In November 2009 we were very close to obtaining the release of Gilad Shalit. So why is the Shalit deal only being signed now? What has changed since then? What caused Hamas to climb down from its tree and give up on the heavy names in the list of prisoners it wanted to free- No doubt the deal includes many details that influenced the timing of its conclusion, but the straightforward conduct of the negotiations and the recent important changes in the Middle East were the major factors in clinching the agreement we so yearned for. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was right when he theorized that the Middle East, in wake of the Arab Spring, is changing, and it is very difficult to know in which direction it is headed. This, he said, might cause the window of opportunity for Gilad Shalit's release to be closed permanently. But, paradoxically, the same Arab Spring contributed to the conclusion of the deal between Israel and Hamas. We need to understand that since November 2009 things have changed in our region. Hamas lost its patron and base in Damascus, and in Egypt, as a result of the Tahrir Square revolution, former President Hosni Mubarak was ousted. Hamas was left in a weakened state (which led it to sign an agreement with its arch rival, Fatah, as well). The Revolutionary Military Council in Egypt also found itself in a weakened position, without its former president. It was easy then, for Hamas and Egypt, to reconcile with each other. The Shalit deal enhances the status of Egypt's new government, even in the eyes of people in the streets, who since the revolution have shown a renewed interest in the Palestinian cause (one more reason to denounce Mubarak). For Hamas it was easy to do business with Egypt after it got rid of Hamas' bitter enemy, Mubarak. Cairo in the post-Mubarak era has played a primary role in the Shalit deal, as is evident from the special thanks Netanyahu gave to Egypt. For Cairo, it was an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone: the release of hundreds of Palestinian heroes in the eyes of post-revolutionary people in the streets, and a pleasant gesture to the West, which will certainly add good points to the current regime in Egypt, which it so desperately needs. Happy holiday! Like our newsletter? 'Like' our Facebook page!
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