Since the beginning of the so-called Arab Spring almost two years ago, the Muslim Brotherhood has made significant advancements both in Egypt and the Gaza Strip. Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood offshoot in Gaza, celebrated its 25th anniversary over the weekend, and hundreds of thousands gathered in possibly the biggest rally in the history of Gaza to hear Hamas' political leader, Khaled Meshaal, CBN News reports. Egypt's new government allowed Meshaal to enter -- something the Mubarak government would not do -- and it marked the first time in 45 years that he had been in Gaza. He used the opportunity to pledge Israel's destruction, saying: "Palestine will be Palestine. We will never surrender the land, Jerusalem, the right of return or [our right] to resistance. We will not leave any inch of Palestinian land and we'll never give up any of our rights." Israeli president Shimon Peres stated in response to Meshaal's speech: "He unmasked the real nature of Hamas: to kill, to conquer, not to compromise, the people of Gaza can remain poor and hungry." Some say the Hamas rally is a sign they feel they won the recent conflict with Israel, and they are also emboldened after the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Hamas announced its desire to reach a unity agreement with Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, and some have speculated Meshaal could one day be a candidate for president of the PA.
