There is no danger of a Hamas takeover in the West Bank "not in the coming months and not in the coming years," said outgoing Judea and Samaria Division Commander Brigadier-General Yair Golan in a speech Thursday.
"One can't compare between Hamas capabilities in the West Bank and in Gaza," said Golan, adding "it's not that Hamas has given up here, but we have almost unlimited preventive abilities. We operate everywhere.
"Anyone who doubts the IDF's abilities is invited to spend a night with soldiers in the casbah in Nablus or an 'early morning' with them in a refugee camp in Jenin," he said.
Nonetheless, he conceded that "there is no doubt that Hamas wants to take over," noting the organization's continued involvement in both civilian and combat projects in the West Bank. "Its ideology here is the same as in Gaza."
Golan's replacement is Brigadier-General Noam Tibon, formerly Chief Infantry and Paratroopers Officer. Before that, he was also responsible for many successful operations in the West Bank during his tenure as the commander of the Nahal Infantry Brigade.
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