Arab leaders, citizens diverge on Gaza

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- Israel's Gaza invasion is widening a gulf between Arab leaders who criticize militant Palestinians and rank-and-file citizens who support them, analysts say.

Criticism of the militant group Hamas by the rulers of Egypt and Saudi Arabia -- whose official policies are to support it -- is clashing with the strong support for the Palestinian cause among everyday citizens, evidenced by anti-Egypt protesters taking to the streets at a Saturday demonstration in Beirut, The Washington Post reported Sunday.

Saudi Arabia and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak primarily see Hamas as an ally of Iran, whose regional influence they are seeking to contain, putting them at odds with many of their countrymen who cherish the Palestinian cause against Israel, the Post said.

Some analysts such as Karim Makdisi, a political studies professor at the American University of Beirut say this divide is threatening the legitimacy of governments that, in public at least, offered support for Palestinian rights.

"This gap, which has always been there, is greater than ever," he told the Post. "I think we're in the middle of something new."