Arabs in Judea and Samaria have reported that many local men have begun shaving their beards in order to avoid trouble with Fatah. Men worry that the beards would make them appear to be affiliated with Hamas, local Arabs explained, and that they would therefore be targeted by Fatah. According to Ynet, one Arab man explained, “Fatah harasses anyone with a beard and beats them.”



Fatah has begun a campaign against Hamas in Judea and Samaria, and Fatah head Mahmoud Abbas recently announced that Hamas is now considered illegal. The anti-Hamas measures are a response to the Hamas takeover of Gaza, in which dozens of Fatah terrorists were killed.