Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: a New Intifada?

• 10.20.2015, 22:16
•  Near East,  World

Israeli-Palestinian conflict has intensified once again. Terrorism in Jerusalem and in the West Bank are almost of daily nature.

The other day at a bus station in the southern Israeli city of Beersheva a Palestinian man opened fire killing an Israeli soldier and wounding 11 other people. As MK mentions, during the recent weeks as a result of such incidents the number of the killed exceeds 50.

Israel has already started building a new security wall in East Jerusalem to separate the Arab and Jewish neighborhoods. The length of the temporary barrier can reach to 300 meters.

The current tense situation makes think that a new intifada is being prepared.

Intifada is the "popular uprisings" of Palestinians which took place 2 times. The first was in 1987-93 and the second in 2000-2005. First Intifada is also called "war of stones" because the Palestinians in their speeches mainly used stones and self-made weapons. According to various sources, 1,200 Palestinians and 170 Israelis have been killed during the first Intifada.

However, analysts believe that the current situation is significantly different from the previous two intifadas. They view the escalation of the situation against the background of the radicalization of the region, emphasizing that radical young people are involved in the incidents who do not obey the authorities. They say at the current situation one cannot talk about coordinated actions.

International forces and powers are taking steps to defuse the tension. In particular, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's visit to the region is expected. At the same time, Kerry announced his intention to resume negotiations with Israel and Palestine. However, the current difficult situation in the region gives no room for optimism.