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A Palestinian Authority (PA) official reportedly predicted that President-elect Donald Trump will “destroy Iran” and that the weakening of Tehran will effectively wipe out Hamas’ remaining terrorist cells.
Mohammad Hamdan, secretary general of the Palestinian Authority’s ruling Fatah Party, reportedly made the comments to the New York Post on December 19 during a meeting between the media and other senior PA leaders in Nablus, about an hour south of the West Bank city of Jenin, where Western-backed PA forces launched security operations against armed extremists aligned with Hamas this month.
The Post first reported on the conversation on Monday.
“We face The ideology of Hamas. Our problem is Hamas’ link with regimes outside Palestine,” Hamdan told the Post, referring specifically to Iran.
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Palestinian security forces stand guard during the funeral of Ibrahim Qaddoumi, a member of the Palestinian Authority who died 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 in Israel are planning to destroy Iran, so (Hamas followers) will have no choice but to become Palestinians,” he added.
A group of more than a dozen extremists stole two Palestinian Authority vehicles and paraded them through the streets of Jenin while waving Hamas and ISIS flags on December 6, according to the Post.
Palestinian Authority forces have since killed at least three extremists in the West Bank city and have vowed to arrest or “eliminate” the remaining perpetrators.
Fatah suffered a major defeat in the 2006 elections, resulting in its rival Hamas taking over control of the Gaza Striptightening the Islamic extremist government and launching repeated attacks against Israel.
The turning point came when the Hamas terrorists launched their coordinated attack against southern Israel from Gaza on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages.
As Israel has since decimated Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Authority, which is backed by the United States and other Western governments, appears to be positioning itself to resume governing Gaza once the war ends.
“Hamas rejects international legitimacy, that is, UN resolutions,” Hamdan said. “The world cannot accept a situation where one party does not accept international resolutions.”
Hamas and other Islamic extremist groups have sown distrust toward the Palestinian Authority, accusing it of coordinating closely with Israel in past security raids in Jenin.
In the past, the Jewish state has cracked down on Jenin, which has long been considered a terrorist stronghold. Palestinian Authority security forces until recently had little presence there until their new security operations this month.
A large banner depicting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas hangs as supporters of the Fatah movement demonstrate ahead of the 60th anniversary of its establishment and in support of the Palestinian Authority’s security operation in the Jenin camp for Palestinian refugees on December 29. of 2024. (JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP via Getty Images)
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At least three members of the Palestinian Authority security forces have been killed, including an intelligence captain, during armed clashes with extremists, The Associated Press reported. The Palestinian Authority has arrested dozens of people.
The Post said the Palestinian Authority leaders it interviewed condemned the rise of Israeli settlements in the West Bank but said they supported the Jewish state’s right to exist.
Hamdan also reportedly told the Post that PA President Mahmoud Abbas – who sharply criticized Israel and the United States before the United Nations General Assembly earlier this year – “still supports realistic relations with the Americans to achieve the aspirations of the Palestinians.” However, the secretary general also argued that failed US foreign policy in the Middle East was responsible for growing Islamic extremism.
Palestinian security forces march with the body of Ibrahim Qaddoumi, a member of the Palestinian Authority 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 United States declared that the rebels were Al Qaeda, and then (last week) an American delegation visited Syria,” Hamdan told the Post. “And the previous one, when the Americans made deals with the Taliban in Afghanistan. We, as Palestinians, believe that most of these extremist Islamic groups are produced by the United States in its effort to create a new Middle East.”
On the question of postwar Gaza governance, an Israeli official told the Post that the Palestinian Authority remained an option, but that it would need to stop “corruption” and “terror financing” against Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
However, the official acknowledged that the Palestinian Authority could have “a historically unprecedented opportunity” to regain control of the Palestinian territories.
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The Palestinian Authority’s opposition to Hamas could provide a unique advantage for “participating in the day-after talks,” the Israeli official added.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
