![\"middle](\"https:\/\/noi3.org\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/middle-east.jpg\")
<\/p>\n \t<\/p>\n
\tThe 20-month civil war in Syria and the eight-day Israeli offensive in Gaza highlights the often contradictory web of alliances that fuels conflicts in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\t<\/p>\n
\tThe 20-month civil war in Syria and the eight-day Israeli offensive in Gaza highlights the often contradictory web of alliances that fuels conflicts in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
\tIran, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Russia are propping up the Syrian regime<\/strong> of Bashar al-Assad<\/a>. China has also voiced its position that no one should interfere, and acted in concert with Russia to veto any U.N. sanctions on Assad.<\/a><\/p>\n \tU.S.-made weapons from <\/strong>Qatar and Saudi Arabia<\/strong>\u00a0(as well as Israeli weapons<\/a>)\u00a0reach\u00a0the Free Syrian Army FSA rebels primarily through<\/a>\u00a0a secret Turkish weapons center, while Hamas in Gaza and Egypt have thrown their ideological support behind the rebels.<\/p>\n \tThe Gaza conflict,<\/strong> on the other hand, found Iran, Turkey, Qatar and Egypt<\/strong> supporting Hamas<\/strong> while the U.S. and the EU stood firmly behind Israel<\/strong>‘s right to defend itself against incoming rockets. The Emir of Qatar gifted Hamas $400 million<\/a> during his first ever visit to Gaza, and both Turkey and Egypt issued statements harshly „condemning” the „naked aggression” of U.S. ally Israel.<\/p>\n \tChina supports\u00a0the Palestinian push<\/a> for full state membership to the United Nations.<\/p>\n \tQatar, Turkey and Egypt have all generally been in the U.S. corner for the last few decades and are integral to American foreign policy in a stable Middle East. In recent contrast, their comments on Israel’s „aggression” indicate a steady emboldening of their leaders. One might trace a line back to 2003 when Turkey denied American requests<\/a> to invade Iraq from their southern borders.<\/p>\n \tDiplomatically, the situation is far from black and white, while militarily the situation is still pretty much one sided as Israel, with the full support of the U.S., stands unmatched.<\/p>\n \tFareed Zakaria<\/a>,\u00a0writing for The Washington Post<\/a>,\u00a0cites the 2010 study \u201cThe Arab-Israeli Military Balance<\/a>\u201d\u00a0to argue that Israel has surpassed the Arab countries in the region in „every dimension of warfare.”<\/span><\/p>\n \tZakaria notes that the most powerful Arab military, Syria, is fighting to survive and Egypt wouldn’t risk war with Israel because Israel is\u00a0only country in the region with a sophisticated nuclear arsenal<\/a> and advanced ballistic missiles.<\/p>\n \tThat’s what makes the Syrian conflict so critical<\/strong>. If Assad falls<\/a>, the Shiite Crescent\u2014which\u00a0includes Shiites from Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria\u2014will be broken and the regional influence of Iran (as well as Russia<\/a>) would be diminished.<\/p>\n \tAs one Iranian Revolutionary Guards member told the Wall Street Journal<\/a> in August, „Iran’s borders extend beyond geographic frontiers<\/a>, and\u00a0fighting for Syria is an integral part of keeping the Shiite Crescent intact<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n \tThe best case for Hamas is that their Sunni brothers overthrow Assad, despite the fact that the group is commonly considered a Iranian surrogate. Turkey, Qatar and Egypt don’t want to see Israel get any stronger\u2014that’s why they have supported Hamas\u2014but are also actively supporting the Syrian rebels.<\/p>\n \tSo if the Shiite crescent falls, the nations that backed Hamas will have to live with<\/a>\u00a0an emboldened Israel in addition to<\/strong>\u00a0a weakened Iran and Russia\u2014which is exactly what the U.S. and Israel would like to see.<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n