Israel concerned of Hamas victory if Abbas dies

Israeli Military Intelligence, known as Aman, has announced it is concerned about the possible imminent death of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and the subsequent victory of Hamas, Shehab News Agency reported on Wednesday.

These concerns were highlighted in the annual report of Aman for 2020, the release of which was delayed by one week, Israeli news source Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

The release of the report was delayed because it included the consequences of the US assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.

If the Palestinian elections were to take place, Aman believes its results would surprise the PA in the West Bank, where Hamas may come out top.

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Regarding the concerns about Abbas’ death, the report discloses that Abbas: “Does not believe in the resistance against the occupation,” while Hamas continues improving its military capabilities, preparing for a potential war.

Israeli analysts, in the report, pointed out the “decline of the size” of the Palestinian resistance operations, thanks to security cooperation between the PA and Israel.

The report noted that Iran is to face “challenges” soon, mainly regarding the nuclear programme, but expected that the Islamic Republic would be able to produce enough uranium for only one nuclear bomb by next winter.

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The report stated that the production of the first nuclear bomb would take until 2022, wondering whether Iran would continue on its course, putting Russian and Chinese support at stake or continue freezing its programme.

The report also confirmed that Hezbollah had not completed its programme of promoting its rockets, making them more precise. However, it revealed that Hezbollah might go to war with Israel without these rockets.