Chances of another Middle East war in 2007 low: Israeli report

Feb 23, 2007, 8:27 GMT

Tel Aviv - Chances of another war in the Middle East in 2007 are relatively low, but so are the odds of a revival of the peace process, according to Israel's annual intelligence report.

Partial details of the report, which is to be presented to the Israeli cabinet Sunday, were published in the Israeli media Friday.

Although the report believes that a war is unlikely to break out in 2007 on the Syrian front too, it nevertheless warns against Syria's boosting of its arms arsenal.

The report, composed among others by the Mossad intelligence agency, the Shin Bet internal security agency and the Israeli National Security Council, also warns against rearmament by the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, whose abduction of two Israeli soldiers last July 12 sparked an unforeseen, month-long war with Israel.

The Israeli intelligence establishment considers that the new unity government being formed by Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya of the radical Islamic Hamas movement with the more moderate Fatah is unlikely to accept the three international criteria of recognizing Israel, renouncing violence and accepting past agreements.

This makes the prospect of a revival of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process next year unlikely, the report said.

The report also does not expect an end to internal Palestinian clashes next year.