The Gaza 'tea party'

A So-So Piece

By Sami Moubayed
Asia Times

"DAMASCUS - The Arab world is infuriated by the continued blockade and seizure of Gaza by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). Anti-Americanism is on the rise, even in capitals that are loyal to the United States, like Amman, Riyadh and Cairo.

"This is the doing of America," most Arabs believe, in harmony with its "war on terror" against Hamas, the military group that has been in control of the Gaza Strip since June 2007. The Americans have decided to wipe out Hamas, via Israel, while the Arab world is watching. That is the feeling in Arab capitals from Casablanca to Baghdad.

For one thing, the Gaza events were a rude awakening for the Arab street, after sugar-coated promises for regional peace were made at the Annapolis "peace" conference in the United States last November. To understand the magnitude of what is currently happening in Gaza, and how it backfires on the reputation of the US throughout the Arab and Muslim world.....

So basically, in as much as it is bothered by the continuation of both Iran and Hezbollah, the US administration has to accept the fact that it cannot get rid of them easily. A quick war simply will not erase either Iran or Hezbollah. The last standing target - and the easiest to nail - would be Hamas. This part of the so-called "war on terror" has started in Gaza. "