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Back to the Future in the Middle East
(Wall Street Journal) Editorial - Sunday's coordinated attacks on the Israeli border mark a dangerous turn back toward Mideast conflict. Most of the Palestinians in Syria were bused to the Israeli border from two camps controlled by factions friendliest to the Assad regime. Syrian border guards, who since the 1974 truce have kept anyone on their side far from the frontier, let the arrivals rush through. As ominously, Egypt's post-Mubarak elites are brushing up on their Nasser-style nationalism and anti-Israel populism. Some of the leaders who helped mobilize the protesters on Tahrir Square joined in calls for a "Third Intifada" against Israel. Secular groups have joined with the Muslim Brotherhood in demonstrations outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo. The Arab Spring began as an effort by Arab publics to reform their own sclerotic politics. If they now retreat to blaming Israel for all of their problems, the uprising in the streets will be for naught.