[AP/Washington Post] Lee Keath - Arab governments have been stunned by a battle that is rapidly creating a dramatically new reality on their doorsteps. Egypt sent police to beef up security on the border with Gaza, deploying armored vehicles and water cannons to prevent any potential mass flight of Palestinians out of Gaza. There are fears that if the fighting spreads to the West Bank, it will further weaken Abbas and ultimately stir up trouble for Jordan, said a Jordanian government official. The fighting is a major blow - if not a death knell - to months of attempts by U.S. Arab allies Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to unify the Palestinians and allow a resumption of the peace process with Israel. "Gaza is steadily turning into a failed mini-state," wrote Abdel-Bari Atwan, editor-in-chief of Al-Quds Al-Arabi. "And in failed states, small or large, extremism breeds and spreads." Arab states fear a Hamas-run Gaza could become a power center for the group's allies Iran and Syria.
2007-06-15 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive