Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak warned today of the risk of a regional war between Israel and the Arab countries, given the lack of hope for peace with the Palestinians and Syria.
"The risk of war is greater than it has been during the last three years," Mr Barak told public television.
"A war becomes a strategic hypothesis. Three months ago I gave the order to the army to prepare for that, taking into account the evaluation of the intelligence services," Mr Barak added.
"That does not mean that a war is inevitable and that the Israelis must expect it," said Mr Barak, who is also defence minister.
He restated that there would be no renewal of negotiations with the Palestinians without a "significant drop in the violence."
"We cannot pursue negotiations with the Palestinians without a significant drop in the violence and without restarting anti-terrorist cooperation" with the Palestinian Authority, said Mr Barak.
"For us, the main imperative has become the struggle against terrorism, particularly as there is scarcely any chance of reaching a peace agreement with the Palestinians before the end of US President Bill Clinton's term of office (January 20) and even before the Israeli elections (February 6)," he said.
"The worsening of the violence with the Palestinians since September risks drawing in the opening of a front in Lebanon," the head of military intelligence, General Amos Malka, told military radio.
"None of the Arab countries neighbouring Israel is looking for confrontation, but an error in calculation is possible, risking triggering a deterioration," he added.
Meanwhile, an Israeli soldier was seriously wounded, and another slightly hurt today when Palestinians opened fire on the Jewish settlement of Tel Roumeida near the southern West Bank town of Hebron, a military official said.
The soldier was standing guard over the enclave, where half a dozen Jewish families live.
Seriously injured, he could not be immediately rescued because of the intense shooting. He was finally taken to a Jerusalem hospital.
The second soldier was only slightly wounded and was treated on the spot.
The Israeli army replied by shooting in the direction of the Palestinian-controlled areas of Hebron.
Shots were also exchanged between Israelis and Palestinians near the Kiryat Arba settlement, northeast of Hebron.
The same source added that an Israeli bus also came under automatic fire on the road between the Otoniel and Beit Haggai settlements, but there were no victims.
Hebron is the scene of sporadic violence, with 400 Jewish settlers enclaved in a Palestinian town of 120,000 inhabitants.
In February 1994, 29 Muslims were massacred by a Jewish fundamentalist in the Tomb of the Patriarch's tomb in the Ibrahim mosque.
AFP