TEL AVIV – As Israel vows a war “to the bitter end” against Hamas, the surge in violence has spurred worries about another regional Mideast war as well as speculation about Israel’s ultimate aim with its broad assault on targets inside the Gaza Strip.

On the former question, there’s not a chance. Who would fight it?

Apart from the usual suspects — Iran, Syria and their Lebanese proxies, Hezbollah — most Arab leaders are probably delighted that Israel is taking apart Hamas fighting ability. Most pleased, some of my regular Fatah sources tell me privately, is the West Bank Palestinian leadership of Fatah, which saw Hamas obliterate its own power structure in Gaza in a few violent days 18 months ago.

VIDEO: Israel widens fight in Gaza

This is payback time, courtesy of Israel. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other Fatah leaders, after calling for an urgent cease-fire, blame Hamas for provoking Israel by its refusal to continue the six-month truce, and its repeated rocket attacks into Israel.

Just as pleased is Egypt, which fears that its own fundamentalist Muslims will be encouraged by Hamas’ success in Gaza. A bloody nose for Hamas fits Egypt’s needs perfectly. Just as Palestinian police in the West Bank opened fire on pro-Hamas protestors on Sunday, so did Egyptian police on their border with Gaza.

Likewise, pro-Hamas demonstrations in Arab capitals like Amman and Baghdad will not force any military moves against Israel by their governments. And Iran, apart from its ability to support and encourage Hezbollah and Hamas, is a thousand miles away. The most Syria can do is to call off its indirect peace talks with Israel, which it has already done.

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By Eric BaculinaoNBC News Beijing bureau chief
Three Chinese navy ships set sail today to join the international fight against pirates off the coast of Somalia, marking a defining moment in China’s efforts to project its force and gain a greater role in maintaining global peace and security.
But the deployment is also triggering concerns that China may be slowly giving up the long-standing “lie-low” strategy that Deng Xiaoping had espoused to guide China’s diplomatic and security strategy.
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 KABUL, Afghanistan – Alberto Cairo describes himself as moody, temperamental, impatient and pushy. But to the disabled patients he has treated for 19 years at the Red Cross Rehabilitation Center – most of them victims of violence in this war-torn country – he is an angel of mercy.

“If you see someone coming here depressed, and you see if after a few minutes he’s a little less depressed, and then after a few days he’s even better,  and then he starts smiling again – that’s a huge reward,” Cairo said. “What can you expect, more than that?” he asked.

In a back corner of the Red Cross center’s male ward, 12-year-old Mohammed smiled broadly as Cairo walked over to him. Mohammed was sitting with his younger brother, Ahmad, on the edge of a cot. His one good foot, shod in a torn shoe, dangled down.

VIDEO: ‘Angel of mercy’ gives hope to Afghan disabled

“Look at him,” Cairo said to me. “Sometimes he uses his prostheses and sometimes he doesn’t. He’s a naughty boy, but no one at home is really taking care of him,” he said.

The lanky Cairo inspected the stump of Mohammed’s amputated leg and affectionately ruffled his younger brother’s hair before moving on through the ward, dashing in and out of the center’s therapy rooms in his mid-length Red Cross smock.

The gray-haired lawyer turned physiotherapist, teased and scolded the male patients in fluent Dari, their native language. He hugged the kids and then bicycled over to the female area to chat with the women. Cairo, 51, seemed to be everywhere at once, the driving force at the clinic, which is the largest orthopedic center in the world for disabled persons. 

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