The recent outbreak of violence around Hebron and in other parts of Israel and the West Bank is reminiscent of the previous wave of attacks that began last October.
The causes of the violence are largely the same: renewed tension around Temple Mount in Jerusalem, growing frustration with both Israel's military occupation and the dysfunctional Palestinian Authority, and anti-Israel incitement on the internet.
There are a number of major differences, however. The events of last week - including the killing of 13-year-old Hallel Yaffe Ariel, stabbed to death in her bed; and the drive-by shooting of Rabbi Miki Mark - do not yet represent a major spike in incidents and have not been accompanied by a large outbreak of civilian unrest. Furthermore, the co-operation between Israeli and Palestinian security services seems to be holding.
Israel has responded with relatively short-term blocks on freedom of movement and large reinforcements of troops to the West Bank. These are short-term measures, as was the decision last month by the cabinet to complete sections of the security fence, mainly south of Hebron.
Meanwhile, senior Israeli officers have admitted in recent months that, while the attacks have been greatly reduced, they cannot predict if and when a new wave will begin.
In the absence of any foreseeable change, either in the diplomatic process or in the leadership of PA, many of the underlying causes of the violence are not going to go away any time soon.
The offensive by some Israeli ministers against Facebook is ironic, since while there is no doubt that social media platforms are being used for incitement to violence against Israelis, the government can block Facebook and other internet platforms in parts of the West Bank any time. There are a number of reasons why it has not done so. The Defence Ministry's civil administration has been loath to interrupt communications to Palestinian towns and villages.
Furthermore, the IDF and Shin Bet have been closely monitoring Facebook pages of Palestinian citizens and organisations, both in an attempt to gauge the public mood and predict outbreaks of violence, and to pinpoint, warn and stop potential perpetrators.
While Israeli security experts agree that many young Palestinians are radicalised and incited to violence by messages on the web, few of them believe that it is possible to effectively restrict exposure to these sources.
