Experts say the ＂seventh Middle East War＂ is unlikely to break out.

Topic: Israeli bombing of Gaza Strip.

　　Experts say "the seventh Middle East War" is unlikely to break out.

　　Shang Bin, a special correspondent of Global Times, reported that in recent days, the situation in the Middle East has suddenly become tense with the intensive Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip. On the 29th, Israeli Defense Minister Barak said that his country was waging an "all-out war" against Palestinian militant group Hamas and its leaders.

　　On the 30th, an Israeli spokeswoman declared to the outside world that her country was ready to launch a ground offensive against Gaza. In the face of Israel’s fierce offensive, Hamas also declared that it would launch a "third uprising" to defeat the Israeli regime. Will the Middle East, which has been baptized by war, fall into a tragic war again? Will the development of the situation lead to the outbreak of the "Seventh Middle East War"? In this regard, the Global Times reporter interviewed several scholars on Middle East issues, and they all agreed that there is little possibility of another Middle East war.

　　Gao Zugui, an associate researcher at China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said that this time, Israel launched an "all-out war" against the Palestinian militant group Hamas, not against the whole of Palestine. More importantly, Abbas, president of the Palestinian National Authority, who can represent Palestine internationally, has "exercised restraint" and does not want the conflict to escalate. Moreover, Israel and neighboring countries of Palestine are unlikely to get involved in this conflict, which makes it unlikely to develop into a full-scale Middle East war. He said that Egypt and Israel have signed a peace agreement, Syria has also held indirect negotiations with Israel and reached some consensus, while other countries such as Jordan are unlikely to get involved.

　　Wang Jinglie, director of the Middle East Research Office of the China Academy of Social Sciences, said that the Israeli attack on the Gaza can be called a "shocking" violence in the 21st century, but there is little possibility of another Middle East war in the region. He said that all the wars in the Middle East in history have involved neighboring countries, but the current conflict is only between a country and a radical organization in Israel, and it is not a big war in scale. In addition, from a deeper perspective, this war has been "planned for a long time" by Israel, and its purpose is very clear, that is, to eradicate Hamas, not the whole Palestinian territory. In addition, whether it will develop into another Middle East war depends on the attitude of neighboring countries. If neighboring countries are also involved in this conflict, it may lead to the expansion of the situation and the outbreak of the Middle East war. However, moderate countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan are unlikely to be involved in the conflict, and Syria and Lebanon are unlikely to be involved. Although Iran is a variable, it is unlikely to be involved. Therefore, at present, it is unlikely that another Middle East war will break out.

　　Another international scholar also believes that the possibility of another Middle East war is very small. Strictly speaking, he said, the conflict between Israel and Hamas is not a "war" because it is not between two countries. In addition, the purpose of Israel’s attack is to "pull out" the nail of Hamas, which also limits the scale of the conflict.

Editor: Wang Xu