Hamas would take over Judea and Samaria if the IDF were to leave the area now, a senior IDF officer told British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) reporter Paul Wood. The unnamed officer was described as a commander who has "carried out dangerous, covert missions abroad for his country [and] is listened to by the prime minister and the chief of staff."

The officer described Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas and his Prime Minister Salam Fayyad as "chiefs without Indians." He said it would take at least six years before the PA is able to take responsibility for Judea and Samaria.