Can all-out war be averted in the Middle East?

Israel Defense Forces firing into the Palestinian-occupied Gaza Strip in 2014. Credit: Flickr/Israel Defense Forces Senior Lecturer Dr Eyal Mayroz from the Discipline of Sociology and Criminology examines whether full scale war can be avoided in the Middle East, following the eruption of tensions during one of the holiest times of the year for both Jews and Muslims. Violence has again erupted in the Middle East during one of the holiest times of year for both Jews and Muslims. In recent days, militants in southern Lebanon have fired a large number of rockets at Israel in response to an  Israeli police raid  on the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem. Israel blamed the Hamas militant group for the attacks and retaliated by launching air strikes at Palestinian militias in Lebanon - the  most alarming cross-border violence  in 17 years - as well as at the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. A rare rocket attack then  came from Syria , prompting another round of Israeli air strikes against targets there. Clashes also broke out in the West Bank after  thousands of Israelis , joined by seven Cabinet ministers, marched to an evacuated settlement there, demanding it be legalised.