A recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, published on June 7, shows the decrease of Hezbollah’s popularity in the Arab region following its military involvement in the Syrian conflict alongside Bashar al-Assad's regime and its victory over the Syrian rebels in Qusair.

According to the survey, the Lebanese militant group has significantly lost popularity among Palestinians living in the territories due to its stance on the Syrian conflict. While in 2011, 61% viewed the militant group “favorably,” this has decreased to 43% in 2013.

The survey points out: “Views are mixed in the Palestinian territories where 49% have an unfavorable view of Hezbollah while 43% have a positive one. Views of Hezbollah in the Palestinian territories have turned significantly more negative since 2011 when 61% saw the militant group positively and 37% had an unfavorable view.”

Al-Monitor interviewed several Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and asked their views on Hezbollah, particularly in light of its position on the Syrian conflict. Many argue that this alleged decrease in Hezbollah’s popularity is best understood in light of the sectarian politics that has increasingly characterized the Syrian conflict. The argument goes that predominantly Sunni Palestinians view the Shiite group’s participation in its neighbor’s affairs as largely motivated by sectarianism.