Foreign Minister of Israel Avigdor Lieberman warned Monday that Hamas will try to take over the West Bank, claiming Hamas is stronger than Fatah even in the territory of the Palestinian Authority, the newspaper Haaretz reported according to Army Radio on Monday.
During a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Lieberman said that Hamas men have yet to take over the West Bank because they want Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to attain political goals in the international arena.
Lieberman went on to claim that once those political goals are attained, Hamas will try to take over authority in the West Bank.
Last week, it was reported in Haaretz that Hamas headquarters in Damascus and Gaza are pressuring militants in the West Bank to resume efforts to kill Israeli soldiers or civilians and abduct their bodies, according to Palestinian and Israeli security sources.
He also added that Iran is trying to gain control in Egypt and Saudi Arabia and to better its relations with Syria.