Recent remarks by US President Donald Trump urging Hamas to disarm within “a short period of time” have been met with satisfaction in Ramallah, Palestinian sources told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.
The demand that Hamas lay down its weapons is in line with the Palestinian Authority's stated position, which calls for the removal and dismantlement of all Palestinian armed groups.
The PA is hoping to become part of postwar civilian and security arrangements in Gaza. The Israeli government, however, remains opposed to the PA’s return to the enclave unless it undergoes a series of badly needed reforms.
“There is no room for militias and armed groups [in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip],” said Fatah Secretary-General Jibril Rajoub, a former head of the PA’s preventive security service in the West Bank.
“The issue of disarmament should be discussed and agreed upon by Palestinian factions under the auspices of Arab states, especially Egypt.”
Fatah’s Rajoub: Only one authority, one law, one weapon
Rajoub told The Jerusalem Post that the PA will not allow a state-within-a-state model similar to the one that has long existed in Lebanon, where Iran-backed Hezbollah has become more powerful than the state’s governing institutions.
Asked whether Hamas should hand over its weapons, he said, “All Palestinian armed groups must give up their weapons regardless of political affiliation, including Hamas and Fatah. There should be one authority, one law, and one weapon.”
Rajoub added that if Hamas wishes to be a legitimate part of the political landscape, it must accept the PLO’s political program and its international commitments. This means recognizing Israel and accepting a Palestinian state on the 1967 lines. As a prerequisite for joining the PLO, Rajoub said, Hamas must also endorse “nonviolent resistance.”
“Resistance should be peaceful,” he said. Rajoub’s Fatah faction, which last week celebrated the 61st anniversary of its founding, is the largest group dominating the PLO. Since its establishment in 1987, Hamas has refused to join the PLO out of fear that such a move would be interpreted as recognition of Israel’s right to exist.
“Hamas leaders know the conditions for getting on board,” Rajoub told the Post.
Commenting on the Mar-a-Lago summit between the American president and the Israeli prime minister, Rajoub said that “Trump has left [Benjamin] Netanyahu with a clear road map, meaning that the Israeli government must now meet its commitments under the agreement and proceed to the next stage of the plan in Gaza.”
The senior Fatah official expressed relief that Trump reportedly raised issues related to the West Bank during his meeting with Netanyahu. “It has also been made clear that the continuation of settlers’ violence in the West Bank is unacceptable, as is the withholding of our tax revenues by this radical Israeli government.”
He nonetheless urged Trump to move from words to actions.
“Trump’s statements must be leveraged into practical implementation,” Rajoub said. “Until a few years ago, Hamas was an asset for Bibi Netanyahu, while the PA was a liability. Bibi is the same Bibi. He didn’t want and doesn’t want to reach an agreement with the Palestinians and doesn’t recognize the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.”
Rajoub claimed that “the American interest requires ending the occupation and implementing the two-state solution,” saying there is one person who can push in that direction.
“Trump came to save Israel from the far-right forces that pose a threat to its future,” he argued. “Trump is the one who can force Netanyahu to reach an agreement with the Palestinians and resolve the conflict.”