Hamas and other Palestinian factions have been trying to spark armed resistance in the West Bank to the recently revealed US Mideast peace plan, but they face several challenges. Recent incidents there have been limited to sporadic individual attacks against Israeli targets.

Palestinians have roundly rejected the US peace plan, dubbed the “deal of the century” by the administration of US President Donald Trump. Since the United States released details of the plan Jan. 28, Hamas has been making intense efforts to ignite the West Bank. But it's been stifled in part by the continued security cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). The PA has imposed absolute control over the West Bank, which keeps Hamas from finding a foothold there, be it financially, militarily or politically.

Mahmoud Mardawi, a member of Hamas’ National Relations Office, agreed with that assessment.

"Hamas has extensive experience in confronting the Israeli army and is well aware of [the West Bank’s] topography, which helps it transfer weapons and personnel, conduct training and choose the locations of attacks then retreat. Yet the ongoing security coordination between the PA and Israel prevents Hamas from achieving its military aspirations in the West Bank, despite a few successes here and there," he told Al-Monitor.