#World in conflict skirmish cracked

Relations with Egypt, even under supposed ally and Muslim Brotherhood president, Mohamed Morsi, remain tense as the Egyptian leadership grapples with insecurity in the Sinai region that borders Gaza.ДЄlso, Meshaal, the former Hamas chief, was forced to leave his longtime political base in Syria following a bloody crackdown by regime forces against protesters there.

#World in conflict skirmish cracked

In March 2011, the Hamas-led government cracked down violently on peaceful protesters calling for an end to the division between Hamas in Gaza and Fatah in the West Bank. The Arab revolts have not always been a boon for Hamas, which tussled early on with the regional political fallout and domestic unrest. вЂњThey have wanted, and the international community has denied them, the kind of formal recognition this grants for years.вЂќ вЂњThe Qatari emir's visit to Gaza is indeed a massive boon to the Hamas regime there, and not just financially,вЂќ Issandr El Amrani, a Cairo-based political commentator, wrote on his influential blog, Arabist. In addition to a visit paid by HamasвЂ™ former leader, Khaled Meshaal, to Jordan - the first since the movement was ejected from the desert kingdom 13 years ago - QatarвЂ™s crown prince led the first head-of-state delegation to Hamas-run Gaza since 2007. HamasвЂ™ exiled political leadership opened offices in the Qatari capital, Doha, and the ruling PolitburoвЂ™s deputy, Moussa Abu Marzouk, set-up an additional bureau in Cairo. In January, Haniya and other Hamas officials embarked on unprecedented visits to Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey and even Switzerland to shore up their diplomatic credentials. The popular uprisings sweeping the Middle East emboldened Hamas, and ousted regional autocrats hostile to the Islamist movement.

This in turn helped strengthen its grip on power. Even in Arab nations ostensibly sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, the groupвЂ™s leaders were considered personae non-gratae.Д«ut as international sanctions sought to weaken Hamas, the organization used the blockade to build a financial empire in Gaza - largely taking advantage of the myriad smuggling tunnels under its border with Egypt. Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by some Western countries, was placed under a severe Israeli-Egyptian blockade in 2007, after it won power in democratic legislative elections. All of them believe now that there is no way to isolate us.вЂќ вЂњThe Arab countries, and even officials from European countries, are ready to deal with us, more than before. вЂњSomething is changing now in the Arab world with regards to Hamas,вЂќ Hamas government spokesman, Taher Al Nounou, told GlobalPost prior to the current violence. The operations are the largest in Gaza since IsraelвЂ™s war there in 2008-2009, when Hamas was a political pariah on the world stage.

That newfound power is now undergoing a crucial test after Israeli air strike killed the groupвЂ™s top military commander in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, and Hamas leaders have vowed to respond. Formerly a regional outcast, it had received cash pledges from Gulf countries - bolstering a rapidly growing economy. More from GlobalPost: In-depth: Hamas and the business of resistanceД«efore the current Israel-Gaza violence, the Hamas governmentвЂ™s clout and power were on the rise.

In October, for example, it enabled an extraordinary, high-profile visit from the crown prince of Qatar. That rhetoric fell flat with Egypt, after a deadly attack on Egyptian soldiers in the Gaza border region less than a month later prompted officials to shutter the border with the Hamas-run enclave.Д«ut despite the setback, Rafah has served as Hamas-run GazaвЂ™s portal to the outside world. вЂњGaza needs the will of Tahrir Square to liberate it.вЂќ вЂњThis Rafah crossing is GazaвЂ™s gateway to the world,вЂќ Haniya said at the July 12 inauguration of the sleek new passenger terminal at the Gaza-Egypt border, boldly calling on Egypt to lift its restrictions at Rafah. GAZA CITY and RAFAH, Gaza Strip - It was a sweltering summer day on the border with Egypt when Hamas Prime Minister, Ismail Haniya, sent one of his strongest messages yet to the Arab neighbor to the south.