Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad agree to step up terror attacks against Israel

Palestinian political analysts believe that among its other goals, the deal struck by the terror groups aims to undermine the Palestinian Authority.

By JNS.org

The Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist groups agreed on a plan to increase cooperation and ramp up terrorist attacks, particularly in Judea and Samaria, during “a lengthy leadership meeting” on Saturday,” according to the Palestine Information Center.

“The two movements agreed on a number of steps that would strengthen the resistance and raise the level of coordination between [their] military wings,” the Hamas-affiliated Arabic news site reported.

The two Iran-backed, Gaza-based terror groups also warned Israel that its actions in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and the “occupied interior” would be met with a “strong reaction by the resistance and the Palestinian masses.”

“They reportedly agreed on the need to strengthen and develop the resistance in all forms,” Israeli journalist Khaled Abu Toameh, who first reported on the story, told JNS.

Palestinian political analysts told Toameh that the agreement is also a way to undermine the Palestinian Authority.

The agreement’s announcement came shortly after Israel announced the capture of the terrorists who killed Yehuda Dimentman on Dec. 16. PIJ claimed responsibility for that attack.

Senior Hamas and PIJ leaders also met in Beirut on Friday, Hamas’s English-language website reported.

“Reaffirming the necessity to bolster resistance, particularly in the occupied West Bank, both delegations affirmed their commitment to resistance as the only option to confront the Israeli occupation, liberate Palestine, and restore Palestinian rights and holy sites,” the report stated.