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Khaled Abu Toameh

Khaled Abu Toameh is an award winning Arab and Palestinian Affairs journalist formerly with The Jerusalem Post. He is Senior Distinguished Fellow at the Gatestone Institute and a Fellow of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

Apparently, Witkoff believes that Hamas’s political activities are not as dangerous as its terrorism. Otherwise, how could he even consider the possibility that Hamas could be transformed into a political party?
The Qataris do not want the P.A. in Gaza to rein in Hamas and other terrorist groups, they seek to use it as cover to maintain Hamas’s hold on power.
The only deal that will actually bring peace is one in which Hamas ceases to exist.
A terror group committed to the elimination of Israel should have no role in any Palestinian government—not in the West Bank and certainly not in the Gaza Strip.
Under the current circumstances, handing the Gaza Strip over to the P.A. would not only be seen as a big reward to Iran and its terror proxies but most likely lead to a major war.
For Iran and its allies, the conflict does not concern borders, refugees, prisoners, settlements or checkpoints. It is actually about Israel’s continued existence in the Middle East.
There are several reasons why Haniyeh’s death did not lead to massive protests in the West Bank.
The death of the leader is unlikely to affect the war but will significantly complicate Hamas-Fatah unity prospects.
There is virtually no debate among the Palestinians about the “day after” in the Gaza Strip, even though some in Israel and the United States appear to be obsessed with the idea.
The Palestinian Conference for Palestinians Abroad claims to represent 6-7 million Palestinians in over 50 countries, and opposes the PLO and Palestinian Authority.
The last thing the Palestinians need is another corrupt authoritarian kleptocratic state.
Instead of preparing the P.A. for regaining control of the Gaza Strip, Abbas has opted to focus his efforts on delegitimizing and isolating Israel.