Analysis: Palestinian attack on Israel may totally reshape the conflict

Analysts who spoke to Middle East Eye today have said that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict may have been totally reshaped after Palestinians entered Israel and launched a surprise attack.

Ameer Makhoul, a Palestinian analyst, said that the consequences of the attack are difficult to ascertain due to its unusual nature. 

“Even if the Palestinian attack ends, its impact will be long-term and strategic, and will change the rules of the game,” he told Middle East Eye.

Hani Masri, a Palestinian analyst, said the current situation was a result of the “tragic” economic situation in the besieged Gaza Strip; Israel’s repeated attacks in the occupied West Bank, on holy sites, and against Palestinian citizens of Israel; and its oppressive policy against prisoners.

A change in the status quo?

Masri said that while the results of the attack are still unclear, different scenarios could play out.

Israel might make a move to return soldiers to the Gaza Strip, he said, effectively changing the status quo that has been in place since it withdrew its forces from the coastal enclave in 2005.

Israeli journalist Meron Rapoport questioned how such an attack could happen, and called the breach into Israel a blow to its deterrence strategy and “a complete collapse of Israeli training”. 

For further analysis, click on the link below. 

Palestinian attack on Israel may change the conflict, analysts say