H

amas is threatening war with Israel “within days.”

According to its public pronouncements, the terror group that controls the Gaza Strip says there’s “a 95% chance that war with Israel is imminent.”

Sources who have met with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in recent days say he believes that Israel will take advantage of military maneuvers on the southern front to spark a new operation. Hamas’s military arm and other terrorist organizations have declared a state of “high alert,” sources say, and have evacuated command centers and set up blockades throughout Gaza.

A lack of electricity, high unemployment, and a sewage treatment crisis have all contributed to creating an atmosphere that is “very serious,” sources say. In addition, the political tensions resulting from an announced but unfulfilled reconciliation between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority has darkened the mood.

As for PA Chairman Abu Mazen, Palestinian sources say the elderly leader has presented a peace plan to the White House parallel to the American peace initiative. The plan includes a gradual recognition of a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders with the possibility of land swaps enabling Israel to annex the large settlement blocs.

Sources say the Palestinian leader has conditioned his plan for a state in stages on an agreement on borders; however, the White House rejected the proposal, noting that it was presented as a fait accompli and not as a basis for negotiations.

At the same time, Ramallah remains committed to advancing an international initiative in the United Nations Security Council with the help of global players, most notably Russia.

Moscow Comes to Jerusalem

 Speaking of Russia, a delegation from Moscow arrived in Jerusalem at the end of last week to try to convince Israeli officials to abandon a planned attack against Iranian missile operators in south Lebanon and Syria. Headed by the head of Russia’s security council, Nikolai Patrushev, the visit came on the heels of meetings between Israel and Russia that focused on the expansion of Iranian influence in those countries.

Sources said Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu discussed the expansion of Iranian influence with Russian president Vladimir Putin at the end of January, and threatened to target Iranian and Hezbollah positions. The sources added that Russia sent Patrushev to the region to assess the situation and try to understand Israel’s concerns, especially in view of Iran’s refusal to Russia’s request to withdraw fighters from southern Syria.

Following the meeting with Putin, Netanyahu said that the question at hand was “whether Iran will be based in Syria or that this process will be halted.” He added: “We also talked about Lebanon, and I told him that precision-guided weapons are a serious threat that we are not prepared to accept, and that we will act if we have to.”

At the time, Netanyahu said that Iranian precision missile factories are currently under construction. “Israel is not interested in an escalation, but our interests require the readiness of the IDF, along with a political solution,” he said. “The Russians understand our position and the seriousness with which we relate to these threats.”  (Excerpted from Mishpacha, Issue 697)