Good Egyptian source just back from Washington says israel is syrian regime's most ardent advocate with congress, Obama administration.
That may or may not be true; it's a rumor at best ...
but ...
if true, it is something that Syrians need to be aware of as one of (no, not one of ... THE) prime excuse that the regime has made for deferring democracy and clamping down on freedom is the national struggle; they claim that democracy is bad for the effort to recover the Jaulan and that all dissidents are undermining the national cause. They aren't the first regime to invoke national security as a license for denying freedoms and democracy and they won't be the last.
And the reality is quite different; Assad the Father and the Uncle could find military resources to massacre Syrians in Aleppo and Hama, Palestinians and Lebanese at Tel az Zaatar .... the Son can massacre Syrians in Banyas and Homs and Dera'a, right at the feet of Jebel Shaikh and the Jaulan .... yet the Jaulan is still occupied. One wonders ...
And if Michael Oren is actually calling on the US Government to preserve Assad ...
it undermines the lies of 48 years of freedom deferred.
23 comments:
Israelis want a free Syria too, they're just afraid of someone even worse taking over and starting a new war. Israel loves you Amina, stay safe and after your revolution, please come to Jerusalem to visit!
Correction, the Israeli people want a free Syria. it is the paranoid conservative Israeli government that wants things to remain as they are lest they loose their status as america's favorite pet. the Israeli government now has a chance to create permanent peace, we suggest that they do so now before all hell brakes loose. the Israeli people should also stand up and revolt against a regime that claims to be democratic yet treats its Arab citizens, converts, and peace loving Jewish Israeli activists like second class citizens and traitors.
This would be no great surprise really. The Americans have done this for years and now, too, the Israelis if this report is to be believed: fearing a popular uprising that may actually instate genuine democracy in Syria in some guise, as well as the possibility of continued rejection of Israel's legitimacy, the Israelis may very well be shifting their allegiances (albeit temporarily) in the hope that they may help to prop up the regime.
that indeed is what is happening behind the scenes, but it is a big mistake in the long run. the leaders are not thinking far ahead beyond their own personal/national interests.. but not human interests, just national interests.. a good strategy for short term gains but not a bit of incite in to the very long term benefits. world leaders have not clued in yet to yet another inevitability that has already transpired.
I find this claim to be very unlikely. The one reason the Israeli government might want Assad in power is that its border with Syria has actually been more peaceful in recent years than its border with countries with which it is at peace. They might fear that instability in Syria will cause Syria to become a base for Palestinian militant groups. However, whether reasonable or not, the single biggest fear of the current Israeli government is of Iran. The fall of the Assad government would be a disaster for Iran and it would impact Iran’s ability to supply weapons to Hezbollah. As such, I cannot see the Israeli government being disappointed to see Assad go.
How about a reality check?
Of course the Israelis want to see a democratic Syria if for no other reason that democracies do not make war with each other. Trade and exchange are far preferable to war.
The Israelis fear if Assad jr., is toppled what happened in Egypt will happen in Syria. The outer layer will be presentable but the inner core will be as rotten as ever. Why? Because that is what works best. Focus the rage outward and the sins of the regime remain on the back burner.
With the conflation of religion and politics, the tragedy of yet another lost generation is guaranteed. As long as the State pays the clergy, they will parrot the state agenda. This leads to a reality that many in the region fail to see.
When nations that are that are led by or are under the influence of tyrants or dictators, attempt to justify those actions, we can rightly assume that justification is false. Tyrants and dictators do not make moral choices, because moral choices can only lead to the demise of the tyranny.
Anyone that comes to the defense of tyrannical regimes and their leaders, have themselves made a conscious choice to defend and stand by what is immoral. They themselves consciously adopt an immoral posture.
Lastly, the Golan is more symbolic than strategic nowadays. If Syria really the land back they could have had it returned a long time ago- with a peace treaty. The reason the Golan is still in Israeli hands is because Syria under the Assads (aided by that lunatic Mustafa Tlass) feared peace because peace would focus Syrian attention inward, as is happening now.
The greatest victim of Arab world tyranny is not Israel and the hate and terror foisted against her. The greatest victims are an Arab population that everyday falls further and further behind every progressive nation on earth- Israel included.
One more taste of reality: There is absolutely nothing Israelis (or Jews for that matter)could do to the Arabs that their own political and 'religious' leadership haven't already done to insure the failure of Arab society.
Of course, there little doubt when this is all over, Israel will be blamed for Syrian and Arab world woes. The once great ummah will be further humiliated, not by the west but by her own leaders.
And another generation will be lost.
Of course its true…
Israel does not want instability on the Golan border which has been the quietest of all its borders just as they did not want the Mubarak regime to fall in Egypt….
I would not put too much credence into a random twitter rumor. As for what Israelis want, just remember that Israel is a country with something like 15 parties in the Kennset.
I expect that the Israeli government is sitting and waiting for now.
I will stand by my assertion that having a democratic Syria will in the long run be good for Israel.
If Syria becomes a democracy, why would Israel not want that?
Best of luck Amina! Sounds like things are getting more serious (from guardian, this morning):
""There are military operations still going on in Homs, Banias and Tafas and we now have checkpoints and gunfire in six areas around Damascus, including Moadamiyeh, Harasta and Douma," executive director of the human rights group Isan Wissam Tarif told Katherine Marsh.
Tarif, who is monitoring is monitoring events from the Hague, added: "The wave of detention since Friday has continued without stop. The number of people disappearing is getting higher. People are being picked out of cars at checkpoints.""
if there is any credibility in this silly tweet then why has Ben from CNN not done a legitimate report for his news service? Obviously, even he does not truly believe it!
Amina, your blog is great, there are many in Israel that are rooting for you and others in your country that want democracy. We want to come and visit you in Damascus and we want for you to come to Jerusalem.
Please keep up the good work so that we know what is happening...
Given this report from the guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/08/iran-helping-syrian-regime-protesters?INTCMP=SRCH it would indeed be ironic to find Israel and Iran pursuing a joint policy. I have yet to find an Israeli, either on the right or the left expressing any support for the Baathist regime at all, on the contrary, but that said I wouldn't put anything past the present bunch of losers in power in Jerusalem.
Some of the above comments amuse me. Israel's support for the brutal Mubarak regime for all the years until its fall and its oppression & occupation of Palestinians shows it has no interest in seeing free Arabs anywhere, including Syria. It's hypocritical for Israelis to want Syrians to visit Jerusalem while most native Palestinians can't step foot there. Do not think that Syrians are not aware of this blatant hypocrisy. Ben's source sounds right to me. Israel would rather keep the current regime in place. After all, what has Bashar done to free Golan?
Yes, Hussam.
Israel wants belligerent neighbors who threaten her very existence on a daily level.
Israel wants neighbors who promise to 'Finish what Hitler started'.
Further, please provide a reference source for saying Palestinians are permanently precluded from visiting Jerusalem. That in fact does not seem to be the case, save for certain times.
In addition, the deaths in Cairo over the last few days do not speak well of the 'new and improved' Egypt.
As for Syria herself, you can be sure in the post Assad era, Syrians will remember the 'blatant hypocrisy' of those who defended the regime by inference.
Further, do you really want to compare Israel and Syria? Do you really want to go there?
Finally, UN, EU, Quartet and others have all made clear peace in the region can be had under three conditions:
*Cessation of terror
*Diplomatic recognition
*Secure borders
Which of those things are too onerous a condition for the Palestinians? Or is the call, 'HAMAS! HAMAS! JEWS TO THE GAS!' more important a goal?
A Syrian friend of mine once noted bitterly the real naqbah was not Israel but rather audio and video tape. He said, "We can no longer hide from the world what we have become. We can no longer hide it from ourselves", he said.
Hussam...
These comments should not amuse you. They are the expressions of individuals, not government statements. Why get locked into stereotypes? - they are always misleading. What makes you think these people do not feel as you do? Ask yourself what YOUR country has done for the Palestinians. Ask yourself if YOUR country stood against the Mubaraks. Show me a government in the Middle East which has shown any interest in seeing free Arabs. It is not hypocritical for anyone to wish his neighbour well. I'm both surprised and disappointed by your attitude.
Oh Hussam, I feel sorry for you. You want to hate Israel so badly that you can't even accept reality. There are over a quarter of a million Palestinians who live in Jerusalem itself; your accusations are baseless. Almost half a million Palestinian refugees still languish in refugee camps in Syria, without citizenship or human rights, unable to leave or start new lives. Is this not hypocrisy?
It is this baseless hatred that Israelis fear.
But it isn't up to Israel who rules Syria, that should be up to the Syrian people. When they are successful in ousting Assad, I pray they choose peace with Israel. Both Israel and Syria have lost too many children to war with each other. Give us peace and we'll give you the Golan. But let's make it a real peace between brothers.
--- Israel would rather keep the current regime in place. After all, what has Bashar done to free Golan? ---
This comment is silly. The current regime has done nothing to free the Golan because of the lack of ability to do so, not the lack of desire. If Syria attacked Israel to regain the Golan Heights, its army would be crushed. And should the current regime be overthrown, the new government will be militarily weaker than the current regime. Revolutions tend to make countries militarily weaker. This is because the most experienced officers, who tend to be related to the prior regime, are forced out of the army. In addition, resources consumed in fighting internal enemies reduce the resources the country has to fight external enemies. Israel’s biggest concerns are Hezbollah and Iran, both of which would be weakened by the fall of the current Syrian government. Israel’s foreign policy is not based on the concern that the Syrians might try to regain the Golan Heights. Thus it is not likely that the Israeli government wants the current Syrian government to survive.
In the Arab world, the surest way to gain support for one’s cause is to claim that Israel is supporting the other side. But in this case, it’s plainly not the case.
Hussam is right…
Israel does not want regime change-they crave stability and in the absence of a friend in Damascus-at least they know Bashar and his father before him and he has done nothing to try to regain the Golan because it was not a priority..
There are many palestinians BORN in Jeruslalem who are no longer permitted to enter the city-yes I agree that arab governments do nothing to help their palestinian brothers and its all the zionists fault according to them but its a fact….
Finally ,where in his post does he show hatred for Israel?
He is being quite objective and is certainly accurate…...
Whether Hussam is 'right' or 'wrong' is irrelevant in my opinion. The point is that the readers of this blog do not represent their respective governments. Why is a reader from Jerusalem hypocritical to support the Syrian revolution while a reader from Cairo is not? This is not a forum for discussing the rights and wrongs of the occupation - it is Amina's blog about the struggle for human rights in Syria and hopefully any support from any quarter is appreciated. I would expect that most readers here would support human rights for everybody. If I didn't believe that I wouldn't be following this blog.
True-it is not about Israel but I was responding to some of the comments who appear to be somewhat naive…
Of course we who are following this blog are doing so to support Amina who is incredibly brave…
Its chilling to watch that clip where people are being hauled off by the security forces- but to be realistic if the regime falls,theres not going to be one big happy democracy-the last thing that needs to happen is a power vacuum…
I am with Yanti. Amina's focus is on human rights. I am an American and, frankly, not the biggest fan of most aspects of the U.S. Beneath my origin of birth, spiritual views and citizenship, I am a person. I think that this is what Amina, underneath it all, is seeking understanding and respect for: humanness. You go, Amina. You've got my attention and support!
Actually, the reason why there are Palestinian refugees in Syria (and everywhere else) is because of the zionist colonial occupation of Palestine. And you, European (or other) colonists who live in Palestine as Israelis (whether you support the government or not) are a tool of the Israeli government. You represent ethnic cleansing, murder, terrorism, and fascism.
DECOLONIZE PALESTINE: A land for Jews, Muslims, Christians and all other faiths to live side by side as humans.
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