Security officials should operate under the premise that the Friday night massacre would lead to copycat attacks, which was already noticeable in the shooting on Saturday morning near the Western Wall.

According to initial reports, the attacker targeted passers-by at the City of David, a historic site just south of the Temple Mount, before being shot by an armed civilian.

Anarchy in the Palestinian territories poses a security problem for Israel, but as a temporary situation is not the worst-case scenario – and may have advantages.

Israel's political upheaval reflects partisan tunnel vision on all sides.