Returning Gaza to Egypt would remove a sticking point in the
Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and bring stability to the
region. A post-Mubarak Egypt could have a moderating influence
on Hamas, while giving the Gazan people a voice and ensuring
greater security for Israel. The departure of Hosni Mubarak
generates fear in Western capitals, and for good reasons. Egypt
has been a steadfast ally of the West for decades, as it
maintained peace with Israel and worked against Iranian
influence in the region. Many Western leaders are frightened to
realize that all this may evaporate if anti-Western forces,
including the Muslim Brotherhood, gain power in a new
government. But a new reality in Egypt may also present
opportunities for peacemaking in the region that would have been
unthinkable only weeks ago. One of these opportunities is to
return Gaza to Egyptian control. Egypt controlled the Gaza Strip
in 1948, but lost it to Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967.
While Egypt and Israel ultimately made peace in 1979