The Daily Populous Wednesday January 1st, 2025 evening edition
Authored by jpost.com and submitted by aWhiteWildLion

US President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House on January 20 will bring about the end of the Iranian regime and Hamas, according to Mohammad Hamdan, secretary general of the Palestinian Authority’s ruling Fatah faction, the New York Post reported Monday.

“We see that Trump and the ruling government in Israel are planning to destroy Iran, so Hamas [followers] will have no other choice than to become Palestinian [i.e., fall in line with the PA],” he told the Post on December 19.

Trump was evaluating the possibility of preemptive strikes on Iran to stop its growing nuclear program, The Wall Street Journal reported in early December.

The destruction of Iran would lead to Hamas’s demise, Hamdan told the Post from Nablus.

“Hamas rejects international legitimacy, meaning UN resolutions,” he said. “The world cannot accept a situation where a party does not accept international resolutions.” Palestinian gunmen hold weapons during the funeral of Palestinian terrorist, Ahmed Abu al-Foul, who was killed by Palestinian Authority forces in Tulkarm camp, in the West Bank, May 2, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/RANEEN SAWAFTA)

Last week, Hamas called for mobilization against the PA and what it called an “unprecedented” level of “aggression” against it and other terrorist groups in the West Bank.

The Fatah leaders interviewed by the Post acknowledged Israel’s right to exist but condemned the expansion of settlements in the West Bank.

Hamdan said he was skeptical about US policy in the Middle East and blamed rising Islamism on American foreign policy, the report said.

“Look what happened in Syria,” he said. “First, the US declared the rebels to be al-Qaeda, and then an American delegation visited Syria. And the one before that, when the Americans struck deals with the Taliban in Afghanistan.”

“We as Palestinians believe that most of these extremist Islamic groups are produced by America by its effort to create a new Middle East,” Hamdan said. Stay updated with the latest news! Subscribe to The Jerusalem Post Newsletter Subscribe Now

A senior Israeli official told the Post the PA’s opposition to Hamas could enable opportunities for peace talks.“There could be a historically unprecedented opportunity for the PA to strengthen its grasp on the Palestinian territories,” the official said.

papyjako87 on January 1st, 2025 at 15:52 UTC »

Well, Hamas is all but done already, thanks to Israel. And realistically, there isn't much more the US can do to Iran short of the military option. Because despite signaling he wanted to revive the JCPOA early in his mandate, Biden has kept in place all sanctions the Trump administrations put in place in 2018 with the "maximum pressure" strategy.

So yeah, this isn't really anything new.

ZeroByter on January 1st, 2025 at 13:45 UTC »

Good

aWhiteWildLion on January 1st, 2025 at 12:19 UTC »

A senior Palestinian official predicts that Trump's return to the White House could crush Iran and dismantle Hamas. Muhammad Hamdan told the New York Post that Trump and the Israeli leadership "are planning to destroy Iran." He claimed that "Hamas will have no choice but to become Palestinians" (meaning part of the Palestinian Authority).