The Arab world is eyeing the military capabilities demonstrated by Hamas with amazement. The perception that Israel was weakened in recent months in light of the internal situation has been confirmed for many in the region, friends and enemies alike. As long as there is no substantial change in the military situation that has been reflected, the perception of Israel as an asset will be further damaged. This concept has been a key catalyst in strengthening relations between Israel and some of its neighbors, especially the Gulf states, in recent years.
Many Arab countries would like to see Hamas dealt a serious blow; some would expect Israel to end the terrorist organization's control of the Strip, in part because it would be a blow to Muslim Brotherhood ideology, which they perceive as a threat. But they are torn between their desire to harm Hamas and their need, as they understand it, to show solidarity with the Palestinians. They resolve this tension by evincing public support for the Palestinians while at the same time cooperating, quietly, with Israel.
Another central interest of these countries is the denial of military and cognitive achievements from Iran and its proxies, even though most of them have official relations with Tehran. Their concern is that regional actors identified with Iran, such as the Houthis or the militias in Iraq, will join the fighting, with deterioration into a regional war that will harm them as well.
As to opportunities, there is an urgent need to change Qatar’s problematic modus operandi, which is Hamas’s lifeline. As part of its misguided conception, Israel has allowed and aided the transfer of funds to Hamas. The US must be harnessed to put pressure on Qatar, in order to choke Hamas financially and bring about its collapse.
In addition, at the end of the fighting and in light of the need to restart the normalization process vis-à-vis Saudi Arabia, Riyadh should be encouraged to take an active part in supporting an alternative Palestinian governing body in the Strip. However, these and other opportunities depend on a determined Israeli military action to crush the military-political capacity of Hamas in the Gaza Strip
ByGSpeech
The Arab world is eyeing the military capabilities demonstrated by Hamas with amazement. The perception that Israel was weakened in recent months in light of the internal situation has been confirmed for many in the region, friends and enemies alike. As long as there is no substantial change in the military situation that has been reflected, the perception of Israel as an asset will be further damaged. This concept has been a key catalyst in strengthening relations between Israel and some of its neighbors, especially the Gulf states, in recent years.
Many Arab countries would like to see Hamas dealt a serious blow; some would expect Israel to end the terrorist organization's control of the Strip, in part because it would be a blow to Muslim Brotherhood ideology, which they perceive as a threat. But they are torn between their desire to harm Hamas and their need, as they understand it, to show solidarity with the Palestinians. They resolve this tension by evincing public support for the Palestinians while at the same time cooperating, quietly, with Israel.
Another central interest of these countries is the denial of military and cognitive achievements from Iran and its proxies, even though most of them have official relations with Tehran. Their concern is that regional actors identified with Iran, such as the Houthis or the militias in Iraq, will join the fighting, with deterioration into a regional war that will harm them as well.
As to opportunities, there is an urgent need to change Qatar’s problematic modus operandi, which is Hamas’s lifeline. As part of its misguided conception, Israel has allowed and aided the transfer of funds to Hamas. The US must be harnessed to put pressure on Qatar, in order to choke Hamas financially and bring about its collapse.
In addition, at the end of the fighting and in light of the need to restart the normalization process vis-à-vis Saudi Arabia, Riyadh should be encouraged to take an active part in supporting an alternative Palestinian governing body in the Strip. However, these and other opportunities depend on a determined Israeli military action to crush the military-political capacity of Hamas in the Gaza Strip