A former IDF deputy chief of staff has urged Israel to adopt a radically new stance towards the Palestinians to prevent Hamas extending their power in the West Bank.
Speaking exclusively to the JC, Yair Golan warned of growing support for the terrorist group as that for the Palestinian Authority (PA) plummets.
Mr Golan, now the Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry, said: “Hamas’ increasing popularity is bad for Israel, and it’s very bad for the Palestinians. What is needed is a different policy.
“We need to strengthen the PA while weakening Hamas in coordination with regional powers such as Jordan, UAE, and Egypt, as well as the US and EU.”
With corruption running deep in the PA, Hamas appears to be winning hearts and minds in the West Bank, according to pollsters.
President Mahmoud Abbas, 87, has been in power since 2005, and has refused to hold presidential elections since then. A staggering 73 per cent of Palestinians wanted him to resign in a recent poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR).
Hamas leader Ishmail Haniyeh would receive 54 per cent of votes in both Gaza and the West Bank, while 38 per cent would vote for Abbas, the researchers found.
Even in the West Bank alone, Haniyeh would receive 47 per cent of the votes, against 41 per cent for Abbas. Against Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, the Hamas leader would win by a landslide, receiving 60 per cent of the vote against 33 per cent for the incumbent.
The poll also revealed other shocking findings from respondents on the West Bank, where it emerged 52 per cent support a return to armed confrontations, and 73 per cent believe the Koran contains a prophecy on the demise of the State of Israel. Almost half of those surveyed — 49 per cent — support dissolving the PA entirely.
Mr Golan blames previous Israeli governments over the past 12 years for allowing Hamas to grow stronger. He said: “They did nothing to strengthen the PA. We need to work with the most moderate elements in the region.”
Palestinian activist Munir Zughayer, said the PA has lost support because “it hasn’t shown that they can lead the people, and because they are cooperating with Israel”. However, he doubts Hamas would want to control the West Bank and take “the responsibility of three million Palestinians” there.
While the PA is technically in full control of Area A in the northern part of the West Bank, Hamas members are operating freely in some areas.
Former top Shin Bet intelligence agency official Ilan Iotan told the JC: “Hamas is strongest near Jenin, as well as Hebron and East Jerusalem.
“You see the armed wing of Fatah, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, fighting alongside Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Jenin.” He believes that the escalation between Israel and the Palestinians has shifted from Gaza to East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
With Abbas’ health declining, Israel and the PA are concerned about what will follow when he dies. Mr Iotan said: “My guess is it will be anarchy, like we saw in Gaza in 2006 when Hamas won the election.”
