The Arab Spring, which came as a pleasant surprise for pro-democracy activists in the Arab world, is likely to have broad regional implications too. Inter-state relations and alignments have already been shaken by the tide of events. Uncertainty about the future is also making regional actors struggle to absorb a new strategic reality. The different Palestinian factions, mainly Fatah and Hamas, are among those who are weighing the costs and benefits resulting from the changing political landscape in the Middle East. Both have shown conventional pragmatic behavior in dealing with a situation that presents as many challenges as opportunities.
Fatah, which viewed the ousted Mubarak regime as its major Arab backer, praised the Egyptian revolution in an attempt to minimize the cost of change on its domestic and regional standing. Likewise Hamas, a close ally of the Syrian government, has taken a step back from Damascus since the outbreak of the protest movement last March...
Indeed, when it comes to the Arab-Israeli conflict and intra-Palestinian relations, Syria and Egypt, because of their geopolitical location, are perhaps the two most important players. Hence, whatever changes occur in these two states will have tremendous impact on the Palestinians. The opposite is also true: any change in the political alignment of Fatah and Hamas will weaken or strengthen the regional standing of Syria and Egypt.
Fatah, which viewed the ousted Mubarak regime as its major Arab backer, praised the Egyptian revolution in an attempt to minimize the cost of change on its domestic and regional standing. Likewise Hamas, a close ally of the Syrian government, has taken a step back from Damascus since the outbreak of the protest movement last March...
Indeed, when it comes to the Arab-Israeli conflict and intra-Palestinian relations, Syria and Egypt, because of their geopolitical location, are perhaps the two most important players. Hence, whatever changes occur in these two states will have tremendous impact on the Palestinians. The opposite is also true: any change in the political alignment of Fatah and Hamas will weaken or strengthen the regional standing of Syria and Egypt.