Biden administration dramatically softens the sanctions it imposed on the seven Israelis from the Israel Defense Forces and makes it clear that they will be able to use their bank accounts.

Original article in Hebrew

  • BraveSirZaphod@kbin.social
    2·
    3 months ago

    Yes, it is. Hamas absolutely has a presence in the West Bank, and the fact that they would likely win democratic elections is the reason why there haven’t been elections in the West Bank in ages.

    Hamas isn’t able to accumulate meaningful military force there due to the constant presence of the IDF, but they are there. The PA must be reformed, but if you simply abolish it, it’s Hamas that fills the power vacuum.

    • vind@lemmy.world
      01·
      3 months ago

      That is not correct. Palestinian Authority and Hamas are not the same groups. Hamas does not and has not had any power in the West Bank.

      • BraveSirZaphod@kbin.social
        2·
        3 months ago

        When did I say that the PA and Hamas are the same?

        I did not say that Hamas has legal authority in the West Bank. I said that they have a presence, which is simply true. Terrorist attacks are not at all unheard of in the West Bank; do you really think they’re completely disconnected from the neighboring Islamist organization who routinely praises terror attacks and explicitly calls for the destruction of Israel?

        On February 1, Israeli soldiers demolished the East Jerusalem family apartment of a deceased Palestinian teacher who in 2021 shot and killed an Israeli tour guide and wounded four others near the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount. The terrorist group Hamas said the gunman was a senior member of its movement in East Jerusalem.

        https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/israel-west-bank-and-gaza/west-bank-and-gaza/

        OPERATING AREAS
        Primarily in Gaza; also maintains a presence in the West Bank; Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon; and key regional capitals, such as Doha, Qatar, and Cairo, Egypt.

        https://www.dni.gov/nctc/ftos/hamas_fto.html

        Separate from these attacks are examples of armed combat between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), operatives from established terrorist organizations (e.g., Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad), and individuals with no organizational affiliation who formed militant battalions in their communities before or during the current war. The latter groups, most of which are found in the northern West Bank, were principally established to prevent Israel from operating against terrorist cells. Although they are not Hamas themselves, they enjoy wide popularity among West Bank youths and rely on the guidance and support of Hamas elements outside the territory for financing, weapons, and technical knowledge.

        Against this backdrop, Hamas has been trying to mobilize West Bankers—especially the younger generation—to open another front against Israel. The group sees youths as ripe for exploitation because they are more likely to identify with local militants and blame the Palestinian Authority for allowing Israel to expand its military activities in the West Bank. Statements by senior Hamas officials, media outlets, and social networks are therefore emphasizing the strategic connection between the Gaza war and the advancement of the entire Palestinian nationalist and religious agenda—not just freeing prisoners, but also ending the occupation in full and playing on the fear that Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa Mosque is somehow in danger.

        https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/why-west-bank-front-has-not-opened-so-far