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Egypt's Islamist Leader Is Guarantor of Quiet between Hamas, Israel
(AP-Washington Post) The Gaza ceasefire deal reached Wednesday marks a startling trajectory for Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi: an Islamist leader who refuses to talk to Israelis or even say the country's name mediated for it and finally turned himself into Israel's de facto protector. The accord inserts Egypt as the arbiter ensuring that militant rocket fire into Israel stops. In return, Morsi emerged as a major regional player. He won the trust of the U.S. and Israel, which saw him as the figure most able to deliver a deal with Gaza's Hamas rulers. In ideology, Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood supports the use of force against Israel to liberate "Muslim lands." But since coming to power, the group has had to yield to pragmatism.