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A spokesman for the Palestinian Authority (PA) has reportedly predicted that President-elect Donald Trump will “destroy Iran” and that weakening Tehran will effectively destroy the remaining terrorist cells of Hamas.
Mohammad Hamdan, secretary general of the ruling Fatah party in the PA, reportedly made the comments to New York Post Dec. 19 during a meeting between the native and other senior PA leaders in Nablus, about an hour’s drive from the West Bank city of Jenin, where Western-backed PA forces this month launched security operations against armed extremists linked to Hamas. .
The Post first reported the conversation on Monday.
“We resist The ideology of Hamas. Our problem is Hamas’ connection with regimes outside of Palestine,” Hamdan told the Post, referring to Iran.
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Palestinian security forces stand guard during the funeral of Ibrahim Kadumi, a member of the Palestinian Authority, who was killed during armed clashes between Palestinian security forces and gunmen in the Jenin refugee camp on December 27, 2024. in Nablus, West Bank. (Nasser Ishtayeh/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“We see that Trump and the ruling government of Israel are planning to destroy Iran, so Hamas (followers) will have no choice but to become Palestinian,” he added.
A group of more than a dozen extremists stole two PA vehicles and drove them through the streets of Jenin, waving Hamas and ISIS flags on December 6, the Post reported.
Since then, PA forces have killed at least three extremists in the West Bank city and vowed to arrest or “eliminate” the rest of the perpetrators.
Fatah suffered a major defeat in the 2006 elections, leading to a takeover by rival Hamas control over the Gaza Stripstrengthening the Islamic extremist regime and launching repeated attacks on Israel.
The turning point came when the Hamas terrorists launched their own coordinated attack on southern Israel from Gaza on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages.
Ever since Israel destroyed Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the PA, which is backed by the US and other Western governments, appears intent on resuming control of Gaza after the war ends.
“Hamas is giving up international legitimacy with UN resolutions in mind,” Hamdan said. “The world cannot come to terms with a situation where a party does not adopt international resolutions.”
Hamas and other Islamic extremist groups have sown mistrust of the PA, accusing it of coordinating closely with Israel during past security raids in Jenin.
The Jewish state has cracked down on Jenin in the past, which has long been considered a terrorist stronghold. PA security forces had little presence there until recently, before new security operations this month.
A large banner depicting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas hangs during a rally by supporters of the Fatah movement ahead of its 60th anniversary and in support of a Palestinian Authority security operation in a Palestinian refugee camp in Jenin on December 29, 2024. (JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP via Getty Images)
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At least three members of the PA security forces were killed, including an intelligence captain, during armed clashes with the extremists, according to the Associated Press. PA arrested dozens of people.
The Post reported that PA leaders they interviewed condemned Israel’s settlement expansion in the West Bank, but said they support the Jewish state’s right to exist.
Hamdan also reportedly told the Post that the PA President Mahmoud Abbas – who criticized Israel and the United States before the United Nations General Assembly earlier this year – “continues to maintain a realistic relationship with the Americans to achieve the aspirations of the Palestinians”. However, the secretary general also argued that the failure of US foreign policy in the Middle East was responsible for the rise of Islamic extremism.
Palestinian security forces walk with the body of Ibrahim Kaddumi, a member of the Palestinian Authority, who was killed during armed clashes between Palestinian security forces and gunmen in the Jenin refugee camp on December 27, 2024. in Nablus, West Bank. (Nasser Ishtayeh/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“Look at what happened in Syria. First, the US declared the rebels to be al-Qaeda, and then (last week) an American delegation visited Syria,” Hamdan told the Post. “And earlier, when the Americans made deals with the Taliban in Afghanistan. We, as Palestinians, believe that most of these extremist Islamic groups were created by America in its efforts to create a new Middle East.”
As for the post-war governance of Gaza, one Israeli official told the Post that the PA remains an option, but it will need to end “corruption” and “terrorist financing” by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
However, the official acknowledged that the PA may have an “unprecedented opportunity in history” to regain control of the Palestinian territories.
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The PA opposition to Hamas could provide unique leverage to “participate in negotiations the next day,” the Israeli official added.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
