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The Dangers of a Terrorist-Controlled West Bank

(Council on Foreign Relations) Elliott Abrams - The Palestinian Authority's security forces are no match for those of Hamas, which easily booted the much larger PA/PLO/Fatah forces out of Gaza in 2007. That is why calls for an independent Palestinian state are empty gestures unless they confront the security challenge. PA security forces combat Hamas' efforts in the West Bank but could not do so alone, without Israeli intervention. Without IDF activity in the West Bank, there's little doubt that Hamas would steadily gain power. Hamas control of the West Bank would mean that Islamists in Jordan would have a base for political and terrorist activities that would quickly threaten stability there. And just as Gaza is a base for terrorist activities against Israel, so would the West Bank become one. That would be far more dangerous due to the geography: the West Bank is adjacent to Israel's international airport and it looks down on the coastal plain where most of Israel's population and industry are located. The writer is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
2022-07-21 00:00:00
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