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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.

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.
Almost every town, village and refugee camp in the northern West Bank has its own “battalion” made up of dozens of armed men, who are hailed as “heroes” and “resistance fighters.”