For now, Israel's assassination of a Fatah official appears like a one-off operation that will worsen Fatah-Israel ties, radicalize some Fatah members and weaken Fatah's interest in cooperating in governing the Gaza Strip. But should the strike signal the start of a larger assassination campaign against Fatah, it would significantly increase the likelihood of a full-scale uprising in the West Bank. On Aug. 21, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it carried out an airstrike on Fatah official Khalil Makdah earlier the same day, as the IDF and Shin Bet accused Makdah and his brother, senior Fatah official Munir Makdah, of working with Iran and Hezbollah to smuggle arms into the West Bank to attack Israel. The initial reaction from Fatah was critical but so far non-escalatory, with a central committee member saying that Israel was trying to ignite a full-scale war with the strike but the official did not...
