(Ha'aretz) Zvi Bar'el - Egypt was the one to announce the cease-fire in Gaza. Egyptian sources said the cease-fire was conditioned on Israel agreeing to withdraw all its forces from Gaza. By making this demand, Egypt has accepted not only the role of mediator, but also the role of guarantor for Hamas' conduct. Any fire from Hamas or other Palestinian factions in Gaza will now be a black mark against Egypt. Hamas currently has a vested interest in rehabilitating its relationship with Egypt, which controls the Rafah border crossing, a vital lifeline that Hamas desperately needs reopened. Cairo has an interest in maintaining ties with Hamas, as long as it remains the ruling power in Gaza, in order to neutralize the involvement of Qatar, Turkey and Iran in an issue over which Egypt has always held a monopoly.
2014-08-06 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive