Egyptian official: Syria likes Gaza chaos

LONDON, March 9 (UPI) -- An Arab newspaper in London suggested that Syria finds the conflict in Gaza a welcome distraction from its own acts in Lebanon.

"The current escalation on the Palestinian front is in the interest of the Syrians," an unnamed Egyptian official told Al-Hayat. "Indeed the continuation of this situation may embarrass leaders in the Arab world, and force them to go back on their decision to send low-level officials to the Arab Summit, which is set to take place in Damascus."

The official suggested that Syria may have played a part in the massacre of eight people at a yeshiva in Jerusalem. He said leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad were in Damascus at the time of the shooting.

Egypt has been hoping to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas-controlled Gaza. Omar Suleiman, the head of Egyptian intelligence, postponed a trip to Jerusalem after the yeshiva shootings -- after postponing it previously because of Israeli military action in Gaza, The Jerusalem Post reported.