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Source: http://www.inss.org.il/publications.php?cat=21&incat=&read=2649
The Gaza Operation and Hamas' Weakness in the West Bank
[Strategic Assessment-Institute for National Security Studies-Tel Aviv University] Shlomo Brom - One of the interesting aspects to the fighting in Gaza was the behavior of the Palestinian population in the West Bank. While there were expressions of public protest, they were on a relatively small scale. The relatively low participation reflected the mood of the Palestinians who have tired of the ongoing failing struggle, and understand that terrible damage was suffered by the Palestinian people as a result of the recklessness on the part of Hamas, which did not correctly assess the Israeli response. It also reflected the serious weakening of Hamas' political infrastructure in the West Bank where a significant number of Hamas political activists were arrested. The PA succeeded in taking control of a large number of mosques where Hamas operated, and the organization's financial assets were impounded. An indication of Hamas' weakness in the West Bank was its failure to launch even one single significant terrorist attack from the area during the fighting. The writer is a Senior Research Fellow and Director, Program on Israel-Palestinian Relations at the INSS.