Israeli Offensive Against Hamas Could Undermine Palestinian Authority
Israel's military operations targeting Hamas may inadvertently be weakening the Palestinian Authority, raising questions about its future governance capabilities
As Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, it is also operating against Hamas in the West Bank.
While the terrorist group rules the Gaza Strip, it also has a significant presence in the Palestinian Authority-ruled West Bank. The Israel Defense Forces have been carrying out nightly raids into the West Bank since the war in Gaza began following the Hamas massacres and kidnappings in Israel on Oct. 7.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that if Israel succeeded in toppling Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the United States would like to see a “revitalized” Palestinian Authority governing the enclave.
However, the Israeli campaign to topple Hamas in Gaza and target it in the West Bank may be weakening the PA even further. This may significantly damage the PA’s ability to retain power in the West Bank, let alone resume ruling over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza.
The current crisis comes after months of heightened tensions and violent exchanges between Israeli forces and Palestinians in the West Bank.
The West Bank, which Israel refers to by its biblical name of Judea and Samaria, was captured by Israel from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War. Almost half a million Jewish residents have since settled in the territory, and the international community sees the Israeli presence there as illegal. Palestinians claim the land as part of their future state.
The PA was established in 1994 following the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993. Controlled by the Fatah party and led by President Mahmoud Abbas, it has full control of part of the West Bank, known as Area A, and partial civil control over Area B, while Israel maintains full control over Area C. In the Gaza Strip, which Israel vacated in 2005, Hamas violently seized rule of the enclave from Fatah in 2007.
This bitter rivalry between Hamas and the PA has never been resolved and numerous attempts at reconciliation have failed over the years. Even previous conflicts between Hamas and Israel have not been enough to prompt the two to join forces.
However, the PA may not be up to the task of ruling both the West Bank and Gaza.
Israeli actions against Hamas do not directly weaken the PA, on the contrary, because Hamas is trying to undermine the PA in the West Bank
“Israeli actions against Hamas do not directly weaken the PA, on the contrary, because Hamas is trying to undermine the PA in the West Bank,” Noa Shusterman Dvir, director of Palestinian and regional programs at security consultants MIND Israel, told The Media Line.
“However, indirectly it does weaken the PA. Israel’s intense activity in the West Bank harms its public legitimacy because the PA comes across as a collaborator with Israel, working against the Palestinian cause.”
For many years, PA security forces have collaborated with Israel to thwart terror attacks against Israelis. This cooperation has also helped maintain Abbas’ regime in the West Bank, as Hamas’ increased popularity threatens him and his rule.
Compared to Hamas, the PA is considered a more moderate political entity, one which recognizes Israel’s right to exist.
“The PA has no operational or political ability to neutralize Hamas in its territory and therefore Israel needs to do it, both to keep the PA in power, but also to protect its own citizens and topple the whole of Hamas,” Shusterman Dvir said, adding that this is a “lose-lose” situation for Israel.
Not acting against Hamas weakens the PA by allowing destabilizing elements to operate from within and gain popularity, but acting against Hamas also weakens the PA
“Not acting against Hamas weakens the PA by allowing destabilizing elements to operate from within and gain popularity, but acting against Hamas also weakens the PA,” she said.
Over time, Abbas’ grip on the West Bank has weakened, in part due to policies led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that have consistently weakened the PA as a way of ensuring that a Palestinian state would never be established. Abbas’ legitimacy among the Palestinian people has decreased due to corruption and the continuous postponement of elections in the PA. Hamas is increasingly seen as the guardian of the Palestinian cause, while Abbas is seen as one who is determined to retain his power at the expense of Palestinian aspirations.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, since the beginning of the current Israel-Hamas war, 122 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank, most of them in clashes with Israeli security forces. There have also been cases of violence by Jewish settlers towards Palestinians that the Palestinian authorities say have killed at least five civilians.
The Israeli military has said it has arrested hundreds of Palestinian terrorists in the West Bank, many of them affiliated with Hamas. On Wednesday, Israel arrested a senior member of Fatah, claiming that he was helping terrorist operatives, a testimony to the complexity of the situation and the difficulty of differentiating between Hamas and Fatah. The IDF statement said that Atta Abu Rumaila, the secretary-general of Fatah in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, “took a significant part in escalating the security situation in the region.”
Israel has also resumed aerial attacks on the area. Although their use is not frequent, such firepower has not been used in decades, perhaps signaling a shift in how Israel is now operating against Hamas in the West Bank.
For many Israelis, especially those who voted for the current right-wing ruling coalition, Israel has been too soft in dealing with Hamas in the West Bank.
“I hope that Israel has changed its mindset, and it won’t change at the end of the war,” Shai Glick, head of Btsalmo, a right-wing Israeli human rights organization, told The Media Line.
Since Oct. 7, there have been increasing incidents of settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Earlier this week, Israeli media reported that Ronen Bar, the head of Israel’s internal security service the Shin Bet, had warned the government that more such incidents could result in more violence. American and European officials have warned of this too.
Some extreme right-wing settlers have been emboldened to see this period as an opportunity to target Palestinians on the lands they both covet.
According to Yesh Din, an Israeli human rights NGO, there have been more than 100 incidents in which “settlers have attacked Palestinians … in at least 62 towns and villages in the West Bank, at times accompanied by soldiers.”
The more extremist elements of the Netanyahu government see the current war as an opportunity to clamp down on the PA.
On Sunday, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that he would halt the transfer of Palestinian tax revenues to the PA. Israel is responsible for collecting customs duties and other tax revenues on behalf of the PA and transfers them to Ramallah every month, and the funds are a major chunk of the Palestinian annual budget, critical for its survival and stability. The cash-strapped PA is desperate for the funds to pay the salaries of many of its employees. The economic strife in the PA has also contributed to the wearing away of its stability and could push it further to collapse amidst the increased Israeli military presence in the West Bank. Blinken has asked Israel not to withhold the funds.
“I hear that there are those who think that while our heroic soldiers and commanders are sacrificing their lives for the defense of the homeland, we should transfer money to this despicable enemy. … We will not repeat mistakes … that we paid dearly for,” Smotrich posted on his X account on Wednesday.
Critics of the PA strongly oppose its continued funding of families of prisoners in Israeli jails and those who have carried out attacks against Israelis. A significant portion of the PA budget is allocated to this, meaning that Israel transfers money to be used to support families of terrorists who carried out attacks against it.
While the PA is not an enemy like Hamas, it is still very problematic. It still encourages terrorism. But if I had to choose between Hamas and the PA, I would choose the PA.
“While the PA is not an enemy like Hamas, it is still very problematic. It still encourages terrorism,” Glick said. “But if I had to choose between Hamas and the PA, I would choose the PA.”
Israeli officials have publicly ruled out discussing scenarios for after the war. Blinken’s comments about possible PA rule in Gaza are a signal to Israel on what its ally would like to see.
“We need a multi-faceted plan for the day after,” said Glick. “But now, we are not there yet. Israel underestimated Hamas and now first we have to defeat them and then move forward.”
