Senior Fatah leader: Trump will destroy Iran and weaken Hamas

A senior Palestinian Arab leader stated to The New York Post that US President-elect Donald Trump will “destroy Iran,” a move he believes will weaken Hamas and diminish its influence.

Although Hamas has been severely impacted by Israel’s military operations in Gaza, the group has been gaining traction in the Judea and Samaria, particularly in its opposition to the Palestinian Authority (PA), which is led by the rival Fatah party.

Recently, Palestinian Arab security forces have intensified their operations in Area A, where the PA has security control, particularly in Jenin.

“We are confronting Hamas’ ideology. Our problem is with Hamas’ link to regimes outside Palestine,” said Mohammad Hamdan, Secretary General of Fatah, in an interview with The New York Post, pointing to Iran as a primary concern.

Hamdan said he anticipates that Trump’s presidency will mark a turning point for Hamas. “We see that Trump and the ruling government in Israel are planning to destroy Iran, so Hamas [followers] will have no other choice than to become Palestinian,” he predicted.

Hamas and PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah faction have clashed since 2007, when Hamas violently took over Gaza from Fatah in a bloody coup.

The PA security forces have repeatedly arrested members of Hamas during crackdowns on the group in Area A.

A unity government between Hamas and Fatah collapsed in 2015 when Abbas decided to dissolve it amid a deepening rift between the sides.

“Hamas rejects international legitimacy, meaning UN resolutions,” Hamdan told The New York Post. “The world cannot accept a situation where a party does not accept international resolutions.”

Hamdan emphasized that Abbas “still supports realistic relations with the Americans in order to achieve the aspirations of the Palestinians.”

However, Hamdan voiced skepticism about US policies in the Middle East, blaming them for the rise of extremist Islamic groups.

“Look what happened in Syria. First, the US declared the rebels to be al Qaeda, and then [last week] an American delegation visited Syria,” he said. “And the one before that, when the Americans struck deals with the Taliban in Afghanistan.”

“We as Palestinians believe that most of these extremist Islamic groups are produced by America by its effort to create a new Middle East,” Hamdan added.