[bitterlemons-international.org]
Daniel Kurtzer –

Egypt’s long-term complacency about the shield situation in Gaza came to a shocking and abrupt end two years ago when Israel pulled out its settlers and army. Not only did Egypt find itself face to face with Palestinians without an Israeli buffer, but Egypt additionally was a target of Palestinian terrorism in Sinai. The Gaza border suddenly became Egypt’s problem.
As distant as Egypt’s Islamist problems were confined to Egypt, the regime and the protection service seemed

well-prepared to deal with the problem. The question now, however, is whether Hamas’ takeover of Gaza will embolden Egypt’s Islamists. For an Egyptian regime that had been confident of its ability to “tame” Hamas and insistent that Hamas be accepted as part of Palestinian politics, that specter of Hamas as an example that Egyptian Islamists may seek to emulate has got to be terrifying. The writer is former U.S. ambassador to Egypt and Israel.

Original post by Aaron Freeman