The Hill News

The first Israeli-Palestinian face-to-face meeting in over a year just took place in Amman and another meeting is scheduled for next week.  Given the painfully low expectations on all sides particularly against Israel’s announcementâ€"just hours before this week’s talks were to beginâ€"of plans to construct 300 housing units beyond the Green Line in Jerusalem, one might ask why the exercise is even being attempted?
 
This month also marks the third anniversary of Israel’s devastating three-week war on Gaza and it appears that another attack may be brewing.  Recently, the IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. General Benny Gantz, said that another strike on Gaza is not a matter of choice for Israel. The past few weeks have shown a clear statistical relationship between Israeli missile strikes against Gazaâ€"one of which exploded on Gaza city’s main commercial street last monthâ€"and an increase in homemade rockets and mortar shells fired from Gaza into Israel. Isra! el’s attack was reportedly the first on Gaza city since its 2008-09 war on the Strip.[1] Why would Israel attack Gaza city in December and engage in peace talks with Ramallah in January?

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