"It might not appear very significant in the short run...But I think in the long run, it does change the calculus in the region for the Israelis and maybe even for the Americans," says Paul Salem, President & CEO of the Middle East Institute, a Washington-based think tank. "I fear that it might you know also mean that they (Israel) might feel that they have a freer hand in Gaza, maybe to go ahead and take Rafah, try to end the war on their terms, rather than on American terms," warns Salem. SOUNDBITES