Since the conclusion of the Israeli counterstrike on Gaza in January, Hamas’s popularity has soared among Palestinians. According to a poll conducted in the West Bank and Gaza Strip by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh would beat Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas by 2 percent if elections were held today. Three months ago, Abbas would have beat Haniyeh by a margin of 10 percent.

Hamas’s overall popularity now stands at 33 percent—5 percent higher than before the Israeli counterstrike commenced.

Back in January, one group of protesters in Hebron even took to the streets chanting, “Abbas, you should know, Hebron is with Hamas.”

With Palestinian sympathy for Hamas on the upswing, Fatah would be in trouble if Hamas ever decided to stage a coup in the West Bank similar to the one it carried out in 2007 to conquer Gaza. Exiled Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal has already declared a “third intifada” designed to overthrow Fatah in the West Bank. Nothing has come of this declaration as yet, but tensions are mounting. Once Hamas gains enough strength, it is feasible that those tensions could lead to a radical Islamic takeover of the West Bank.

Just like the Iranian mullahs who fund it, Hamas wants to control Gaza, the West Bank, and all Israel. Above all, it wants to take over Jerusalem. For information on how Iran is using both Hamas and Hezbollah as proxies to achieve these goals, read “Iran Conquered Lebanon … Now What?”