Israel Hamas Conflict Shifts In Power

Hamas and Israel have agreed to a cease-fire, the aftermath of which has greatly changed the political structure of the Middle East. Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has drawn support to his new administration, as his leading of the negotiations between Hamas and Israel is convincing many that he is going to be a worthy leader of the nation. The conflict also served as a demonstration of Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, and has proven that Israel can potentially defend itself from large-scale rocket bombardment. Contrary to many fears arisen at the onset of the most recent clash in Gaza, Hamas has managed to draw more civilian support. By bombarding with such assertiveness and aggression, as well as pushing the attacks further into Israel than the nation had ever accomplished, Hamas has proved to many citizens that it is a “legitimate” force in the Middle East. Israel has always claimed that Iran was smuggling weapons to Hamas. In a statement from Mohamed Ali Jafari, the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, this is finally confirmed: “Gaza is under siege, so we cannot help them. The Fajr-5 missiles have not been shipped from Iran. Its technology has been transferred (there) and are being produced quickly.” This statement has served to establish, at least in popular/public opinion, at least a business alliance between Hamas and Iran. Israel’s Iron Dome managed to shoot down hundreds of the Iranian (engineered) rockets, leaving Iran with nothing gained during the conflict. At the time of this writing, it is unknown the full extent of the shift in power in the Middle East, though it is clear that future negotiations and relations with these countries will be greatly altered by the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Source: Jake Depew, Jefferson County Post Staff Writer