Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon. Photo: Reuven Kapuscinski.

JNS.org – Hamas could seize control of Judea and Samaria as a result of the recently formed Palestinian unity government, Israel Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said Tuesday at the Herzliya Conference.

“The Palestinian reconciliation is misrepresented,” Ya’alon said. “If anything happens as a result of the reconciliation, it will be Hamas’s takeover of Judea and Samaria.”

Regarding Hamas’s partner in the new government, Ya’alon said the Palestinian Authority “is considered moderate, denies our right to a national home.”

“If you don’t understand that, then you don’t understand why the conflict remains unresolved,” he said.