It is said to be a fait accompli, with only the timing undecided. Will a third intifada erupt on the Temple Mount and spread like wildfire across the West Bank? Will it be Hebron that ignites the fire, the sparks of which are already visible? Stones, firebombs and stabbings are the telltale signs of the start of a new round of popular violence between Israelis and Palestinians, but are we really on the cusp of a third intifada?
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has recently taken to issuing public warnings that unless Israel cools the heated emotions, particularly at the Temple Mount, an intifada will undoubtedly flare up. He relayed these concerns during a Sept. 22 meeting with French President Francois Hollande as well as in a meeting Aug. 18 with Isaac Herzog, leader of the Knesset opposition. Apparently, Abbas also intends to express dire warnings during his Sept. 30 UN General Assembly speech, which, his associates assert, will be his strongest yet.
