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Analysis

Hamas mulls opportunities, risks in Jerusalem violence

Egyptian mediation again in spotlight to prevent a repeat of Israel-Hamas war. 

Jordan protest
Demonstrators raise Palestinian and Jordanian flags as well as placards as they march in the streets of the Jordanian capital Amman on April 22, 2022, to show solidarity with Palestinians in Jerusalem, amid heightened tensions between them and Israeli forces in the Al-Aqsa mosque compound. Israeli police clashed with Palestinian protestors today in the latest violence at Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound, as the United Nations voiced deep concern at "escalating" unrest. — AFP via Getty Images

Holy sites: flashpoint for Israeli political crisis  

"Tensions at Jerusalem’s holy sites are running high and the Gaza Strip may be on the verge of tangling with Israel once again," writes Ben Caspit. "That is how holidays are celebrated in this part of the world."

Confrontations at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, have flared the past week, threatening the fragile coalition government of Prime Minster Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. 

Ramadan (April 1- May 1) and Passover (April 15-23) overlapped this year, increasing the already high tensions at the holy sites.

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