Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- July 8, 2014

Egypt And United States, Usual Brokers In Cease-Fires, May Not Help This Time -- Ron Kampeas, JTA

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Escalations between Hamas and Israel are nothing new. What’s missing this time, analysts say, is the alignment of outside interests that has resolved such fights in the past.

Egypt’s government lacks the influence over Hamas of its predecessors and the United States is in hand-washing mode on the Middle East, said Ami Ayalon, a former chief of the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service.

“In the past, Egyptians could play a major role and America had an interest” in pressing for cease-fires, Ayalon told JTA.

Now, he said, Egypt’s new president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, is strongly hostile to Hamas — a posture Israel appreciates but one that undercuts his ability to force a cease-fire — and the United States is not actively pressing for a truce.

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Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- July 8, 2014

Ground operations in Gaza 'might become necessary,' Israeli official says -- Diana Magnay, Ed Payne and Josh Levs CNN

Already wounded, Hamas ill prepared to resist Israeli onslaught -- Hugh Naylor, The National

Gaza conflict: Why Israeli invasion would be risky -- Jonathan Marcus, BBC

The Israeli-Palestinian revenge cycle, take two -- Dan Murphy, CSM

U.S. Again Misreads the Players in Mideast Crisis -- David Francis, Fiscal Times

How big of a threat is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi? -- CBS (Video)

A New Osama bin Laden? -- Abdulrahman al-Rashed, Asharq al-Awsat

Iraq VP to U.S.: Stay Out of Our Civil War -- Josh Rogin, Daily Beast

Afghan elections: What is at stake in presidential vote -- BBC

Boko Haram 'scourge' a warning sign for all West Africa, envoy says -- Howard LaFranchi, CSM

What does the future hold for South Sudan? -- Mehari Taddele Maru, Al Jazeera

Fear, not ambition, is what fuels Moscow -- Mary Dejevsky, Gulf News

Russia's arms sales boom with Soviet designs -- Fred Weir, CSM

The CIA’s Bumbling German Spy Was More Austin Powers and Less James Bond -- Christopher Dickey & Nadette De Visser, Daily Beast

Our Roost, Obama’s Chickens: From the Middle East to Russia to our own southern border, Obama’s bills are coming due. -- Victor Davis Hanson, NRO

Border crisis 101: What’s in Obama’s $3.7 billion proposal? -- Linda Feldmann, CSM

Halle Berry Is Right: Aliens Are (Probably) Real -- Jeffrey Kluger, Time