A Common Enemy Unites Egypt, Israel and Hamas

The misery of a common enemy can acquaint a country or group with strange bedfellows. Such is the case with Israel, Hamas and Egypt, which will likely put aside many of their differences in the wake of the Islamic State's recent show of force in Sinai. The success of the jihadist group's violent July 1 attacks on the town of Sheikh Zuweid in northern Sinai betrayed the unpreparedness of the Egyptian military and will prompt an intense escalation of force to address the militant problem. But the Egyptian military will be unable to eliminate the problem in Sinai because its rigid structure will prevent it from performing an effective counterinsurgency. Simultaneously, the response to the Sinai attacks will draw the interest of both Hamas and Israel, which will cooperate with each other and Egypt to halt Wilayat Sinai's momentum.