Do people fully support Palestine?

[Dawk]

I read this article and the scales fell from my eyes a bit: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/11/amid-the-ceasefire-wrangling-how-popular-is-hamas-in-gaza-now

I hadn’t realised that a majority of Gazans want a conservative Islamist state and the complete destruction of Israel to create an Islamic state covering the whole country (from the river to the sea I guess). They also support violence and even the sacrifice of their own lives.

I am appalled by the destruction and loss of life in Gaza, but having read this article I can’t understand why support for Palestine isn’t more caveated. Why are people waving flags and supporting Gaza so unconditionally? When you look at the polling described in the article it seems fairly clear that many/most don’t actually want peace unless it follows the complete destruction of Israel.

For me it’s a bit like supporting Iran. I would never wave the Iranian flag around because of what the country stands for. In this case I am horrified by the scale of destruction wrought by the IDF so support Palestine completely in that respect but I’d never wave the flag or chant the slogans.

If you consider yourself ‘pro-Palestine’, what do you think of the ideology described in the article?

@BaMamma Egypt and Jordan. How far back do you want to go to try to invalidate my valid point?

I’ll reiterate, I don’t think being angry about members of Hamas being fat or well dressed is comparable to being angry about having your child killed in front of you, no. And I think to try and compare the two as you have is ludicrous.

Jews - and other non-muslims - have been pretty much ethnically cleansed from a wide belt of land stretching from Tajikistan all the way to Morocco.

Israel is the only Jewish state in the world where they are managing to hang on, and the only attempt to redress this huge imbalance. Jews have suffered from this persecution at the hands of Arabs in particular, but also Turks and Persians for over a thousand years.

Yet they respond to a barbaric attack on October 7th, and we never hear the end of it.

I will never support the Palestinians, and frankly, the gullible westerners that fall for their tales disgust me. You don't even have to dig that deep to establish the true nature of this conflict.

My point is that both things are happening because of their leadership's focus on destroying Israel.

Do you think Israel should have just rolled over and taken it when Hamas &c crossed into Israel and went on a rape and kidnapping spree, burning innocents alive, and leaving a trail of destruction?

@BaMamma I think killing 47,000 people and trying to ethnically cleanse a whole people is an overreaction, yes. I didn’t suggest they should do nothing.

I think that happened because of Israeli leadership’s focus on trying to destroy Palestine.

It is because the two sides’ stand points are sadly so similar that peace can’t be achieved.

Have you read the Hamas Charter?

I’m not going to respond on two threads, but if you saw Netanyahu and Trump’s press conference, it’s very clear if Netanyahu has his way there will be no Palestine. I don’t see how the two sides’ aims differ, neither wants the other to exist, so there can be no peace.

@BaMamma I don’t need to. I’m sure it calls for the complete destruction of Israel. I’m not disputing that. I’m not apologising for Hamas. What I am saying is that it is very clear that Netanyahu’s aim is also that there be no Palestine, he has said as much on repeated occasions. That is direct from him, not written in an ideological charter.

Not a Netanyahu supporter, but perhaps a Netanyahu apologist? As you have so branded me a Hamas apologist, when I am not a Hamas supporter (nor can I see at any point unthread where I have supported their actions).

I am glad this is reported. Too many pieces in the media are human interest stories with civilians impacted by the war in Gaza with no reference to their politics or hatred of Jews. The media seem to portray the Palestinians an masse wanting peace and are subjugated by Hamas. This is simply not the case with Hamas enjoying wide spread support.

I would truly love to see Israel come and occupy the UK, take our farmers lands, our beautiful homes and of course our children’s lives!! Chase us! I think any one of us would line up with any resistance to get what is rightfully ours!! so yes…. Free Palestine!!

What happened in 1967? Oh yes, that was when an Arab coalition attacked Israel in the 6 day war.

It is surprising that people are unaware of what the typical Muslim in the region wants. They aren’t shy about telling you, they are quite straightforward.

In answer to your question, I for one, definitely do not support Palestine.

And those who do are at best naïve and / or foolish, and at worst antisemitic and have no moral compass

This isn’t news.

What exactly did they think Palestine wanted?

I don't support either, in that I realise it is a very complicated issue, and both sides have bits that make me support them, but also bits that make me wince.

"Jews - have been pretty much ethnically cleansed, Israel is the only Jewish state in the world where they are managing to hang on, "

This is true. The idea of destroying Israel, the only Jewish state is incomprehensible. However,
"Israel has been ignoring international resolutions and mistreating Palestinians for decades" is also true.

This complex issue clearly isn't going to be resolved any time soon.

I agree.

This is why I personally hate religion (ALL religions) The sacrifices people are willing to make and devastating actions they are willing to take in the name of their religion blows my mind.
There won’t be a heaven or paradise as it’s impossible if we consider what we know about reality and how the world works and evolution.
Wars over religious beliefs have always happened, Northern Ireland being a prime example and in my opinion, the sooner places become more secular the better!

Jews are pretty secular as a group actually but still strongly believe the land is theirs. It doesn’t seem to come from religious belief but from an ethnocentric claim to the land of their ancestry.

Palestinian Christians, however, have the strongest claim to the land from that POV since they are the most closely related to Roman-era Jews.

I've always been aware that I couldn't possibly know enough about what's really going on in the occupied territories to actively campaign for either side.

You should probably read some history about who conquered who and when.

Muslim conquest of the Levant

I cannot support any side which has its actions and desires rooted in religious ideology. I am anti-religion in general, and definitely so once we get to the point of discriminating against each other based on whichever mythical sky being someone is worshipping (or in this case which rule book they use). No good can come of entrenched positions that are ideologically based, and the horror people are willing to unleash on each other as a result is obscene.

I do not support Israel or Palestine other than that both have the right to live peacefully (I don’t think either does want that btw as we have seen recently and also over many years). I do not support the brutal massacre of Jewish people. I do not support the horrific carpet bombing of Palestinian civilians.

I have friends on both sides who live in an echo chamber and that is also horrific.

You can’t reason with unreasonable people. You can’t consider religious zealots to be reasonable people. There are religious zealots on both sides.
BUT. Israel at least run a democratic and well governed country. Look after their people. Can be negotiated with in the international stage.
The brand of Islamism in that region is a danger to the rest of the non Muslim world.

There are 2 million Muslim people in Israel. Approximately zero Jews in the Muslim bits. I think the flag wavers will only have sympathy for the Jews if they just quietly allow themselves to be slaughtered. The Jews know the world doesn’t protect them. They’ve learned this over two thousand years.