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Source: http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=293405
Who Won in Gaza?
(Jerusalem Post) Barry Rubin - I'm amused by those who think that Hamas won the recent conflict. Winning has to mean something real, not just bragging to reassure oneself. Hamas' goal was to be able to attack Israel as much as it wanted without significant retaliation. Israel's goal was to force Hamas to the lowest possible level of attacks and to make such attacks as ineffective as possible. Hamas' survival was not some victory, it is guaranteed in effect by the international and regional order. However, the amount of regional support Hamas received during the recent war was remarkably low, and the Arab street didn't do much. As for Egypt, while the Muslim Brotherhood regime is 100% pro-Hamas, it isn't going to be dictated to by its much smaller brother. There will be times when Cairo gives Hamas full backing, but this wasn't one of them. Perhaps the better way to put it is that Israel won the battle but the war goes on, as indeed it has for our entire lifetimes. The writer is director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya.