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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.

Hamas has rejected an Egyptian proposal for Hamas to calm tensions in Gaza in exchange for Egypt opening the Rafah Crossing on a regular basis.
The second week of the “return” campaign organized by Hamas ended in failure, according to IDF estimations, which the Palestinians do not deny.
Even if Hamas makes a huge media impact with its march, within a few weeks it will disappear into a cloud of oblivion.
Gaza is a pressure cooker that is about to explode at any moment. Abbas intends to fasten down the lid, but it won’t prevent the explosion.
Israel has taken Syria and the Arab world by surprise by officially admitting responsibility for the destruction of Syria’s nuclear reactor back in 2007.
Egypt and Saudi Arabia are putting mounting pressure on the Palestinian Authority leader, though senior Fatah sources believe that Mahmoud Abbas will not compromise on Palestinian “red lines.”
The growing assumption is that the attack on the premier’s convoy was meant to torpedo the reconciliation process, rather than it being a personal attack on Rami Hamdallah.
Unlike his predecessor Yasser Arafat, after Mahmoud Abbas retires from political life, he will be remembered as a symbol of Palestinian government corruption.
Violence is expected to break out in the West Bank as soon as the Palestinian Authority leader dies or can no longer rule. The fight for succession is expected to be bloody.