Content from the Brookings Doha Center is now archived. In September 2021, after 14 years of impactful partnership, Brookings and the Brookings Doha Center announced that they were ending their affiliation. The Brookings Doha Center is now the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, a separate public policy institution based in Qatar.
Critics of the ceasefire reached Wednesday between Hamas and Israel argue that little has changed. For now, they say, the Egypt-brokered de-escalation has merely placed a Band-Aid over a seeping wound, restoring the status quo established after Israel’s Operation Cast Lead offensive of late 2008. Certainly, we may well see the return of airstrikes and rockets; the truce represents only a small first step toward a more durable solution. The nature of the agreement, however, points to a clear “Arab Spring truth” and a significant shift in regional dynamics: The international isolation of Hamas has ended.
The influence exercised by Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar was clearly instrumental in delivering this ceasefire. The role of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy, in particular, has been praised by Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton alike, with the latter commending Egypt’s government for “assuming responsibility and leadership” in de-escalating the crisis.
Commentary
Op-edWith Ceasefire, Hamas’ Isolation Has Ended
November 23, 2012