Though tensions are clearly on the rise again and the Israeli government continues to point to the “threats” posed by the Palestinians as stalling points in the peace process, Shin Bet confirmed that once again the number of attacks by Palestinian militant attacks dropped in 2010.
Indeed, Despite what one would assume to be very good news, that attacks were way down and deaths were also down, Shin Bet’s report also attempted to blame Iran for what few attacks actually did take place, saying Iran had smuggled “hundreds of military-grade rockets” into Gaza, which doesn’t really say a lot for their military-grade rockets, as the rocket fire caused pretty trivial damage over the course of the year.
At the same time, while the year opened with considerable tension in the Gaza Strip (still suffering from the crippling embargo and the damage of the 2009 invasion), tension is also on the rise in the West Bank now, as the direct peace talks came to an end in September and the Israeli government has responded with a massive increase in settlement construction in the region.