Rumblings of concern about the consequences of a failure in the latest round of peace talks were underscored today by the leaking of a Palestinian Authority internal document warning of a third intifada, The Times of Israel reports.
The document, whose contents were reported by the Hebrew daily Yedioth Ahronoth and Israel Radio on Thursday morning, said that if the peace process collapsed, a violent uprising was likely to erupt in the West Bank. Jihadi and Salafi groups were also likely to become more active, possibly by setting up a network of terrorist cells with the intention of carrying out attacks against Israel, the report said.
The report, issued by a Palestinian security agency, also predicted more spontaneous terror attacks if peace talks fail. It recommended that Palestinian Authority security forces draft a plan to control protests if they escalate into riots in order to prevent police from joining the rioting, as had they did in the Second Intifada, which began in late 2000 and lasted several years.
The report predicted that Palestinian terror cells would begin transferring their activities into Area C and areas surrounding Jerusalem, where the presence of both Israeli and Palestinian security forces is meager.
The report also estimated that Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, might secretly renew its military activity in the West Bank if its rift with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party continued.
Article Appeared @http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Security-Watch/terrorism-security/2014/0102/John-Kerry-tries-to-revive-Middle-East-peace-talks