The conflicts between the IDF and the Palestinians in Judea and Samaria do not yet occupy the main headlines, but are often relegated to the inside pages next to the crime and crime news.
The impression one gets from reading the newspapers is, therefore, that we are not witnessing, yet, a major flare-up of waves of terrorist attacks as we experienced in previous years.
But this is a deceptive calm or even the calm before the storm.
Actually, the storm is already here.
After all, not a day goes by without violent incidents between the IDF and a Palestinian mob, when every village or town where IDF forces carry out regular and routine operational activities becomes a battlefield where hundreds of Palestinians confront our forces and also shoot at them with all the weapons they have.
Not a day goes by without us reporting an attempted stabbing or trampling, and at the same time there is a jump in the number of Palestinian deaths in these conflicts.
Every kill naturally inflames the passions and heats up the spirits in terms of oil, or actually blood, on the wheels of the struggle.
Jenin, the capital of terrorism, leads the way, but here also in the Jordan Valley about a week ago there was a shooting attack on a bus carrying soldiers, and a few days earlier shots were fired at a bus near Ofra.
Also in Nablus, in Hebron and around Jerusalem, and even in the Arab neighborhoods there, violent incidents take place every day, and in short - the entire Jewish community is on fire.
Some attribute the increase in violence to the fact that we are in the twilight of the Palestinian Authority, and at least in the twilight of the 87-year-old Idan Abu Mazen.
The PA and Abu Mazen at its head are weak and lack the power, and above all the will, to maintain governance in the territories under their control.
But the future will be worse because whoever succeeds Abu Mazen will not enjoy the same legitimacy that he enjoyed as the one who accompanied Arafat for many years.
It is also possible to attribute the increase in the level of violence to the support that the Palestinians receive from those who are supposed to be Israel's good friends and support its right to defend itself.
The criticism that Israel received in the case of the killing of journalist Shirin Abu Aqla, or public reprimands for the IDF's opening fire procedures, are seen by the Palestinians as a political achievement, considering that there is a reward for violence.
But the important thing is how to stop the trickle that has long since turned into a flood.
It should be remembered that no one anticipated the past intifadas which were considered a spontaneous and unfolding event that was not initiated or directed by anyone, neither in Tunisia at the time nor in Ramallah.
It was the crowd on the ground that led the course of events, and Israel was caught unprepared in front of them, so it was late to react and lost control for a while.
The result was the first intifada that led to the Oslo Accords, and the second intifada that brought with it the disengagement from Gaza.
Moves that the manner in which they were carried out exacted a heavy price from us, to this day.
Beyond all this we must not forget that the essence of the struggle for this land is that it is full of ups and downs, periods of calm and escalation.
But we probably won't have complete peace in our generation.
Israel has long celebrated 55 years of its rule in Judea and Samaria, much longer than the British Mandate rule and the Jordanian rule combined.
The status quo that prevails in the area seems to many to be bad in the least, since it allows us to hold on to the area without paying a price for it in the international arena.
But there is a moment when the disadvantages of the status quo outweigh its advantages.
At a moment like this, thinking outside the box is required to bring about a change in the situation.
It can be assumed that the Palestinians would prefer, although they would not admit it, to become citizens of Israel, although it is not certain that this is the right thing for Israel at this time.
Either way, the rising wave of terrorism must be struck with full force before it turns into an intifada, and at the same time one must keep a finger on the pulse of Israel, in order to know ahead of time when the status quo no longer holds water.
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