A top Israeli journalist on July 23 briefed some 70 congressional staffers and interns about the nature of the rocket threat to Israel from Gaza and other challenges that the Jewish state faces in the region.

Avi Issacharoff, Arab affairs correspondent for Haaretz, discussed the chaos in the Sinai in the aftermath of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarack’s fall from power. He noted the increased arms smuggling in the territory, which has led to increasing tensions between Israel and Egypt and a new round of Hamas rocket attacks against Israel.

While Israelis used to flock to the Sinai for vacation, he said, Israelis no longer enter the territory.

Issacharoff also pointed out the relative quiet in the West Bank, noting the economic growth in the area and the Palestinian Authority’s efforts to capture those – both from Hamas and Fatah – who would commit violence against Israel.