According to ISA (Israel Security Agency – Shin Bet) Director Yuval Diskin, Hamas and the PA (Palestinian Authority) are working to establish a stronger presence in Yerushalayim. The senior intelligence community official briefed cabinet ministers during Sunday’s weekly cabinet meeting.

The PA has stepped-up its operations in Jerusalem, placing an emphasis on tracking down Arabs who sell property to Jews, especially in the Old City. Simultaneously, the PA has been buying property and working to establish an expanded infrastructure in the capital.

Hamas-affiliated Sheikh Yousef Kardawi, who lives in Qatar, has allocated $21 million to the terror organization towards making land acquisitions in Jerusalem to expand its social services network in the capital, to open welfare and other aid offices, a method use by Hamas to increase its popularity and ultimately, its powerbase.

Diskin added that Hamas and the PA have never halted their operations in Jerusalem, in line with their yearning to one day establish a recognized presence, but of late, they are openly increasing their activities. While Hamas and the Fatah-aligned PA are not allies, they are willing to cooperate towards a common objective, the destruction of Israel.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)