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Yoni Ben Menachem

Yoni Ben Menachem, a veteran Arab affairs and diplomatic commentator for Israel Radio and Television, is a senior Middle East analyst for the Jerusalem Center. He served as director general and chief editor of the Israel Broadcasting Authority.

Recently, the larger clans in eastern Jerusalem held gatherings where they threatened to banish anyone who sells buildings and lands to Jews. Those selling are risking death.
Another round of violence broke out in the Gaza Strip on Oct. 27, when dozens of missiles were fired towards Israel. In response, the IDF attacked some 80 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) targets within Gaza.
The purpose of the rocket attack was to pressure Egypt to increase efforts to end the Gaza embargo and to serve as a warning to Israel before making a decision to launch a military strike against Hamas.
It has become clear that Hamas has learned some lessons; it tried to scupper any chances of the IDF finding the tunnel by using certain materials and new building techniques.
Hamas is ramping up the demonstrations on the Gaza border in order to achieve the complete removal of Israel’s blockade.
Egypt is maintaining an open channel with the Palestinian Authority, even though it believes that Mahmoud Abbas is playing a dangerous game that could inflame a fragile situation in the area.
In the past two weeks, Hamas has created a new unit called “The Night-Time Deployment Unit.”
It’s no coincidence that Abdullah is keeping away from the idea of a confederation like poison; he wants to keep Jordan’s borders as they are and fears that if the idea is implemented, the Palestinians will take his country and depose the Hashemite royal house.
The Palestinians and the Arab states are showing political weakness. Now is the time to establish new facts on the ground.
Two main lessons emerge: Israel should keep promoting the Israeli narrative in the social networks, and the political echelon must give the “hasbara” apparatus the resources it needs.
Jihadist Islamic terror is again rearing its head in Jordan, and this time it is aimed at the Jordanian security establishment.
Sources in the Palestinian Authority claim that the Trump administration is trying to use the Gaza Strip as the “key” to the hearts of Arab leaders, so that they will accept its Middle East peace “deal of the century.”