By Yaakov Lapin, Jewish News Syndicate—
Palestinian terror factions disturbed by the sidelining of their conflict with Israel could seek new attacks to escalate the situation and regain the international spotlight, a former Israeli defense official has warned.
Col. (res.) David Hacham, a former Arab-affairs adviser to seven Israeli defense ministers and a senior research associate at the Miryam Institute, told JNS that a “strategic alert” needed to be sounded over the possibility of new “escalation scenarios against Israel.”
“We cannot rule out that they will seek to terror attacks and violent confrontations in order to remain relevant and to avoid being sidelined into insignificance,” said Hacham. “Their goal is to re-establish the Palestinian issue.”
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and elements of Tanzim in the West Bank have increased armed activities in recent weeks, while Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, has opted for quiet since the end of hostilities in May 2021.
“They believe that without pressure on Israel and interest from the international community, their struggle will not flourish,” said Hacham. “Ramadan begins in three weeks, and this also increases the potential of escalation. We already have heightened tensions in the West Bank and Jerusalem, with a spike in knife and gun attacks, demonstrations, calls for mass prayers at the Temple Mount, and violent clashes between Palestinians and settlers and the IDF,” he observed. “If an escalation occurs in the West Bank, my assumption is that Gaza will join in, sooner or later.” Continue Reading….