Violence escalates amid Israeli raid of Ramallah
Israeli incursions into Ramallah, along with the absence of a political horizon for Palestinians, portend a continuation of recent violence.
![ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS/SHOOTING A Palestinian moves a burning tire during clashes with Israeli troops near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank December 13, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman - RC110351F370](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2018/12/RTX6IG2E.jpg/RTX6IG2E.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=jHjbDnWT)
It might be hard to pinpoint a single event or act that led to the current uptick in the cycle of violence in Palestine. The sudden rise in deaths of Israelis and Palestinians around Ramallah during a 48-hour spree is being seen as connected to the Israeli army's incursions into the city of Ramallah.
The situation has become so dire that a crisis cell was set up at the Palestinian Foreign Ministry in Ramallah Dec. 13 to “help fend off the Israeli violence.”