In the wake of a cease-fire, will Hamas truly be removed from power? Palestinian Media Watch claims that Hamas will be hidden for a few years, but won’t actually disappear if the PA is permitted to rule Gaza.
By Rachel Avraham
According to a recent report in Palestinian Media Watch, “The second most important component of President Trump’s plan, after the release of all the Israeli hostages, is that Hamas be dismantled and have no future role in Palestinian society. Mahmoud Abbas has said publicly that he accepts that condition, but Palestinian Media Watch exposed last week with 20 examples that the Palestinian Authority actually seeks to hide Hamas within the PLO to protect it.”
Palestinian Media Watch continued, “Now, the PA has expressed this explicitly in its official daily, saying that after persuading Hamas to leave for a year or two, it could “look for ways to bring Hamas back to operation.”
As the PA official daily Al Hayat Al Jadida reported, “[We] must find a way to prevent its [Hamas’] positions and actions (that the West rejects – ed.) from being exploited again to complete the elimination of the Palestinian issue. It may be necessary to find a way to persuade Hamas to completely leave the arena for a year or two. Later, when things become clearer, we can look for ways to bring Hamas back to operation.”
As Palestinian Media Watch noted, “The reason the PA keeps seeking to join forces with Hamas is because Hamas remains the popular ideology and party among Palestinians. In fact, it is far more popular—at least 250% more—than the PA’s ruling party, Fatah. Therefore, despite the PA’s occasional criticism of Hamas, the PA knows that it needs Hamas in order to maintain its political power.”
According to Palestinian Media Watch, “The PA strategy of accepting “Hamas-free” control over Gaza and then reinstating Hamas a year or two later makes a mockery of President Trump’s 20-point plan, which explicitly states that “Hamas and other factions agree to not have any role in the governance of Gaza.” The PA’s suggestion in Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, combined with all the recent statements by top PA officials, again reveals Mahmoud Abbas’ promise at the UN that “Hamas will have no role in governance” to be a farce and a lie.”
“Certainly, Abbas would love to have his party, Fatah, rule without Hamas—not because it is so different ideologically but because he would prefer not to share power with anyone,” Palestinian Media Watch noted. “However, since Hamas is the popular organization but is shunned by the West since Oct. 7, they will create a partnership of convenience. Abbas will be in charge so that he can receive billions in funding while Hamas will be behind the scenes to give the PA respectability among Palestinians.”
Palestinian Media Watch concluded, “The PA has been saying this for two years. Now, Abbas’ official daily repeats the strategy. The PA will hide Hamas for a while so that the West accepts the PA and then it will announce Hamas’ return. With this strategy, the Palestinians won’t reject the PA and will support the PA’s deceptive agreements with the West. The Palestinians get it. But will the West recognize this deception before it imposes more tragedies on Israel?”
