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Israeli-Palestinian Coordination Against Hamas

(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Yoni Ben Menachem - All the branches of the Israeli defense establishment are working to thwart Hamas' expected response to the assassination of senior Hamas figure Mazen Fuqha in Gaza on March 24. PA President Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to arrive at the White House next month for a meeting with President Trump and if Hamas succeeds in launching a terrorist attack from the West Bank against Israel before the meeting, it will be a great disaster for him and a blow to his prestige and status. Thus, intelligence cooperation with Israel is critical for Abbas because he feels he is being tested by President Trump. Abbas and senior PA officials did not condemn the killing of Fuqha and did not even send condolences to his family who live in Tubas in the West Bank. If the Palestinian security services can make an important contribution to thwart Hamas' revenge attacks, Abbas will gain much credit that he will try to leverage in his meeting with President Trump, building on his ability to present himself as a fighter against radical Islamic terror, just like Trump. The writer, a veteran Arab affairs and diplomatic commentator for Israel Radio and Television, is a senior Middle East analyst for the Jerusalem Center.
2017-03-29 00:00:00
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