Hamas-Fatah: The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship?

The series of blows the US administration has dealt to the Palestinian Authority over the past year, from the announcement of the “Deal of the Century” to the normalization accords between Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, and Sudan, has led to an attempted reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas. The Istanbul Agreement signed on September 24 reflects a rare commonality of interests between the two organizations, which understand the mood of the Palestinian public and are again trying to achieve unity even at the possible cost of Hamas taking over the PA and the PLO.

Hamas Views Application of Sovereignty as a Potential Opportunity

Yaakov Lappin
July 9, 2020
Paper No. 1634

As Hamas weighs its response to the application of Israeli sovereignty to parts of the West Bank, it continues to raise a terror army, build up its rocket arsenal, and plot to increase its presence in the West Bank.

A Stand Must Be Taken Against the Promotion of Murder

In civilized societies action should be taken against anyone who expresses the desire to commit murder. The Iranian government, Hamas, Hezbollah, various clerics, and other influential figures within the Muslim world, as well as neo-Nazis and other extreme rightists, openly proclaim their desire to commit murder or even genocide against Jews and Israel. Many in the Western world either refuse to heed these statements or actively support them. Many others relentlessly criticize Israel and remain completely silent about Palestinian promotion of the killing of Jews.

Israel Is Fighting Spies at Home While It Battles Coronavirus

Dr. Edy Cohen
April 22, 2020
Paper No. 1538

While most of the world is focused on combating the coronavirus, Israel is fighting both the virus and terrorism. Israel’s enemies are exploiting the instability caused by the pandemic in a variety of ways. In the past week alone, Gaza-based terrorist organization Hamas fired a barrage of rockets into southern Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah infiltrated Israel’s airspace with a drone from the Golan Heights. Part of the efforts of terrorist organizations bent on Israel’s destruction is the recruitment of Israeli Arab spies.

Hamas Fails to Curb Palestinian Islamic Jihad

Following recent rocket fire, Israel cannot tolerate “the rules of the game” that Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is trying to impose on it, and the objective of reaching a long-term “understanding” with the main terrorist group, Hamas, is looking increasingly distant.

How Hamas Spends Qatari Money

Hamas is probably getting the lion’s share of the 268 million shekels provided by Qatar to Gaza, according to a senior Hamas official. Israel allows the transfer of this “protection” money—but instead of giving Israel “protection”, the devastating trickle of missiles from the pre-2014 period is back augmented by daily batches of incendiary balloons. Only another massive round of fighting will bring quiet to Israel’s southern front.

Is Hamas Being Tamed?

The wedge between Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the recent Gaza conflagration is a clear sign that Israel is deepening divisions between the two terror groups. Nevertheless, the payoffs to Hamas enhance its firepower in possible future rounds, meaning that Israel has to reduce the payoffs as much as possible rather than as the center-left suggests, show largess towards Gaza.

Gaza Conflagration Highlights the Differences between Hamas and Islamic Jihad

Unlike Islamic Jihad, both Hamas and Israel have an interest in keeping the present round of hostilities short. The question is whether in the fog of battle, the two sides will succeed in achieving their mutual goal.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad Agitates for Violence in the Gaza Strip

Israel seeks to prevent a powder keg from detonating on the southern border as it prioritizes the more threatening front up north.

Why Israel Must Tolerate Hamas for the Time Being

Israel’s inability to thwart Hamas on the Gaza front, even as it persistently worsens the lives of the 20,000 Israeli citizens who live in the “Gaza envelope,” is a national shame. Yet PM Benjamin Netanyahu is correct that this pain must be borne as Israel focuses on the Iranian threat and Israel’s northern front.