The conflict raging in Gaza is different this time. While Hamas' rocket attacks and Israel's military actions may look familiar, they're taking place against a whole new backdrop. "This is unprecedented in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict," says CNN's Ali Younes, an analyst who has covered the region for decades. "Most Arab states are actively supporting Israel against the Palestinians -- and not even shy about it or doing it discreetly." It's a "joint Arab-Israeli war consisting of Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia against other Arabs -- the Palestinians as represented by Hamas." As the New York Times put it, "Arab leaders, viewing Hamas as worse than Israel, stay silent."
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The Gaza conflict is a proxy war for the Middle East, analysts say
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Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia are seen as supporting Israel's crackdown on Hamas
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Turkey and Qatar support Hamas
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Hamas is an extension of the Muslim Brotherhood, which threatens some governments
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One of the outcomes of the fighting will likely be "the end of the old @placeholder alliance system that has, even nominally, supported the Palestinians and their goal of establishing a Palestinian state," Younes says.
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"In Egypt you have a regime that came to power by toppling a @placeholder government," says Trager.