Israel-Gaza Conflict Shores Up Arab Support for Hamas

Leaders of regional governments are more amenable to the Palestinian extremists than their predecessors were

The last time Israel launched a major military operation in Gaza, it could count on neighboringEgypt not to pose any significant opposition. Its then-ruler, Hosni Mubarak, was hostile to Hamas, the ideological cousin of the internal Egyptian opposition group the Muslim Brotherhood, and he kept Egypt's border with Gaza mostly shut as Israel waged a war that killed more than 1,000 Palestinians.