Hamas eyes armed resistance from West Bank
Hamas officials have expressed a desire to shift the armed confrontation with Israel to the West Bank, prompting a Palestinian Authority crackdown on Hamas.
As soon as the war on Gaza came to a halt at the end of August, Hamas organized celebratory events in the West Bank for the “victory” it achieved over Israel.
Mahmoud al-Zahar, a member of Hamas’ political leadership, made a speech by phone during a celebratory event in Hebron conveying to the people of the West Bank the need for an armed resistance to cut short the life of Israel's occupation and fend off its aggression against the Palestinians.
Ramadan Shalah, leader of Islamic Jihad, said during a speech delivered after the end of the Gaza war that what the resistance did in Gaza should soon be done in the West Bank to liberate Palestine.
Al-Monitor spoke to a Hamas official in Gaza and asked about shifting armed resistance to the West Bank. “It is not a secret that the real arena of resistance is in the still occupied West Bank,” he replied. “Talks are not only limited to Palestinian political groups, but extend to reach resistance powers that are looking into proposed mechanisms and tools, despite the political and security obstacles that can impede the process. This means that the question Hamas has prompted is not related to whether or not resistance will move to the West Bank but to the mechanisms, timing and tools of resistance as well as the field and operational details.”
