Senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Zahar over the weekend revealed the Palestinian terrorist organization's true intentions in Judea and Samaria. In a speech marking the 27th anniversary of the group's creation, al-Zahar said, "Just as we liberated Gaza, just as we established a real national government there, just as we built a victorious army, just as we built a protective police force, and just as we have created security apparatuses with which to fight the enemy, we will repeat the same steps in the West Bank as preparation for our arrival in all of Palestine." Prior to the IDF's Operation Protective Edge against Hamas in Gaza this past summer, and following the collapse of diplomatic talks with the Palestinian Authority, the PA and Hamas held successful talks to establish a unity government, which was formed in early June. Hamas, however, simultaneously worked to topple the Fatah-led PA, and the infrastructure it had built in Judea and Samaria was uncovered in mid-August by Israel's Shin Bet security agency and dismantled. The Shin Bet arrested 93 Hamas operatives working to establish the group's military infrastructure in Judea and Samaria, an infrastructure that included money and weapons caches, safe houses and more. Orchestrating these efforts was senior Hamas operative Salah al-Arouri, from the terrorist group's headquarters in Turkey. Until now, Hamas had denied reports it was seeking control of Judea and Samaria. Last week al-Zahar accused Fatah of "treating Hamas like an enemy instead of as a political rival." In a statement issued on his behalf, al-Zahar blamed Fatah for the siege imposed on Gaza, and he accused the PA of preventing construction materials from entering Gaza while Israel was allowing such goods to cross the border. Al-Zahar also condemned security cooperation between Israel and the PA, calling it a "national disgrace." Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with his Greek counterpart, Antonis Samaras, on Friday following Thursday night's shooting attack on the Israeli Embassy in Athens. Over 50 bullets were fired at the building, but no one was harmed in the attack. Greek security forces believe the attack was perpetrated by a radical left-wing organization, and were investigating any connection to a similar shooting attack on the German ambassador's residence in Athens last year. Israel's Foreign Ministry issued a statement following the shooting, calling on the international community "to condemn anti-Israel incitement spread around the world by Palestinian leaders and pro-Palestinian groups."
