Israel Facing an Egyptian-Iranian Alliance?

Protests in Egypt are going on to the 15th day, a little over 2 weeks now, since January 25, 2011.

The Muslim Brotherhood seems to be gaining foothold, leaving the inevitable question of how much more Islamist fundamentalism does Israel have to put up with. In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.

Israel has for decades maintained its position against the establishment of potential bases of Islamist terrorists on its borders until 2000 when Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon (and the Golan Heights/ Syrian Heights) which led to the formation of a Hezbollah-dominated region and in 2005 when Israel withdrew from Gaza which led to the rise of the Hamas. North and South Israel were taken by and controlled by Islamist movement and Iran has since pressed for attacks on Israel's borders.

It's a two-edged sword: the Muslim Brotherhood is a sworn enemy in the Mubarak regime and has its relations with the Palestinian movement. If the MB takes control, their descendants within Palestine, the Hamas will have a foothold in Cairo and the Palestinians will have an ally in Egypt. In such an event, it is speculated there will be an Egypt-Iranian alliance which would almost certainly end the security in Israel's southern border. Israel will certainly not give up the West Bank so easily then.

The current turmoil in Egypt certainly has kept Israel on its toes.

If the West Bank falls to the Hamas, it would be sharing Jerusalem with an Islamist government, turning the city into a war zone and rocket fire is likely to rain on Tel Aviv and the holy city.

It is an existential and political paradox: on one hand, a democratic Palestinian state would save the Jewish state from the threat of Palestinian majority which would force Israel to chose between a Jewish state or their version of democracy but on the other hand, an unstable Palestinian state in the West Bank may likely fall to the Hamas.

However, it is said that Arab leaders are much more concern about the Iran nuclear program rather than ending the Israeli occupation of the West Bank. A matter of time before the diversion is lost.

Israel will ever be more vigilant. Despite "conventional" Western thought that a Palestinian state must be created to contain the Islamist threat, Israel believes the converse to be true.

Only if Iran is contained can Israel can allow it's east borders to be controlled by Palestinian rule. Now with the possible encirclement of Israel, this remains to be seen.