The West amid a spike in terrorism in the West Bank that has seen five attacks leaving three Israelis killed and a young girl shot in front of her parents’ home. The upsurge is in part the result of concentrated efforts by Hamas to rebuild its West Bank terror infrastructure, a campaign reportedly being coordinated out of Turkey by top Hamas operative Saleh al-Arouri – himself a released prisoner.

Nonetheless Israel seems likely to release more than two dozen Palestinians next week as the latest of a series of goodwill gestures designed to boost U.S.-backed peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Fatah faction that controls Palestinian areas of the West Bank. The release is, predictably, not without controversy:

And while security sources do not cite one specific individual as being behind the increase, the statistics are clear – there has been an increase in general violence and terror activity. Released prisoners have had their hands in this. At the moment, as Israel is about to release dozens of former major players in terror activity, it should consider that a portion, even if they are not young, will return to the armed Palestinian fight, predominantly those who will go to Gaza. These prisoners will be returning to a more explosive situation than earlier in the year.

Palestinian violence has also been linked to renewed anti-Israel incitement by top Fatah officials. The incitement and violence may complicate the upcoming prisoner release, which is being done in the context of negotiations with Fatah.

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