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JERUSALEM — A University of Utah law professor who has a home in Israel says anything can happen in these last hours of an Egypt-brokered ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.
"In the Middle East, seven hours is equivalent to about a lifetime and a half," Amos Guiora says in a new interview with Utah's Morning News.
Guiora says the issues at stake in the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel are incredibly complex, and can't be solved in just a matter of days. Among other things, the two sides remain far apart on tunnels in Gaza, a Hamas-requested seaport, disarmament and the movement of goods.
Guiora says it's also no surprise Egypt has asked for more time for its talks between Israel and Hamas, because of Egypt's concern about the spread of Islamic extremism in the Middle East.
"It's all related," Guiora says, "in the sense that from Egypt's perspective, Hamas and ISIS are to some extent in a relationship in terms of Islamic extremism, and the present Egyptian government, which is a very secular government, is deeply concerned about the power and the range, if you will, of Islamic extremism. That's why they are in many ways seeking to move this along."
In addition to maintaining a home just outside of Jerusalem, Guiora teaches classes on religion and terrorism and serves as Co-Director of the Center for Global Justice at the University of Utah's S.J. Quinney College of Law. Becky Bruce is the executive producer of Utah's Morning News on KSL Newsradio.
