Avi Melamed’s insights about the upsurge in violence stokes fears of broader Israeli-Palestinian escalation were quoted by James Shotter, the Jerusalem correspondent for the Financial Times.

Read the article in the Financial Times by James Shotter – February 01, 2023

Avi Melamed in the Financial Times: …“It’s very unfortunate that many still think that you can solve this complex reality with a magic wand of rhetoric and empty slogans,” he said. “And time and again, both the Israelis and Palestinians have to pay the price…”

[…] The latest round of violence also underscored the potential for a flare-up in the West Bank to spread to Gaza, as Islamic Jihad militants in the enclave responded with rocket fire to the killing of their fighters in Jenin.

Hamas, the group that controls Gaza and which has greater military capabilities, stayed out of the fighting, as it did during a previous increase in hostilities in August. But analysts said a deeper intertwining of tensions in the West Bank and Gaza could give an extra layer of volatility to the security situation in the future.

“You just don’t know how [such escalations] are going to evolve,” said Avi Melamed, a former Israeli intelligence officer. “It could end up like Friday with a short round [of fighting]. Or it could end totally differently, and snowball into in a massive collision. Nobody knows.”

During previous rounds of conflict, Netanyahu gained a reputation for being a cautious operator. But in his new coalition, he is dependent on Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, both settlers with a history of anti-Arab positions, who are demanding a far more radical response.

Over the weekend, the government announced a range of security measures, including increasing the armed presence in Jerusalem and the West Bank, and an easing of gun licensing rules for civilians. But it also proposed a series of punitive steps, such as revoking the benefits of terrorists’ families and “strengthening” settlement in the West Bank, which most of the international community deems illegal.

As he announced the moves, Netanyahu said his government was not seeking escalation, and urged Israelis against vigilantism. But the Palestinian Authority dismissed the moves as “racist collective punishments” and Israeli critics warned that the steps could inflame tensions further.

“All Netanyahu has to confront a new Palestinian uprising and civil unrest at home is a team whose only strategy is to pour more gasoline on the fires,” columnist Anshel Pfeffer wrote in the liberal newspaper Haaretz.

Melamed, the ex-Israeli intelligence officer, also expressed doubts about the proposals’ effectiveness. “It’s very unfortunate that many still think that you can solve this complex reality with a magic wand of rhetoric and empty slogans,” he said. “And time and again, both the Israelis and Palestinians have to pay the price.” […]

Avi Melamed’s insights about the upsurge in violence stokes fears of broader Israeli-Palestinian escalation were quoted by James Shotter, the Jerusalem correspondent for the Financial Times.

Read the full article in the Financial Times by James Shotter – February 01, 2023

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