Skip to main content

A Third Intifada Can Be Avoided

Nadav Eyal writes that if a third intiada breaks out, it will have been the result of a lack of foresight and diplomacy.  
A Palestinian protester holds stones during clashes with Israeli soldiers in the West Bank city of Hebron February 25, 2013 following the funeral of Palestinian prisoner Arafat Jaradat. Jaradat's death in an Israeli jail on Saturday and a hunger strike by four other Palestinian inmates have raised tension in the occupied territory after repeated clashes between stone-throwers and Israeli soldiers in recent days. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3EAAX
Read in 

The violent mass demonstrations sweeping across the West Bank in the last few days should have taken no one by surprise. They were to be expected. Indeed, the events were foreseen long before. Seniors in the Israeli defense establishment have been warning for the past two years against the potential outbreak of violence in the territories, and thorough preparations have been made in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in anticipation of this ominous scenario.

More than anything, the recent developments in the territories testify to the vortex of folly into which the entire Middle East has been drawn and which has been totally generated by the players in the arena themselves. Israel has failed to take advantage of the recent years of quiet — secured thanks to the efficient action of the Israeli defense establishment, on the one hand, and the interest the Palestinian Authority had in keeping the quiet, on the other. Thus it missed the opportunity to formulate an effective outline for progress in the diplomatic process.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.