The de facto Hamas terrorist rule in Gaza is the real problem behind last week’s announcement by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas that he will not run for re-election, former IDF intelligence director Zev Farkash said.
Speaking at a lecture in Netanya, Farkash stated, "Abbas has no control in Gaza. The chance of a peace pact between Hamas and Fatah [Abbas’ party] is zero. The physical separation of the Palestinian Authority into two areas - Judea and Samaria ruled by the PA under Abbas and Gaza under Hamas – has virtually ruined any chance that the PA can carry out the American goal of turning it into a country."
Farkash also said that Hamas and Hizbullah are encouraged by the re-election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his strategy of military force, an outlook that gives no chance for U.S. President Barack Obama’s desire for negotiations with Iran over its nuclear ambitions.
He said that Israel is not the number one target for Iran’s goal to build a nuclear weapon. Farkash added that internal opposition to the regime in Tehran may cause a change of thinking in the international community, which then would feel more confident in using the threat of force to whittle down Iran’s opposition to cooperating on international inspection of its nuclear facilities.