The ruthless manner in which the Palestinian militia Hamas launched an all out attack on its ruling alliance partner Fatah in Gaza and grabbed power in a bloody fratricidal struggle has sent shock waves across the region. Arab neighbors in the region have begun seriously contemplating the dangers of violent control of Gaza by the unruly Hamas.
Alarmed by the imminent possibility of Gaza becoming a stronghold of violent militias supported by radical Iran and Syria, Egypt has taken the lead to call for a summit of the regional powers to discuss the issue and decide on a future policy in relation to Gaza and the Palestinian government in the West Bank.
Ehud Olmert, the prime minister of Israel, Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian government at Ramallah, and King Abdullah II of Jordan will be among the leaders to discuss the developments in Gaza.
Gaza’s control by the militant Hamas is perceived as a serious threat to every Arab country in the region as this gives fundamentalist Iran a foothold here.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit accused Iran of being behind the bloody takeover of Gaza by Hamas. Iran is the chief financier of Hamas.
Egyptian newspapers have aptly reflected the panicky situation saying “Hamas is a time bomb and Egypt cannot simply keep silent.” The Egyptian weekly Rose El-Yousef has said “The Taliban are on our border.”
It is obvious that no one in the region wants Gaza to degenerate into another southern Lebanon where armed militias supported by Iran and Syria will have a free run.
It remains to be seen what course of action is going to be decided upon by the leaders attending the summit next week.
