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Why Arab states are unmoved by plight of Hamas: most fear Muslim militancy despite their dislike of Israel
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| Contributor | kal |
| Last Edited | kal Jan 18, 2009 05:16pm |
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| Category | General |
| Media | Newspaper - Daily Telegraph |
| News Date | Sunday, January 18, 2009 11:15:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | In Geneva the normally silent International Committee of the Red Cross goes public to condemn the Jewish state. And in Kensington barriers have to be erected by police to stop protesters reaching the embassy of Israel.
By contrast, the reaction in the Arab world seems almost mute. There are a few rallies in countries such as Syria and Yemen where Israeli flags are burned but that happens after Friday prayers on high days and holidays anyway.
The Arab League splinters over which member state should host an emergency summit on Gaza. Even in the West Bank, just 40 miles from Gaza and home to 2.5 million fellow Palestinians, a call by militants for mass protest rallies dubbed "days of wrath" passes largely unheeded.
Why is it that, as Israel prepared to announce a cessation of offensive operations in Gaza, the Arab Street remained so apparently unmoved by its assault on the tiny territory?
The answer lies in the way many Arab regimes view militant Islam, as represented by Hamas. The West has come to view Muslim militancy as one of its biggest threats in the 21st century but for many Arab countries including Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Saudi Arabia the same threat has existed for much longer.
Egypt's secular, military leaders have been struggling with the Muslim Brotherhood since the 1920s. They have tried arresting leaders, invoked emergency powers to stop popular demonstrations and banned members of "the Brothers" from standing in elections. President Hosni Mubarak's dictatorship remains in power in Egypt but militant Islam remains one of the most clear and present dangers to his rule.
The links between Hamas and "the Brothers" are strong, deep and long-standing. The Gaza Strip, which is the powerbase of Hamas, abuts Egypt and in the eyes of many the Palestinian movement is little more than the "North Sinai Branch" of the Muslim Brotherhood. So just as Cairo needs to keep "the Brothers" in check, it also has an interest in seeing Hamas weakened.
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