Perhaps the most interesting thing about the Israeli offensive in
Gaza is that, for the moment at least, Israel and Egypt seem to
be allied. Haaretz reports
that Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni traveled to Cairo to
inform Hosni Mubarak that Israel would be striking Hamas. The
Egyptian government is explicitly blaming
Hamas for continuing to fire rockets into Israel in the face
of repeated warnings from the Israelis that there would be a
response. And now Egypt is sealing its border with the Gaza strip
and
opening fire on Palestinians seeking refuge.
Why do Israeli-Egyptian relations suddenly seem warmer than
they've been at any time since Anwar Sadat was shot? One word:
Iran. Mubarak now sees Iranian dominence of the Middle East as
the primary threat to Egyptian interests. "Iran wants to devour
the Arab world," Mubarak
has quite astutely observed. Hamas, of course, is backed by
Iran. That Mubarak is now willing to ally his government with the
Jewish state is huge news, and if he can bring other Arab leaders
along with him could represent a sea-change in the dynamics of
Middle East geopolitics.
