According to a Palestinian Authority (PA) official, President-elect Donald Trump is expected to weaken Iran, potentially leading to the breakdown of remaining Hamas terrorist cells.
During a meeting in Nablus with the New York Post and other PA leaders, Mohammad Hamdan, the secretary-general of the PA’s Fatah Party, made these predictions on Dec. 19. The meeting took place in Nablus, close to Jenin in the West Bank, where PA forces have been conducting security operations against Hamas-affiliated extremists.
The Post first reported the conversation on Monday.
“Our focus is on countering Hamas’ ideology, particularly its connections to external regimes, such as Iran,” Hamdan explained to the Post.
At least three PA security force members have been killed, including a captain in the intelligence services, during armed clashes with extremists, The Associated Press reported. The PA has arrested dozens of people.
The Post said the PA leaders they interviewed condemned Israel’s increased settlements in the West Bank but said they supported the Jewish state’s right to exist.
Hamdan also reportedly told the Post that PA President Mahmoud Abbas – who slammed Israel and the United States before the United Nations General Assembly earlier this year – “still supports realistic relations with the Americans in order to achieve the aspirations of the Palestinians.” However, the secretary-general also argued that failed U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East was responsible for growing Islamic extremism.
Palestinian security forces march with the body of Ibrahim Qaddoumi, a Palestinian Authority member killed during armed clashes between Palestinian security forces and gunmen in the Jenin refugee camp, on Dec. 27, 2024 in Nablus, West Bank. (Nasser Ishtayeh/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“Look what happened in Syria. First, the U.S. declared the rebels to be al Qaeda, and then [last week] an American delegation visited Syria,” Hamdan told the Post. “And the one before that, when the Americans struck deals with the Taliban in Afghanistan. We as Palestinians believe that most of these extremist Islamic groups are produced by America by its effort to create a new Middle East.”
On the issue of post-war Gaza governance, one Israeli official told the Post that the PA remained an option but would need to stop “the corruption” and “funding terrorism” on Israeli settlers in the West bank.
The official acknowledged though that the PA could have “a historically unprecedented opportunity” to return to its control of the Palestinian territories.
The PA’s opposition to Hamas could provide unique leverage to “participate in day-after talks,” the Israeli official added.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
