Our stormy weekend shows that even though the month of Ramadan is behind us, the area is still more explosive than ever.
It will take a lot of effort and common sense to safely cross the two upcoming commemoration dates: the "Nakba" day that took place today (Sunday), and Jerusalem Day, which will be celebrated in two weeks.
Quite a few factors will stand in the way of trying to torpedo back to sanity.
At the forefront, as always, are the terrorist elements, who are concentrating a special effort in an attempt to preserve the violent atmosphere of recent weeks.
Evidence of this was given during the arrest operation in which the late Brigadier General, Noam Raz, was killed on Tuesday. In the field, but also for a willingness to use it.
This requires Israel to ask itself, again, if it is not right to change policy with the Jenin sector, and to move from small, intelligence-based tweezers operations to a comprehensive and mass-based operation.
During Ramadan, Israel refrained from doing so, fearing that Jenin would ignite and set fire to the West Bank and the entire arena;
Even now, the defense establishment prefers to act selectively, when necessary, to avoid arson, but Jenin militants may be left with no choice.
Draw lessons for future events
Raz's death in battle is the best answer Israel can give to anyone who claims to have intentionally killed al-Jazeera journalist Sheerin Abu Akala.
Operational activity is a dangerous matter for those who participate in it, and for those who are present in the arena.
The IDF takes enormous risks with its forces in order to avoid harming innocent people as much as possible, and sometimes pays for it with the lives of fighters. This indicates high morality, but it also has an operational-intelligence value: Excellent for information on weapons, terrorist attacks and other terrorists;
This is information that can usually not be obtained in any other way, and through which the following attacks can be thwarted.
The IDF acted correctly when it published the interim investigation it conducted in the case of Abu Akala on Tuesday, and clarified that it is not possible to determine at this stage who caused her death. He will not convince the convinced: the world has already hastened to condemn Israel without bothering to balance it with a word of empathy for the victims of Palestinian terrorism - the original pretext by which the IDF is constantly operating in Jenin.
As always, the nature of such stories is dying out.
Global public opinion is busy maturing and moving on, certainly as Ukraine continues to go on a rampant war several times over.
Therefore, it is a pity that Israel insisted on giving the affair of Abu Akala's death more unnecessary moments of exposure, with the unsuccessful treatment of the police at its funeral.
Even if Abu'Aqala's family did not meet the early summaries, one should have expected a little more restraint from the policemen who accompanied the funeral procession, and certainly less excited by the Palestinian flags raised in it.
Responsibility requires: Take action to calm the situation
The Minister of Internal Security and the Commissioner of Police did well to order an investigation into the incident. The Commission of Inquiry would do well to not only analyze the conduct of the police officers at the funeral itself, but also to draw lessons and conclusions that would enable more successful treatment of similar incidents in the future.
Along with the internal treatment of the police, it also undertakes to pay attention to the conduct of elected officials who have lost their way and direction.
The Knesset of Israel currently has several members who appear to be a danger to democracy.
They are on the left and right, and exploit their immunity not to challenge the state, but to harm it.
MK Ofer Kasif is the latest example of this; if no action is taken against him - including the prosecution of assaulting a police officer - the state will implicitly encourage the next elected official to further radicalize his actions.
Such moves, which are a defensive democracy, are essential in the explosiveness of this period, with elements seeking to exploit the situation for political purposes in the background.
Of all who have common sense in their heads are expected to transcend all these, and act to calm the situation;
Otherwise, Israel could quickly escalate into escalation against external enemies, and worse, against domestic opponents.
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