A reliable Palestinian source: Following Netanyahu's agreement, clashes began between Hamas and PA members in Gaza, and Hamas arrested an unknown number of PA members who are practicing taking power in Gaza. In our estimation, Netanyahu's goal is to drive a wedge between Hezbollah and Hamas and to tattoo the coordination between them. The Netanyahu government is leaking opposite messages to the media in Israel, according to which the prime minister opposes any entry of the Palestinian Authority into Gaza. Towards the Americans, Netanyahu agreed that Egypt and the Gulf states would be the mentor of the Palestinian Authority in exercising power in the Strip, and we reported on this last week.

By Meir Gurno and Mati Cohen

For nine months the Prime Minister has been confusing the Israeli public about the direction of the war. On January 23, we wrote here that the IDF had defeated Hamas, as a military organization and as a governing force. This was not an unusual assessment; An apolitical observer of affairs who is not occupied by a rigid ideology, could conclude from the events that this is the possible victory in such a complex arena, and it was achieved through a brilliant military maneuver by the IDF in the form of its soldiers and commanders. The only force that could replace Hamas in Gaza was then, and remains so now, the Palestinian Authority. This is a large group of Israel haters, people who, if they had the power, would exterminate the third house without blinking an eye. But the people of Israel in modern times have not been led even once during a war by people who are governed by a storm of emotions. That's how it was until Binyamin Netanyahu and his misguided government. Netanyahu has so far refused to talk about the entry of the Palestinian Authority.

Last week we reported on the first crack, in the Prime Minister's decision not to bring the PA into Gaza: Netanyahu agreed for the first time that Egypt and Qatar would "educate" the Palestinian Authority towards a time in the future when the PA would be able to govern the Strip. This week we report on another crack: a reliable Palestinian source said that Netanyahu conveyed a message to the Palestinian Authority according to which Israel would allow it to prepare in the Strip in preparation for gaining control of the crossings, and for the acceptance of civilian rule. At this stage, Netanyahu did not agree to the Authority's coming into power and practical control over the crossings, but only to preparations for implementation. The Palestinian source stated that the Palestinian Authority personnel in Gaza, mainly in the field of intelligence and crossings, started preparing in accordance with the Israeli permit. Following this preparation, the Palestinian source added that Hamas began an operation to arrest Palestinian Authority personnel in Gaza. Now we do not know of any clashes with fire.

In our estimation, Netanyahu is seeking to drive a wedge in the coordination between Hezbollah and Hamas, and he rightly believes that the PA's deployment in the Gaza Strip will attract Hamas to the Strip. The Palestinian source said that Hamas's first concern is that the Palestinian Authority in its current composition will seize power in Gaza, before the organization succeeds in establishing a Palestinian Authority that suits its interests with Marwan Barghouti and Jibril Rajoub. The source said that Hamas fears the Palestinian Authority even more than it fears the IDF.