportunities that have in the past presented themselves for the parties to try and reach accommodation at both dimensions, Arab-Israeli and Palestinian-Israeli."
"So the conflict today basically continues this story of resilience for more than 120 years of conflict, although one can say that a lot of progress was made over the last 30 years, most importantly in removing the existential nature of the conflict from the prevailing perception of Palestinians and Israelis. This last war is probably one of the most significant developments since the start of the current, what is called the peace process, the Oslo process. Since the start of that process, the current events are probably the single most important in restoring that sense of vulnerability for both sides, Israeli-Jews and Palestinians, that the conflict is becoming more and more existential.
"The fear of Gazans and West Bankers that what Israel is after is a genocide and expulsion and ethnic cleansing, and the feeling of Israeli-Jews that what happened on October 7 indicates that the Palestinians do have genocidal aspirations against them.
These developments certainly are new and they take us back to those days of 50 and 60 and 70 years ago when the prevailing perception of the parties was that this conflict was irresolvable and that it is about existence, mere existence, and that the other side wants nothing but to completely destroy one side or the other."
Your brother Fatih was the co-founder of Islamic Jihad and ultimately was assassinated. You took a very different path. How do you reconcile the mindset of the terrorist with your intellectual approach to the conflict?
People are different, people take different views. I'm sure you're different from your sister or your brother, and so that's true in life. People are different, they have different experiences.
There have been numerous attacks by terrorist groups in the West Bank. The Israeli and Palestinian security organizations have worked together to fight them, but it seems now that the situation is kind of out of control.
Is there any poll that you've done on Palestinians who are promoting terror versus peace?
"The surveys that we've conducted show that the overwhelming majority of the Palestinians in the West Bank do support the formation of these armed groups. For most Palestinians, these armed groups represent the rejection of the status quo, the rejection of the status quo in terms of continued occupation and the demise of the two-state solution, and the desire of the Palestinians to take matters into their own hands to try and change this situation. They feel the Israelis feel comfortable with the status quo.
They have little to gain from ending their occupation, and they feel that they have little to lose if they continue with that occupation today. The Palestinians suffer every day, and so the status quo is unacceptable to them. For most Palestinians, the Palestinian authorities' efforts through diplomacy, security coordination, and so on with Israel to produce a different Israeli policy, whether it is about settlements or ending the Israeli occupation through negotiations or resumption of negotiations have failed.
"Therefore, the search has eventually led a majority of the Palestinians. This is particularly true since the formation of the current Israeli government. By early 2023, we begin to see a majority of West Bankers supporting an armed resistance and supporting the formation of these armed groups throughout the West Bank."
Do you feel that this particular divide, this is a very, very important point and moment in terms of what's happening with these terror groups, whether they're large or small, infiltrating Israel. Do you feel that this moment, this is going to be the leading factor that's going to really outlive what's happened on October 7? Because there seems to be very little control right now of the situation.
There's no doubt that the West Bank is currently boiling, but there are no indications that we are about to enter a phase where we see the West Bank exploding. This is not the case today. We do see extreme conditions in terms of the rejection of the Palestinian Authority, greater support for armed struggle and for the armed groups, a great deal of frustration among the public anger at the restrictions imposed by the Israeli army since October 7.
"Economic conditions have worsened considerably. The unemployment rate, particularly among young people, has skyrocketed in the West Bank.
***For all these conditions, of course, not to speak of what the Israeli government is doing with settlements and home demolition and land confiscation and so on, this creates this process of boiling that we currently see.***
"For an explosion to take place, however, that requires a change at the level of the leadership of the Palestinian Authority, that is Abbas, and it requires significant weakening of the Palestinian security services. Both conditions are not happening. It also requires that a very strong organization, in this case it would be Farah or Hamas, would be willing and capable of organizing such an explosion that is the Third Intifada.
"That is not at the moment something that one can see happening in the West Bank yet, and so the boiling process is probably going to generate new dynamics that could eventually lead to that. But conditions on the ground today do not point to such an explosion taking place anytime imminently."
Dr. Shikaki, you have polled the Palestinian people on who should lead Mahmoud Abbas when he hands over his reins. Many are talking about Marwan Barghouti. The question is, how does he pull out these days?
"Today, Marwan Barghouti is more popular than he has been at any time since we started polling about him. October the 7th has generated much more support for him than any other Palestinian leader, and he is today the most popular leader. He was before October the 7th also the most popular leader.
"If elections are held today, there is absolutely no doubt that Barghouti can win these elections, and that is something that probably will continue to be because of the prevailing perception among the Palestinians that Barghouti is someone that they can trust, not only because they see him as incorruptible, but also because they think he's a unifier, and because they think he will be able to fight for Palestinian national rights in ways that the current Palestinian leadership is not doing."
Connected to this, is there any leader, do you see aside from Barghouti, that has potential to govern both in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip?
"Of course, there could be other leaders. Right now, the surveys that we conduct do not point to any particular leader who would be acceptable to the Palestinians, to a majority of Palestinians in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip, unless there are elections. Obviously, if somebody wins in these elections, even if they are not popular today, they will be seen as legitimate.
"In the Palestinians' eyes, electoral legitimacy is supreme. It is the most important source of legitimacy, and if there are elections and someone emerges as a winner in these elections, that person will certainly be trusted and be seen as someone who should or could control both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
The day after is hopefully coming soon. Do you have any kind of hopes for a resolve? What is on the horizon?
"Well, one has to remain optimistic despite the current very, very grim situation.
***We do see signs, even at this time, in which both Palestinians and Israeli Jews dehumanize each other. This is probably one of the worst points in the history of the two peoples in terms of this level of dehumanization and lack of trust that we see today.***
"Nonetheless, I think when people are confronted with a situation similar to the one that is currently prevailing, we're now waiting to see what will happen with the cease-fire negotiations versus what will happen with Iran and the retaliation from both Iran and Hezbollah. So the concern about a regional war versus the prospect of making peace is leading both sides, both Israeli Jews and Palestinians, coming to the conclusion that if the choice is theirs, if it is up to them, would they risk a regional war or would they be willing to agree to a regional and bilateral peace based on which a two-state solution is created and an Arab-Israeli normalization takes place. In a choice between these two, a majority of Israeli Jews and a majority of Palestinians favor a peace agreement, both bilateral and regional, much more than they favor a regional war.
"So that basically tells us that certainly when one looks at this situation and think how bad it could get and that there is a choice that could take us away from all of that, and that is by reaching a comprehensive peace agreement, bilateral and regional, that people do not hesitate to favor a peace agreement. That, I think, is a very optimistic environment for one, if someone, it requires obviously leadership that unfortunately we don't see today, but in the region, but hopefully someone else, perhaps the US government or after the election someone could begin to seriously consider a much greater US role in bringing about this bilateral and regional peace. And that's the kind of surveys that we are currently hoping to release very soon. This is a joint Israeli-Palestinian survey."
https://m.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-815996
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