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Show Views&Op inion Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012 Page 11 Gaza cease-fire gives glimpse of future N at' I View A look at what others are saying When Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to a cease-fire with Hamas rather than a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, he surely knew that his opposition would taunt him with these words from 2009: "We must smash the Hamas power in Gaza," he said then. "The next government will have no choice but to finish the job and uproot . . . the Iranian terror base." That Netanyahu held back from doing so is testimony to not only his prudence or the influence of Barack Obama. It is ratification of the most important outcome of the latest Gaza crisis, which is the consolidation of a new Islamist front as Israel's principal Arab counterpart, adversary and potential inter- locutor. It comprises not just Hamas but the allied, Muslim Brotherhood-led government of Egypt, with Turkey and Qatar as supporting partners. As a simple, pragmatic matter, "smashing" or "uprooting" Hamas is no longer an option. Not only does Hamas have the support of the region's richest and most powerful governments, but it is preferable to the most obvious Gazan alternative, which is jihadist movements even more closely tied to Iran. This may sound like terrible news, especially to supporters of the conventional Mideast "peace process," who have been hoping that Obama's reelection would open the way to yet another push to negotiate Palestinian statehood. But for hawkish Israelis such as Netanyahu — and maybe even for the doves — there is reason for some quiet celebration. First, the new Islamic front is far weaker than the post-truce celebrations in Gaza suggest. Though it survived the assassination of its military chief and managed to bombard Israel with 1,500 rockets and mortar rounds, Hamas once again demonstrated that it lacks the means to do more than frighten or inconvenience Israelis. On the contrary: The success of the U.S.-funded Iron Dome anti-missile system suggests that missiles will be a decreasingly credible threat. Meanwhile, both Gaza and Egypt continue to face major domestic problems. Much of Hamas' governing infrastructure has been destroyed, including tunnels that supply Gaza's economy as well as weapons. In Egypt, President Mohammed Morsi, lionized on Wednesday for brokering the cease-fire, was facing on Friday a violent domestic backlash against his attempt to further concentrate power. Having just signed an agreement with the International Monetary Fund to prop up the teetering Egyptian economy, Morsi literally cannot afford to challenge Israel or the West anytime soon. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is similarly tied down by the civil war in neighboring Syria. Though the Middle East is more unpredictable than ever, it's reasonable to forecast that the Islamists will grow still weaker in the next several years. In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood will be no more able to sustain an autocracy than was Hosni Mubarak, and it will be blamed for its inevitable failure to meet postrevolutionary expectations. Iran's ability to supply Gaza militants with rockets likely will wane because of economic sanctions and the crumbling of the allied Syrian regime. At the same time, this Gaza episode may finally finish off the stubbornly persistent notion that Israel should negotiate a peace settlement with the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority without Hamas' involvement. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his Westernbacked security forces are still relevant, as Abbas will probably demonstrate this week by winning a U.N. General Assembly vote recognizing Palestinian statehood. But Abbas has less standing than ever to speak on behalf of Palestinians — and in any case has repeatedly shown himself unwilling to negotiate with Netanyahu or commit to the concessions a peace deal would require. Rather than watch another sterile round of diplomatic maneuvering among Abbas, Netanyahu and Obama, Egypt seems bent on overseeing another attempt to broker a reconciliation between the Palestinian factions. In the short run this would prevent peace negotiations, to the satisfaction of hardliners on both sides. But in the long run it might make a deal more possible. Palestinian elections — a likely part of any internal accord — could bring in new and stronger leaders. Meanwhile Morsi's government will have to choose between pushing the Palestinians toward an accord with Israel or tolerating growing instability on Egypt's border. Even if no comprehensive peace is possible, the new regional alignment may allow Israel and Hamas to work out a modus vivendi that benefits both sides. In exchange for more open borders and an opportunity to develop economically with backing from its new Arab allies, Hamas could agree to a more thorough and reliable truce that leaves southern Israel in peace. That's a long way from real peace — but it's better for both sides than going to war every couple of years. - Jackson Diehl is deputy editorial page editor for The Washington Post. LINCOLN: Political role model LETTERS: Players give back *From page 10 Republicans didn't get a similar mandate, though they retain their majority. Democrats got more votes nationally in House races, and the tax increase for the rich was an issue in very few contests. With some fits and starts, odds are that in the next several weeks the White House and Congress will get a short-term deal to avoid the Jan. 1 deadline that would trigger acrossthe- board tax increases and automatic spending cuts. Much more problematic next year is reaching a grand bargain that provides a short-term stimulus and addresses long-term chronic deficits. There would have to be concessions, tradeoffs and favors bestowed for votes. Politicians might look to 1865 as a model for this uphill quest. Last week, the presi- dent hosted Spielberg and Day-Lewis for a showing of "Lincoln" at the White House. He'd do well to go to another screening of the film, and this time invite House Speaker John Boehner. - Albert R. Hunt, Jr. is the executive Washington editor for Bloomberg News and a columnist for Bloomberg View j 6 98 www.a-bay-usu.com ClassifiedAdS Utah State University • ogan, Utah • www.utahstatesman.com Help Wanted STUDENTPAYOUTS.COM Paid Survey Takers Needed in Logan. 100% FREE to Join! Click on Surveys. Earn $1000-$3200 a month to drive our brand new cars with ads. www.VehiclePay.com Apartment Manager position available. Starts in December (in Logan). Maintenance and book- keeping experience a plus. Send resume by Tuesday, NOVEMBER 27 to: Manager, P.O. Box 6221, North Logan, UT 84341 Housing. BROOKLANE APARTMENTS 101-105: BRAND NEW, private bedrooms, private bathrooms, washer/dryer. As low as $300/month per contract if staying through the summer. 1-14: Private bed- rooms, shared bathrooms, onsite laundry. All apartments have dishwashers and self-cleaning ovens. Close to USU and Spectrum. (brooklane.apartments@ gmail.com) See at 645 E 900 N or call 7537227!! Student Jobs For more information on these jobs, see USU Student Employment, www.usu.du/ *From page 10 behalf of our team, for your support as fans during our season. We have one of the loudest student sections in the conference! This season was a season of firsts for our program, the biggest of which was a regular season WAC Championship. I wanted to say thanks to the everyone that took the time to watch our team play. Our team enjoys representing USU and our beautiful valley. The players love being involved in this community, whether it is reading to school kids, "Dig for a Cure" for studemp On Campus Jobs: C325-12 Research Assistant negotiable C616-11 Biological Technician 10.00 hr. C411-12 Ucc Bilingual Youth Corps Recruiter $8.50 C194-98 Undergrad Tas For Labs & Paper Graders $10-12 C298-08 Research Assistant $1012/hour C485-12 Summer Intern $8.5/hour C516-12 Food Bank Garden And Market Manager $10/hr C827-11 Arts Graphic Designer C275-07 Resident Assistant/peer Mentor/rha stipend/rent credit C208-96 Tutor $7.75/hr C628-12 Financial Analyst / System Analyst C005-04 Research Assistant $1500/month C639-12 Graduate Research Assistant - Teal salary of $17,500 \I\I \kV\ and DiverstY Sponsored W: Center for Women and Gender, Glol3a1 Engagement, and er verob W Jeann‘ e JoYoson , \ Po\s‘tcet e S6enc Grayson DuBose C016-13 Usu Swim Club Coach 3 Credits through TEAL C073-11 Scientific Drilling Field & Lab Assts 10.00 C448-07 Customer ServiceTooele Distance Ed 8/hr CO51-13 Teaching Graduate Assistant $10/hour C168-13 Gis Lab Assistant $8-10 C092-13 Teaching Assistant For Cee5001/6001 $7.50 C091-13 Irrigation Teaching Asst Cee5001/6001) $7.50 C060-10 Tutor Lab Instructor $9.50 C299-12 Communications Assistant $8.00/hour C108-13 Asp.net C# Web Developer $10/hr C136-13 Salesforce Developer 10 C154-08 Engineering Tutors 10.00 C145-13 Functional Analyst C118-13 Graduate Teaching Assistant $25.00/Hr C157-13 System Analyst C160-13 Cadd Lab Assistant •es Pkg4 es he -W Access breast cancer awareness month or "Shop with a Jock," they take great pride in being involved and it matters to them. It also matters that you all come out to our matches. Our crowd is wonderful and growing every season. So, once again, thank you for helping us achieve some amazing goals. Go Aggies. C170-13 Undergraduate Researcher 8 C192-13 Undergraduate Research Asst tbd C193-13 Social Media And Web Content Manager $8-10$/hour -DOE CO38-13 College Pass Undergraduate Mentor $10/hour C014-11 Usu Volleyball Camp Clinician $450.00 for camp C212-13 Strength And Conditioning Coach internship C134-09 Laboratory Technician minimum $7.25 C424-10 Extension Intern 7.25 + C330-06 Paint Laborer 3 $9.50 C190-13 Research Assistant/cvs BOE C187-13 Research Assistant BOE C153-13 Engineering Assistant BOE More coming 4. 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