Posted on 07/21/2014 12:37:38 PM PDT by Star Traveler
DOHA/CAIRO (Reuters) - The push for a Gaza ceasefire risks becoming mired in a regional tussle for influence between conservative Arab states and Islamist-friendly governments, with rival powers competing to take credit for a truce, analysts and some officials say.
The main protagonists are Arab heavyweight Egypt and the tiny Gulf state of Qatar, on opposite sides of a regional standoff over Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip, and its ideological patron the Muslim Brotherhood.
Both camps suggest the other is motivated as much by a desire to polish diplomatic prestige and crush political adversaries as by the humanitarian goal of protecting Palestinian lives from the Israeli military.
"Gaza has turned very suddenly into the theater in which this new alignment within the Arab world is being expressed," said UK-based analyst Ghanem Nusseibeh.
"Gaza is the first test for these new alliances, and this has affected the possibility of reaching a ceasefire there."
He was referring to Qatar, Turkey, Sudan and non-Arab Iran, the main members of a loose grouping of states which believe Islamists represent the future of Middle East politics.
That camp stands in increasingly overt competition with a conservative, pro-Western group led by Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, most of whom are intent on crushing the Brotherhood and see it as a threat.
That cleavage is now apparent in the diplomacy over Gaza.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Don’t worry. Old horse face is on the case and “reporting for doody.” LOL!
This was the earlier article ...
Euphoric Hamas needs to hear that Israel will oust it from Gaza if necessary
http://www.timesofisrael.com/euphoric-hamas-needs-to-hear-that-israel-will-oust-it-from-gaza-if-necessary/
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3182432/posts
The Qatari ceasefire initiative, first reported by the Times of Israel Saturday, illustrates how the continuing escalation of the conflict in Gaza has actually got nothing to do with Israel itself. Unfortunately, Israel has found itself tangled up in a battle of far wider proportions — a war between two competing axes in the Sunni Muslim world.
On the one side are Egypt and the Palestinian Authority, with Jordan and Saudi Arabia likely to join them in the next couple of days. On the other, Qatar, Turkey and Hamas, as well as other global supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood.
This is a proxy war for all intents and purposes. Make no mistake, Hamas remains committed to the destruction of Israel. But Hamas is firing rockets at Tel Aviv and sending terrorists through tunnels into southern Israel while aiming, in essence, at Cairo. It is backed in this by Doha and Ankara.
What arises from this state of affairs, and from Hamas’s baseless demands as they appear in the Qatari ceasefire proposal, is that this crisis is far from over.
Hamas is confident, even euphoric. In recent days, people who came in contact with the Palestinian terror organization’s leaders report that the sense they are broadcasting is that Hamas is besieging Tel Aviv, and that it will be starting its invasion of Israel shortly, not that the IDF is striking hard at Gaza, has its ground troops hitting Hamas in the Palestinian enclave, and is setting back the Hamas terrorist infrastructure by years ...
In a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Abbas in Cairo on Wednesday, Moussa Abu Marzouk, the deputy head of Hamas’s political bureau, dismissed Abbas’s pleas regarding a ceasefire, explaining that “what are 200 martyrs compared with lifting the siege [on the Gaza Strip?]”
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You thought this war was between Israel and Hamas! BUT, it’s now seen as a war between TWO COMPETING GROUPS in the Middle East, with Israel simply being used as a PAWN between them. The rockets are nonetheless real and damaging and people do get killed, but it’s REALLY not Israel as the focal point. If you understand that, things will fit together better, in your understanding.
Israel is “lining up” with the Egypt/Jordan/Saudi Arabia faction, as we’ve already seen with their cooperation with Egypt!
His job is not going to be as simple as he might have thought before, because of these two big blocks that Israel has nothing to do with. Kerry will find that Israel will be EASY to work with, BUT those two other blocks won’t be easy to work with. All Israel has to do is “sit back” and let Egypt do the “heavy lifting” ... :-) ...
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must be enjoying this because it’s playing right into his hands!
Next time Hamas wants to rear it's ugly head Palestinians will tell Hamas to take a hike... they won't want the blow-back.
That's how it works. Jews are NOT victims anymore - and never will be again... The world can get off Netanyahu's back and leave him alone to run Israel. He doesn't need their 'help'...not John Kerry's help or Jimmah Carter's help or Clinton's or Frances or anyone's... etc...
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