In an interview on Monday, Jared Kushner dropped some hints about the plan for resolving the Israel-Palestinian conflict that the U.S. government intends to reveal in April. Khaled Abu Toameh notes that, since the Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas has already made clear that he will reject the proposal—which he has termed “the slap of the century”—what Israelis think of it is hardly consequential:

Palestinian leaders have incited their people against President Trump and his advisers to the point where it would be almost impossible for them even to be seen meeting with a U.S. official. In recent months, Abbas has been quoted as saying that he does not intend to end his life as a “traitor.” The comment . . . means that it would also be impossible to accept any peace plan presented by the current administration.

Anyone who thinks that the Palestinians may change their mind about [what Donald Trump has called] the “deal of the century” . . . is living in an illusion. There is no reason why Abbas should not be taken seriously when he says he does not intend to end his life as a “traitor.” One has to give him credit for at least being honest. He is all too aware that the moment he accepts the “deal of the century,” he would go down in history and in the eyes of Palestinians—as well as many Arabs—as having sold them out, and, of all people, to the “colonizers.”. . .

Arab foreign ministers who attended the recent U.S.-sponsored conference in Poland on peace and security in the Middle East are now facing strong condemnations from many Arabs . . . for appearing in public with Benjamin Netanyahu [at the conference]. . . . They are being accused by Arabs of promoting normalization with the “Zionist enemy.” . . .

Under [such] circumstances, when Arabs are being widely shamed and condemned for sitting in the same room with an Israeli prime minister, it is hard to see how the Trump administration will be able to convince Arab states and leaders to normalize their relations with Israel. Some of these Arab leaders may be privately telling White House officials things they like to hear about peace and coexistence with Israel. The very same leaders, however, are fully aware of the opposite sentiments, not only in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, but throughout the Arab world.

On Tuesday, a Hizballah drone attack injured three people in northern Israel. The next day, another attack, targeting an IDF base, injured eighteen people, six of them seriously, in Arab al-Amshe, also in the north. This second attack involved the simultaneous use of drones carrying explosives and guided antitank missiles. In both cases, the defensive systems that performed so successfully last weekend failed to stop the drones and missiles. Ron Ben-Yishai has a straightforward explanation as to why: the Lebanon-backed terrorist group is getting better at evading Israel defenses. He explains the three basis systems used to pilot these unmanned aircraft, and their practical effects:

These systems allow drones to act similarly to fighter jets, using “dead zones”—areas not visible to radar or other optical detection—to approach targets. They fly low initially, then ascend just before crashing and detonating on the target. The terrain of southern Lebanon is particularly conducive to such attacks.

But this requires skills that the terror group has honed over months of fighting against Israel. The latest attacks involved a large drone capable of carrying over 50 kg (110 lbs.) of explosives. The terrorists have likely analyzed Israel’s alert and interception systems, recognizing that shooting down their drones requires early detection to allow sufficient time for launching interceptors.

The IDF tries to detect any incoming drones on its radar, as it had done prior to the war. Despite Hizballah’s learning curve, the IDF’s technological edge offers an advantage. However, the military must recognize that any measure it takes is quickly observed and analyzed, and even the most effective defenses can be incomplete. The terrain near the Lebanon-Israel border continues to pose a challenge, necessitating technological solutions and significant financial investment.