Following the collapse of the Mubarak regime, Egypt's reliability as an Israeli ally has been called into question. This ambiguity has been exploited by the Egypt's transitional government — controlled by the Supreme Military Council — which has used it as a source of leverage over the US. In a series of provocative measures, including indications of a public thaw in relations with Iran, the opening of the Rafah border with Gaza and culminating in their orchestration of the Fatah-Hamas unity deal, the transitional government has sent a message to the world that their allegiances are very much in flux.

The intimate involvement of Egypt in the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation is a perfect example of this strategy. Egypt has exploited the uncertainties and sense of insecurity of the Arab Spring to put former allies like Israel and the US on notice, using Fatah (unnerved by the downfall of former patron Mubarak) and Hamas (fearful of the potential collapse of their patrons in the Assad regime) as tools to exert this leverage. As Lee Smith has argued, given the dire state of the Egyptian economy, these tactics appear designed to extract increased aid and concessions from the US. This argument is supported by the fact that, despite embracing a more ambiguous stance towards Israel, the transitional government has stopped short of openly confronting Israel; as has been shown in their forceful actions against "Nakba Day" protestors outside the Israeli Embassy, as well as the tightening of restrictions on the Rafah border.

Like Egypt, Syria has consistently involved itself in the Palestinian struggle since the founding of Israel, participating in the Arab-Israeli wars and allowing Fatah to operate as a virtual extension of the Syrian military intelligence for many years. Following their humiliating defeats in the 1967 and 1973 wars, Syria changed its strategy from direct military confrontation with Israel to the use of Palestinian proxy organisations-most importantly, Hamas — to wage asymmetric warfare. This has enabled the Assad regime to both continue to threaten Israeli security and to project a disproportionate amount of strategic influence in the region by using the threat of violence against Israel as leverage.