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Will the Arabs speak up for Gaza?
We look at how a changing Middle East could affect the way the
Gaza-Israel conflict plays out.
Inside Story Last Modified: 19 Nov 2012 14:15
t is a conflict that had been pushed from the headlines by the Arab Spring, now
the stand-off between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip has been reignited.
" The peace treaty between Egypt with Israel calls for stability for all
the region but what is happening now is causing instability. What they [Israel]
are making now is just chaos. This is totally against the peace treaty."
- Mohammad Soudan, Egypt's Freedom and Justice party
But are Arab nations now more willing to speak up for the Palestinians or are
they more concerned with their own political agendas?
Israel and Gaza have traded a volley of rockets and airstrikes across the
border, for months. But the the crisis escalated when Israel killed Ahmed
Jabari, the leader of Hamas' military wing, on Wednesday.
Hamas avenged the assassination by launching hundreds of rockets from Gaza,
one of them killing three Israelis. Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes have killed
dozens of Palestinians, many of them women and children.
Arab leaders have denounced Israel's assault and called for a ceasefire but on
Sunday, Benyamin Netanyahu, Israel's Prime Minister, said the country was
preparing to significantly expand the Gaza offensive.
The last time Israel launched a full-on assault on Gaza was 2008 - but the
political realities on the ground now are very different.
Follow the latest developments in the ongoing conflict
The Arab Spring has brought revolution to countries across the region; Egypt,
one of only two Arab countries to have a peace agreement with Israel, is now
being lef by the Muslim brotherhood - of which Hamas is an offshoot.
The Arab League has since been meeting in Cairo to discuss the crisis with its
chief Nabil al-Arabi, saying he will head a delegation to Gaza to affirm
solidarity with the Palestinians.
"Hamas is quite content with the Egyptian response so far. They have
hailed courage of President Morsi and his prime minister. Egypt is now a
theatre for meetings and Arab senior officials and diplomats to see the best
way of expressing solidarity with Hamas and the people of Gaza."
- Azzam Tamimi, Institute of Islamic Political Thought
Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's president has also condemned Israel's aggression and
responded with several diplomatic measures, including recalling his ambassador
to Tel Aviv and opening the Rafah border crossing for wounded Gazans. "If a
ground invasion takes place, as Israelis are saying, this will have serious
repercussions for the region. We will never accept this and neither will the
free world."
Qatar is one of the countries taking the lead on the Gaza crisis. The Gulf
nation's Emir visited Gaza last month, the first head of state to do so since
Hamas took control.
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani said: "The stance taken by the Arab countries
following the Arab Spring revolutions is different; if we recall in 2008 Egypt
was not able to provide anything to the people of Gaza; now and in the light of
the new change, Egypt's PM pays a visit to Gaza, Tunisian FM goes to Gaza, I
headed to Gaza weeks ago. If there is no change, none could have happened.
"The situation is totally different now; and we should consider the way we deal
with the situation in Gaza. Gaza has been besieged and it is time to ask the
Israelis to end this siege. We also thank Egypt for opening Rafah Crossing for
humanitarian aid to pass."
So will the new political dynamic in the region translate into more tangible
support for Gaza, and the Palestinian cause?
Inside Story, with presenter Shiulie Ghosh, discusses with guests: Khaled
Elgindy, a fellow at the Saban centre for Middle East Policy and the Brookings
Institution, he also recently served as an adviser to the Palestinian
leadership on permanent status negotiations with Israel; Mohammad Soudan, the
foreign relations secretary for the Muslim Brotherhood's political wing, the
Freedom and Justice party; and Azzam Tamimi, the author of Hamas: Unwritten
Chapters and director of the Institute of Islamic Political Thought.
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