As the group did in the Gaza Strip roughly one and a half years ago, Hamas may try to carry out a "hostile takeover" of the West Bank and bring down the current Fatah-led government, officials in the Palestinian Authority security forces warned in a report published by the London-based newspaper A-Sharq al-Awsat on Saturday.
Palestinian security force officers shout during a rally in support of Abbas in Hebron [file].
Photo: AP
According to the report, the sources said that PA security forces are maintaining the highest possible readiness, and are doing their utmost to prevent such an event from happening through continued arrest and interrogation operations.
"The experience in Gaza taught us not to trust them," one security source told the paper.
Although these operations have been successful in reducing Hamas's capacity for launching any form of military takeover, the sources emphasized that the group may still challenge Fatah hegemony through other means, like targeted assassinations.
"Everything is possible, and we are on guard," a senior officer told the paper.
The report comes just months before PA president Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to finish his term, on January 9, 2009.
According to the PA constitution, Abbas will be replaced by the speaker of the PA parliament, Abdel Aziz Dweik, a senior Hamas official currently in an Israeli prison.
Abbas, however, is not expected to step down from his post and is looking for ways to extend his term. The IDF and the PA are concerned that Abbas's refusal to hand over the reins could set off violent clashes in the West Bank between Fatah and Hamas.
As a result, OC Central Command Maj.-Gen. Gadi Shamni agreed in late September to allow a platoon of 150 Palestinian soldiers to deploy in Hebron where they will be used by the PA to crack down on Hamas operatives and infrastructure in the city, known for its strong Hamas presence.
Yaakov Katz contributed to this report.
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