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.