Occasional AT contributor Dr. Walid Phares of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies has an excellent overview of the conflict in Gaza where he rightly points to the influence of Iran driving Hamas:The big picture is obvious. The current conflict is not really about the classic Arab-Israeli process, which can resume between Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League anytime it is not obstructed. The Gaza fight is about Iran's confrontation with Israel, and perhaps with the U.S. globally. A global strategic reading leads us to conclude that - just as we saw in Lebanon in 2006 -Tehran is pulling the strings and very smartly. Timing the Hamas end to the cease fire between two American presidencies in Washington and just before the Israeli and Palestinian elections, the Mullahs thought they would drag Israel into the Gaza battle on an Iranian timetable, triggering a "street" show of anger, boosted by the jihadi propaganda machine in the region with...(Read Full Post)