The Palestinians, and Hamas in particular, lost the Arab world's support a long time ago. They certainly didn't have it when they initiated this most recent round of violence and wreaked havoc and destruction on the residents of the Gaza Strip territory under their control.
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The Arab world has come to understand what the wider world, and maybe even Israel, finds it difficult to internalize: Hamas has not and will never be interested in negotiations, agreements, or even long-term ceasefire accords. It certainly isn't interested in seeing a thriving Gaza that lives alongside Israel in peace.
All Hamas wants is the continuation of bloody instability in Gaza, Judea, Samaria, Israel, and everywhere else in the Middle East. In this current situation, in which fighting that could overtake the entire region could break out at any moment, Hamas is like a fish in water. It hopes and believes this is the only way it can achieve its long-term objectives, which were and remain the State of Israel's destruction.
As Hamas sees it, every round of violence it survives brings it closer, if only slightly, to this goal. At any rate, the violence has afforded it the status of the organization that not only represents Gaza and takes cares of its residents but as the group that defends Jerusalem and speaks for the Arabs that live all over Israel, from the river to the sea. Arab states understand this, and they are determined not to let Hamas drag them back into the never-ending cycle of bloodshed that forces them to drop their troubles at home and ends their efforts to contend with the Iranian threat. Gone are the days when the Palestinians' relentless extremism set the tone, and the Arab world was willing to pray the price.
The Arab world condemns Israel and identifies with the suffering of the civilian population that is paying the price for Hamas' aggression. Yet the Arabs are careful not to stand behind Hamas and back it up. Even the Palestinian Authority and many of the residents of Judea and Samaria are acting in this way, to maintain peace and stability and avoid being drowned by Hamas in the Gazan swamp.
Syria's and Hezbollah's silence in light of what is happening in Gaza is deafening. Syrian President Bashar Assad will not forget or forgive Hamas for it support for the Syrian rebels. We can therefore assume he is not too bothered by the blows the Gazan regime has received. Having been burned in the 2006 Second Lebanon War, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is determined not to let anyone drag him into a war.
At the end of the day, this round of fighting will come to an end. Israel will continue to develop its diplomacy, its economy, and its defensive capabilites, while Hamas' 2 million subjects in Gaza will continue to wallow in the Gazan swamp, with no hope for a better future. After all, every round of violence takes the Palestinians and their interests backward, while Israel continues to move forward.
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