Egyptian Middle East Peace Efforts, Hezbollah's Drones, and the Syrian Challenge to Israel

Matthew RJ Brodsky joins Denise Wood on i24News "Perspectives" to discuss Egyptian President al-Sisi's meeting with Israeli PM Netanyahu on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York and Egyptian attempts to facilitate Fatah-Hamas reconciliation. Egyptian-Israeli cooperation and relations are at a historic high level and the two leaders see eye to eye on many important issues, not the least of which is combating radical Islamist terrorism. One can't blame al-Sisi for staking out a role as peacemaker but it likely won't compel Israelis or Palestinians to take dramatic steps in that direction.

Attempts at Fatah-Hamas reconciliation are also unlikely to bear fruit as the latest Hamas initiative was designed to undercut PA leader Abbas while he's in New York at the UN. One also shouldn't forget that the last flirtation with reconciliation provided the final torpedo that sunk the previous push for peace in 2014.

Brodsky also discusses the latest Hezbollah drone that Israel shot down, which reflects the basic tit for tat and back and forth that exists between the two. The strategic decision of war and peace, however, rests in Tehran and Jerusalem--it's not Hezbollah's choice to make. An area of concern going forward is Syria, where Israel has had a relative free hand in striking Iranian weapons shipments since the civil war erupted in 2011. Should Assad regain control of all of Syria, will it curtail Israel's ability to strike there? Would the international community view such a strike as an attack against a sovereign nation -- even though Assad and Hezbollah are merely Iranian puppets?