IDF spokesman Yoav Mordechai. Photo: Wikipedia

If a third Intifada has broken out in the West Bank it’s news to the ears of Israel’s Defense Force.  Responding to reports of violence in and around the West Bank having escalated into a sustained effort on the part of Palestinians, IDF spokesperson Yoav Mordechai was dismissive.

“For the past few weeks, I have been hearing declarations about an intifada that has supposedly broken out in Judea and Samaria,” he wrote in a Facebook status.

“The power of prophesy was given to fools, and I do not know what the new day will bring,” he added. “But aren’t some responsibility and caution required when making premature declarations of an intifada?”

Hunger strikes by Palestinian convicts in Israeli prisons and the recent death of Arafat Jaradat while in Israeli custody have caused a furor in the West Bank, leading to an increased frequency in violent demonstrations and speculation that a third Intifada may be on the horizon.