RAMALLAH, West Bank — The disappearance of three settlers on June 12 near the city of Hebron, and the discovery of their murdered bodies on June 30, was extensively analyzed and debated in the Palestinian street concerning the identity of the culprits. Some considered the story a carefully prepared “theater” by Israel, while others saw the operation as evidence that the Palestinian resistance could still carry out operations against Israel in the West Bank.
Those who held the first opinion thought they were proven right by developments in the West Bank. They believe Israel fabricated the operation to attack the West Bank and Gaza and end the reconciliation. The holders of the second opinion said that had Israel planned this, today it would not be almost powerless to control the situation and facing an uprising that is gaining strength.
