After decades where Arab politicians kept the truth of their constructive relations with
Israel hidden from their publics and stoked anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment for domestic purposes, it is no wonder that Israel remains the focus of anger across the Middle East, even after
the Arab spring turned attention elsewhere.
Last night in Cairo anti-Israeli protests went further than anything seen before, as frustrations with the slowness of the democratic transition and misperceptions about the Egypt-Israeli relationship led demonstrators to attack and torch the Israeli embassy.
There will be those who see in Cairo proof that the Arab Spring will unleash nothing but turmoil and conflict. I think it is too early to tell. The Egyptian military has stoked a mood of hypernationalism, in part to build its own credibility, and now are facing the unintended but predictable consequences of their strategy.
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