Isn't it ironic that Hamas' best relationship these days is with Israel? This point has not been lost on either party. They remain bitter enemies, of course, but it is also true that the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is demonstrating that in a time of great uncertainty, it has no interest in toppling “the devil it knows” in Gaza. Hamas, for its part, knows that notwithstanding its deep-seated antipathy toward Israel, raison d'etat [state interest] favors practical cooperation with the Zionist entity on its main project — consolidating its power, authority and well-being in Gaza.
This ability to cooperate, as well as to fight, has been a prominent feature of the relationship since Israel's evacuation of settlements and its army from Gaza in September 2005. Evidence of their joint interest in cooperation is all the more true today, as Hamas feels the bitter end of events in Egypt and Syria, and Israel gets a front row view into the perils posed by failing states on its northern and southern borders.
