Palestinian protesters evacuate a wounded man during clashes with Israeli soldiers by the Israeli border with Gaza in Buriej, central Gaza Strip, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra)Khalil Hamra/The Associated Press
Until a few days ago, the state of Israel and the Palestinian territories seemed calm, in contrast to the Syrian civil war and the enormous movements of refugees that have resulted. Israel could well be grateful to be on the sidelines.
But political paralysis is not stability. It's not really surprising that a series of violent, disorganized events have broken out in Israel, too, and in the Palestinian territories. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority have contributed to this stasis.
There was a fleeting moment in 2012 when Mr. Abbas intimated that, if there was peace, he would probably not move back to his home town of Safed in Galilee; he would like to visit, but would not assert any right to live there – as he did until he was 13. But Mr. Abbas soon backed off under a storm of indignation from many Palestinians. The United Nations Convention on Refugees, however, does not require the restoration of all refugees to their birth countries, let alone their descendants.
As for Mr. Netanyahu, in the most recent Israeli election, he raised the expectation that he could never, and would never, accept a Palestinian state in the West Bank – a nation-state with a power to defend itself, if necessary. In other words, Mr. Netanyahu rejected the two-state solution, not now, not ever. Yet that would be an essential part of any real solution.
That leaves a yawning gap between the Israeli government and the PA. So it's not really surprising that some young Palestinians, a number of them from East Jerusalem, are acting violently on their own, by themselves, with no sign of leadership.
The phenomenon itself is almost impossible to give a name to. Some media reports speak of a "wave," a "flare," a "spike in violence" or "lone wolves." Others are predicting a third Intifada, including Isaac Herzog, the Leader of the Opposition in Israel, and Ismail Haniyeh, the main leader in Gaza. Mercifully, or prudently, Hamas has so far not gone beyond moral support.
The explanation may be that the so-called wolves don't run in packs, but pick up thoughts from each other on the Internet.
As ever, the two-state solution is the only viable hope, but the path to it is unclear, and the leaders are lacking. Mr. Abbas and Mr. Netanyahu should move on.
Clarification: This editorial says Hamas has so far not gone beyond moral support of recent hostilities. While Israel's domestic security force, the Shin Bet, alleges that a Hamas cell carried out an Oct. 2 killing of an Israeli couple, Hamas has not taken responsibility. A division of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades (affiliated with Fatah) claimed responsibility for the killing of the Israeli couple in the West Bank.
Editor's note: In an earlier version of this editorial, the last line stated that Mr. Abbas and former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon should move on. It has been corrected to say that Mr. Abbas and current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should move on.