On Thursday, December 8, an Israeli air strike in central Gaza killed a Palestinian militant planning a terrorist attack from the Egyptian border. In doing so, Israel prevented a repeat of what had occurred last August, when Palestinians crossed over the Sinai and proceeded to murder eight Israelis.

The attacks follow the ouster of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, and because of these attacks and additional troubles, the construction of a security fence along southern Israel’s Egyptian border is currently underway.

The so-called Arab Spring has brought an end to dictatorships in a number of Middle Eastern countries, thrusting Islamist factions into power. Indeed, in Egypt’s new elections, Islamist parties just won more than 60 percent of the vote. The elections may have appeared to be a great achievement to those calling for “freedom” and “democracy” in the region, but there are ominous signs of danger for Israel and her allies.

When the movement that was initially led by Egyptian youth was successful in overthrowing Mubarak, a list of troubling events took place. One was the storming of Israel’s embassy in Cairo, the city that is home to the global headquarters of the extremist Muslim Brotherhood. Angry young men tossed documents out of windows and set fire to the embassy’s flag. The embassy staff, who said they had feared for their lives, needed to be rescued from the frenzied crowd.

Another was the invitation of Yusuf al-Qaradawi to lead Friday prayers in Tahrir Square. Qaradawi, the spiritual leader of the Brotherhood, had been banned from entering Egypt for the past three decades. He has been known to endorse, among other things, suicide bombings and attacks against American troops. Hundreds of thousands of those loyal to him packed the square, as Qaradawi prayed for the conquest of Jerusalem.

Another cause for disquiet was Cairo’s hosting of reconciliation talks between the leaders of Hamas and Fatah to begin negotiations for a unity government in the Palestinian territories. Considering that Hamas is a major faction of the Brotherhood, the move could very well have been a ploy to end all peace negotiations with Israel. It is a certainly a genuine fear that Egypt and Israel will sever their own peaceful ties, as Islamists are calling for the nullification of the 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty.

Yet another was Egypt’s opening of the barrier between Gaza and Egypt. When Israel went to war with Hamas in December 2008, Mubarak sealed the border. Following Mubarak’s imprisonment, the border was loosened, allowing for Palestinian militants to trek into Egypt and from there launch attacks on Israelis. According to the Jerusalem Post, “Hamas has established forward bases and rocket production facilities in the Sinai Peninsula.”

All of the above has led Israel to take the step of building a security fence between her Egyptian neighbor and herself.

The idea of a fence had already been discussed as a way to prevent human trafficking into Israel. North Africans seeking safe haven from such countries as Ethiopia, Libya, Tunisia, and Sudan have in recent times sought refuge in Israel via the Sinai. However, the threat of terrorists crossing the border has intensified the demand for a more secure border. And as of yet, the fence has not generated any of the controversies or legal challenges that have plagued Israel’s barriers from the West Bank and Gaza.

What used to be peace between the two nations — albeit a cold peace — may very well turn into a nightmare for Israel. And the fact that Egypt possesses billions of dollars of American-made weaponry, including F-16 fighter jets — something ignored by the Obama administration when it sought to support Mubarak’s enemies — only serves to heighten anxiety in the tiny Jewish state.

As if Israel didn’t already have enough threats to worry about — Hamas and Islamic Jihad suicide bombers from Gaza, Fatah fighters from the West Bank, Hezbollah from Israel’s north in Lebanon, and a possible nuclear Iran — Egypt has added itself to the list.

— Joe Kaufman is a candidate for the United States Congress in Florida’s 20th district. Beila Rabinowitz, director of Militant Islam Monitor, contributed to this report.