Palestinian Authority faces collapse as Hamas gains strength, senior official warns

TEL AVIV: A senior official within the Palestinian Authority expressed grave concerns over the growing influence of Hamas in Judea and Samaria, particularly in Jenin. The official told the Tazpit Press Service that Jenin is gradually morphing into an extension of Hamas, reminiscent of the situation in the Gaza Strip prior to 2007 when Hamas violently seized control of the Strip.

"The project of the collapse of the Palestinian Authority is entrusted to Saleh Arouri, who recently decided to step up, especially since Hamas was criticized for not joining the Palestinian Authority, during the last Israeli operation in the Gaza Strip," the PA official told TPS. "Now, in order to fix the image of his organization, Arouri presses the gas pedal and activates the terrorist cells of and especially in Samaria."

The 56-year-old Arouri, who is one of several very senior Hamas figures based in Turkey, is widely viewed as the overall commander of Hamas forces in Judea and Samaria. Israel imprisoned him for more than 15 years for his Hamas activities. He was freed in 2007 for his role in brokering the Gilad Shalit prisoner swap. "His ultimate goal is to collapse the Palestinian Authority, and for that, he is also taking advantage of right-wing policies in Israel and the serious events between Palestinians and settlers, in order to increase the motivation for terrorist attacks," the PA source told TPS.

"Arouri assesses that Israel is not ready for military action in the Gaza Strip and will therefore prefer and be forced to act in the territories of the Palestinian Authority and especially in Samaria and he is acting through the use of terrorism, to drag it into a large-scale operation in the northern West Bank," the source added. Hamas appears to be emboldened by Israel's policy of targeted assassinations, the escalating violence between settlers and Palestinians, and Israel's intention to alter the established rules of engagement. Recent Israeli airstrikes have demonstrated this shift in approach, contributing to the growing sense of instability in the region.

Meanwhile, Israel seems to have transitioned from crisis management to a more decisive stance. Some PA officials perceive this as an attempt to reshape Israeli-Palestinian dynamics and ultimately collapse the Palestinian Authority. According to the source, the situation has led some within the PA to draw parallels with the "Naqba," an Arabic word for the catastrophe which Palestinians use to refer to Israel's founding in 1948. The Palestinian Authority acknowledges the diminishing interest and involvement of the United States in the Middle East, as well as the lack of engagement by European countries due to their focus on the crisis in Ukraine.

"As a result of all this, the Palestinian Authority finds itself in an impossible situation and under very heavy pressure from the street, and the possibility that it will fall apart soon cannot be ruled out," the source said. "Hamas could become dominant in the area."