(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Pinhas Inbari - The unbridgeable rift between Hamas and Fatah has triggered a distancing by many Arabs from the "Palestinian problem." The issue has lost its centrality in Arab public awareness, which has begun to look inward at their own domestic hardships. In countries now suffering from the consequences of the "Arab Spring," many Arabs and their governments even display outright animosity toward the Palestinians. Egypt, a traditional standard bearer for the Palestinian cause, today perceives the Palestinians as a security threat because of Hamas' deep involvement in terrorism in Egypt and Sinai. Syrians who learned of the latest "Gaza reconstruction" conference in Cairo responded: "What about us?" - arguing that no one cares that their country has been totally destroyed. "What about us?" also came from Palestinian refugees in Syria whose homes were destroyed several years ago. The writer, a veteran Arab affairs correspondent, is an analyst for the Jerusalem Center.
2014-12-19 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive