YONI BEN MENACHEM -- While senior White House officials prepare official visits to the Knesset, the Gaza Strip continues to boil — and beneath the surface a fierce struggle for control is playing out.
Middle East expert Yoni Ben Menachem told Tal Meir that the clash between Qatar and Egypt over influence in Gaza highlights deep tensions within the Arab-Islamic camp — and warned that Gazans have not traded their hatred of Israel for hatred of Hamas; if anything, it has grown.
Ben Menachem said earlier this week in an interview that the contest between Egypt and Qatar illustrates the rift: “Qatar is part of the Muslim Brotherhood leadership together with Turkey. In Egypt the Muslim Brotherhood is defined as a terrorist organization; they try constantly to overthrow el-Sisi. What we’re seeing here is a game.”
Against that backdrop, Ben Menachem noted the striking absence of Saudi Arabia from initiatives about Gaza’s future. “You should also notice Saudi Arabia’s absence — President Trump doesn’t include it at all regarding Gaza; he brings in Qatar and Turkey, the Muslim Brotherhood leadership… In Saudi Arabia the Muslim Brotherhood is considered a terrorist organization.”