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22.02.2026

The Headline

By agreement: The Palestinian Authority will disarm Hamas through the new Palestinian force in the Gaza Strip

The Palestinian Authority also pledged to Trump to prevent Hamas' military and political existence in the West Bank

The municipal elections in the West Bank are expected in about two months. A Palestinian source said that the Palestinian Authority will prevent Hamas candidates from running in the elections; moreover, a warning will appear on all ballots stating that candidates are prohibited from being members of Hamas, otherwise, their candidacy will be disqualified; now the mystery is solved as to why Israel does not oppose the new reality in Gaza, according to which the Palestinian Authority is the one that governs the Strip, through the management committee that, starting this week, is subordinate to the Palestinian Prime Minister. The solution to the mystery is the Palestinian commitment mentioned in the title above, towards Israel and the US, to disarm Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and to prevent Hamas from having a military or political presence in the West Bank. This commitment could cause tensions between Turkey and the Palestinian Authority, as Turkey encourages Hamas to remain at least symbolically in power in the Gaza Strip, and to possess light weapons. Turkey is interested in Hamas' future rule over the Palestinian territories, as its culture overlaps with that of the current Turkish regime headed by President Erdogan. Since US President Trump is assigning Turkey a fundamental role in the Gaza Strip and the Middle East, as a regional agent power of MAGA, our assessment is that Hamas, encouraged by Turkey, will demand to remain symbolically with personal weapons, and also to have symbolic access to the management committee; Trump may try to find a formula that will be accepted in this context in Ankara and Jerusalem; on the other hand, the contradiction between the position of Turkey, and the Palestinian Authority's commitment, could lead to the explosion of the ceasefire agreement.

The Israeli Palestinian Post

In January and beyond, in 2024, shortly after the IDF defeated Hamas, we reported here on the Palestinian Authority's commitment to Israel that it would disarm Hamas, remove it from power, and help free the hostages, if Israel agreed to the Palestinian Authority's entry into Gaza. The Israeli government opposed this. Its opposition led to the rise of Turkey, and its transformation into a central and hostile factor against Israel, delayed the attack on Hezbollah, and greatly delayed the attack on Iran.

Since the international conditions that supported Israeli policy in January 2024 changed as the war was prolonged, with Western hostility, Israel was unable to complete the defeat of the Iranian nuclear program, the destruction of the Nazi-Islamic regime, and it is trying to do so now, under almost impossible conditions. Israel also cannot return Turkey to its natural size, which it was in January 2024, and it will be forced, following the extension of the war and its consequences, to deal with Turkish military presence in Jordan and the Gaza Strip, and it may even be necessary to agree to Hamas' symbolic participation in the government in the Strip, as well as to leaving small arms in its hands. See today's editorial for more information.