An Unsustainable Situation in Gaza

Ghassan Charbel, Editor in Chief, Al-Hayat

August 17, 2007

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Syrian President Bashar Assad (AP)

"Hamas once again needs the cloak it tore off. It needs Abbas' cloak, and it has to pay the price in return for salvation from its victory."

There is one man who can save Hamas from its victory, and that is Mahmoud Abbas. After what happened in Gaza, Abbas has become stronger … [in] addressing Fatah and the apparatus leaders that have fallen, and … Hamas which has fallen into a game of cease and desist and … recorded a victory with no horizon. He is stronger in addressing the international community which considers him the only acceptable negotiator. … He must get past the wounds of yesterday. He cannot resign the fate of Gaza even if it is in the throes of Hamas. In return, Hamas cannot rest on the idea of a "Republic of Gaza" and cannot bet that it is capable of facing this impediment alone. Access the full article>>

In-Depth Coverage

Original Commentaries

12/02/11: Discussion With Tunisia’s Rachid Ghannouchi —
12/02/11: Debating Military Action Against Iran —
12/02/11: Terms Of Disengagement —

Setting the Record Straight

Determined to Reach a Common Objective

“We knew at the outset that the task would be difficult. We acknowledged that publicly and privately. We knew this would be a road with many bumps— and there have been many bumps—and that continues to this day. But we are not deterred. We are, to the contrary, determined more than ever to proceed to realize the common objective, which we all share, of a Middle East that is at peace with security and prosperity for the people of Israel, for Palestinians, and for all the people in the region. We will continue our efforts in that regard, undeterred and undaunted by the difficulties, the complexities or the bumps in the road.”—George Mitchell, special envoy for Middle East peace, remarks with Prime Minister Netanyahu, September 29, 2010

Middle East Analysis

Don’t Panic. Yet —Issandr El Amrani (The Arabist)
The Islamists vs. The Markets: Egypt’s Election Analyzed —Haroon Moghul (Religion Dispatches)
What the Libya Intervention Achieved —Marc Lynch (Foreign Policy)

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