The West and the cost of the Syrian curse

International affairs

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The West and the cost of the Syrian curse

The measures adopted by the French authorities ever since president Nicolas Sarkozy announced the banning of Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi from entering France and the pursuits carried out by the French security apparatuses to disband terrorist and takfiri cells on French soil, all point to what could be dubbed the Syria curse that affected the French authorities which constituted the spearhead of the attack on Syria by using the gangs of takfir, the extremist groups and the Muslim Brotherhood. Ever since the eruption of the so-called Arab spring, the Western states have been boasting their harboring of extremist movements which were used to mobilize the Arab youth in the Afghan war against the Soviet Union thirty years ago.

Firstly, this situation generated a political and media climate filled with the instigation in favor of extremism and killing and created an infernal circle which cannot be broken without reviewing the calculations, starting with the positions towards Syria and the positions serving European stability and deterring the threats. Throughout an entire year, the Western countries competed over the embracing of the Muslim Brotherhood organization and the groups of takfir and extremism revolving in its space, and played the blood game in Syria via these powers to which they offered help and support through funding, armament and training in partnership with Saudi Arabia and Qatar in particular. Moreover, these states provided safe havens for their leaders and operations rooms in numerous Western capitals, especially in Germany, Britain and Belgium, and naturally in France. Once again, the West is paying the price for this partnership and this curse out of its own security.

Secondly, about twenty years ago wise voices in Europe tried to differentiate between the national Islamic movements engaged in resistance against Israel and the extremist, takfiri and terrorist movements whose principle is to annul the other that is different through killing and terrorism. But the European ruling elite which was under American hegemony silenced these voices and turned their backs to them under the pressures of the Zionist lobby. They thus chose to fight the Islamic resistance calling for unity between believers of all religions and rejecting any racial segregation based on race or belief such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas and the Islamic Jihad in Palestine, and opened up the door before the MB organization and the extremist takfiri groups acting in the ranks of Europe’s Muslims. These facilitations were increased during the past year under the cover of the so-called Arab spring and in light “of the services” offered by these organizations’ to ensure the exploitation and pillaging of Libya and the protection of the Camp David accord in Egypt and the promise of normalization with Israel in Tunisia. Moreover, the European, French, British support mainly focused on all these bloody forces in Syria to topple the secular Syrian national state and its president Doctor Bashar al-Assad to serve the American and Zionist strategies in the region.

Thirdly, the Europeans opened their media space to all the channels of takfir broadcasting from Riyadh, Cairo and London and allowed the Muslims in Europe to listen to the Saudi fatwas regarding the destruction of the churches and Al-Qaradawi’s fatwas which allowed the killing of one third of the Syrian people based on religious and sectarian difference. The Europeans thus provided funding and weapons to those who destroyed the churches and displaced the Christians in the city of Homs, as it was done by the Americans in Iraq following the occupation.

When Patriarch Bechara al-Rahi visited Paris and warned Sarkozy against the Syria curse and the repercussions of the involvement in supporting extremism which could open the door before sectarian and religious violence and threaten the Christian presence in the East, the French authorities and their ambassador in Beirut responded to the Patriarch in an impolite way, thus proving that France’s ambassadors in Beirut and Damascus were involved in the war on Syria.

Terrorism and takfir are Western and European tools in partnership with Saudi Wahhabism, Qatar and the Gulf in general, on which the European and Western governments wagered to dismantle Syria. Now, they are backfiring at the heart of the European capitals and France will not be the only one to pay the cost. The Syria curse will pursue all the Western states and the only way to handle the situation would be by recognizing the failure of the options adopted against Syria and the failure of the linking of Europe’s fate to Israel’s priorities in the East.

New analysis

– The Istanbul conference and Erdogan’s disappointment

Ever since the beginning of the incidents, the Turkish rhetoric towards the situation in Syria was characterized by great arrogance and colonial superiority, thus featuring lessons and advice, as well as the promotion of democracy and human rights. The Justice and Development government disregarded the fact that it was incompetent at this level, especially taking into account its method in dealing with the Kurds and their cause as well as with the Armenians and the other democratic opposition forces in the country.

Firstly, throughout the Syrian crisis, the official Turkish rhetoric featured an underlying threat regarding the staging of military intervention in Syria, but also the repetition of the chorus “we will stand idle.” It is known that the intelligence apparatuses did not spare an effort in the context of the indirect interference practiced by all the sides involved in the bloody alliance which led the cosmic war on Syria. Turkey thus established a joint operations room to lead this alliance at the Incirlik base, in the presence of Turkish, American and French officers. Turkey supported the terrorism, killing and sabotage operations on Syrian soil in a way exceeding the provision of headquarters and protection to the terrorist gangs. Moreover, it participated in the media war which targeted Syria and was active at the level of all the international and regional contacts and actions in total coordination with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which drowned the Turkish leaders and the armed gangs with all their formations with funds. This behavior adopted by Erdogan’s government led Turkey towards a real predicament after the Syrian internal balances tilted in favor of the national state, President Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian Arab army with clear American and NATO recognition. Despite all the threats and claims featured in the speech of Erdogan’s government, it is incapable of carrying out any step outside the context of the American order and decision, and at this level, the Turkish threats went against the American and NATO positions which are governed by the inability to intervene.

Secondly, the Syrian state was able to settle the situation on the ground and the Syrian people held on to their land by choosing to be displaced inside their country instead of migrating to Turkey, Lebanon or Jordan after they were forced to leave their homes by the armed gangs. The United States and NATO are unable to interfere for known reasons, at the head of which being the resistance and the defense will of the Syrian state and people in the face of any foreign aggression. Despite this fact, the Turkish government tried to threaten with intervention once again under the headline of the humanitarian corridors and the buffer zone in the context of the preparations for the conference for the Enemies of Syria being held in Istanbul.

Thirdly, during his visit to Tehran, Erdogan received a clear Iranian warning regarding Iran’s commitment to Syria’s defense against any foreign threat. This means that any Turkish military action across the border with Syria will trigger a war in which the Iranian army with its massive capabilities will take part. Consequently, Turkey will pay the economic, political and military price for this foolishness not only at the hands of the Syrian army, but also at the hands of the Iranian partner. The Istanbul conference is being held at a time when the international and Syrian ceiling for the handling of the Syrian situation is revolving under the headline of the political solution via Kofi Annan’s mission. The support of Annan’s mission has thus become the chorus being reiterated in all the international and regional forums and will become binding to the Istanbul conference.

The American recognition of the fact that the political solution means dialogue with President Al-Assad in the context of Annan’s mission to produce a settlement based on the Security Council statement, means that the Istanbul conference will be nothing more than a platform for speeches raising the same banner featured in the American order to all the agents and partners in the war on Syria, while the fictive image which the government of the Ottoman illusion will try to instate after its inability to impose the intervention is that the conference will pressure President Al-Assad into cooperating with Annan’s mission. This will happen although Al-Assad’s cooperation was the one that allowed the talk about that mission at a time when the Syrian opposition movements are the ones still rejecting it until this moment, despite all the failures and defeats with which they were afflicted.

– Land Day and the Palestinian cause

The Palestinians courageously showed their attachment to their land and the marches on Land Day in the Arab countries and around the world became an opportunity to confirm the Palestinian historical right to all of Palestine, but also to condemn the Zionist occupation practicing racial segregation against the owners of the land. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia led an entire Arab era under the headline of seeking American sponsorship of settlements which turned out to be aiming at tearing the Arab ranks apart and at undermining the liberation movements which Saudi Arabia fought in coordination with the United States and Israel in order to deplete them. And just as it was hostile towards Egypt under Abdel Nasser, it is now conspiring against Syria under Bashar al-Assad due to the president’s liberation and resistance option and his strategic doctrine which is primarily based on antagonizing the Zionist entity. The Arabs’ modern experience with the negotiations and the Saudi beggary for American sponsorship obviously led to a rebellion against the principle of Israel’s very existence and to a commitment to the idea of the liberation of Palestine. After it turned out that the resistance force is the course of definite victory over Zionist colonial tyranny, one must push towards a new culture extending beyond keeping the cause alive among the people.

The Arab historical right to the land of Palestine and to Jerusalem which is threatened with Judaization is a sacred right that cannot be undermined by an alleged right based on a false legend weaved by Western colonialism and produced by Zionism.

The existing world only understands the language of power and the resistance is the only way to ensure power for all the oppressed people. It is the option of the free states, and in the Arab region, the free and resisting state is Syria whose people and leader embraced the resistance and defied colonialism and its armies since the occupation of Iraq and until this day.

All the Palestinian factions that are denying the resistance and setting their policies based on beggary to ensure settlements featuring the recognition of Israel are committing treason against the Palestinian cause and their people, as the negotiations which have been ongoing since the Oslo agreement constitutes a means to liquidate the cause.

The right of return to Palestine, all of Palestine, is a principle that cannot be dissociated from any political course or understanding related to the conflict with the enemy. The Arab Syria offered a great archetype in confirming that right and refusing to relinquish one inch of the occupied land at the peak of Arab dismantlement, ever since the negotiations launched with the enemy following the October War and until this day.

The idea of liberating Palestine is not a racist idea against the Jewish religion as some Arab defeatists are trying to claim, and the resistance axis’ perception of that issue is based on the fact that the Palestinians have the right to return to their land and determine their own fate, while the Jews who were present in Palestine before the establishment of the Zionist entity would earn an equal citizenship right. As to the settlers who were brought in from around the globe, they would be sent back to their countries following the destruction of the racist entity which is the last stronghold for colonialism around the world.

Syria’s victory over the global war that targeted it is one for the entire resistance bloc which offered the Palestinian cause a precious accomplishment represented by the liberation of the international equation from American hegemony. This definitely provides an opportunity for the advancement of the Palestinian and Arab struggle along the course of the popular and military resistance to regain all the occupied land, including the Palestinian territories occupied in 1948.

– The BRICS states

The summit held by the presidents of Russia, China, Brazil, India and South Africa and came out with a consensual position rejecting foreign interference in the Syrian crisis, coincided with the letter addressed by the Syrian president to this summit in parallel to the meeting held by the rulers and employees of some Arab states in the context of the Arab summit, without their positions having any impact stemming from their understanding with the concerned party, i.e. Syria. We are facing an equation saying that the internationalization of the Syrian crisis toppled the chances of its Arabization. Consequently, BRICS which became the international reference in the face of NATO and enjoys an equal military, financial, political and demographic strength as NATO, is also the only side being addressed by the man who holds all the cards in Syria, i.e. President Al-Assad, at a time when it is becoming clear who enjoys power on the Syrian arena. The BRICS states represent more than half the world and Syria granted them the opportunity to become an influential power. Syria is thus participating in the making of a new world order and BRICS granted it the cover.

Arab affairs

Syria

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visited the Baba Amr neighborhood in the Homs province, toured its streets and inspected the methodic sabotage which affected the residential buildings, infrastructure and institutions at the hands of the armed terrorist groups. During the tour, President Al-Assad stressed that the exceptional circumstances witnessed in Homs in general and in Baba Amr in particular required the rallying of the efforts of the province, the members of the Homs council and the city’s population to rebuild the residential buildings and rehabilitate the infrastructure, especially the schools, water and electricity networks, the telecommunication networks and the medical institutions which were sabotaged in the context of the terrorist activities witnessed in the area.

The 23rd Arab summit which was held in Baghdad on Thursday stressed the necessity of launching dialogue between the Syrian government and the opposition. It also asked the Syrian government and all the parties in the opposition to positively deal with joint Envoy Kofi Annan to launch a serious national dialogue based on the plan proposed by the League and the UN General Assembly resolution.

Iran

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi announced on Wednesday that his country supported the peace plan for Syria, cautioning that the Syrian issue should be dealt with patiently since any rash handling of this matter and the creation of vacuum in the authority could have dire consequences throughout the region. For his part, Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad called for the enhancement of the relations between his country and Turkey in order to thwart the conspiracies of the common enemies, at a time when Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan assured that his country will continue to back up Tehran’s position in regard to the nuclear file.

Egypt

The ruling military council in Egypt announced in an official statement its great disgruntlement towards the Muslim Brotherhood’s questioning of its intentions and the autonomy of the higher Constitutional Court. Indeed, the MB had issued a statement in which it addressed harsh criticisms to the military council, considering it wanted to see the stay of Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri’s government despite its failure. On Friday, thousands of Egyptians demonstrated on Tahrir Square in Cairo and a number of other provinces in protest against the MB’s control over the Constituent Assembly tasked with the drafting of the constitution.

Israeli file

The Israeli papers issued this week tackled the attack waged by the Israeli occupation army against the unarmed demonstrators on Land Day, leading to the death of one Palestinian and the injuring of 400 others after the Israeli authorities adopted many stringent measures to anticipate the attempts by demonstrators from neighboring countries to cross the border with occupied Palestine. In the meantime, the papers carried the instructions issued by the army command to the troops deployed along the border and inside the Palestinian regions in regard to possible shootings.

On the other hand, the papers shed light on the victory of former Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz after he earned the majority of the votes in the Kadima Party, thus causing the defeat of Tzipi Livni. The papers indicated that this victory will carry numerous repercussions on the Israeli political arena, as Mofaz had previously stated that in case he were to win, he would immediately join Netanyahu’s government and support the military strike again Iran.

On the other hand, Yediot Aharonot indicated that the American Department of Defense will request the allocation of a special budget from Congress to help Israel acquire new batteries in the context of the Iron Dome system to obstruct incoming rockets. Last year, the United States had granted Israel 205 million dollars to purchase four batteries. For its part, Haaretz carried a report quoting identical American and Israeli sources as saying that the Israeli airstrike against Iran was completely off the table for the time being, and that Tel Aviv will not carry out any attacks until the spring of 2013. In the meantime, the papers mentioned that Russia’s recent exposure of its production of a sophisticated anti-tank missile provoked Israeli concerns and fears of seeing these missiles reaching Syria and consequently Hezbollah.

Lebanese file

The government agreed to lease boats to secure electricity for a period of three years and to hasten the construction of the power plants to produce 1500 megawatts based on the electricity policy paper. In the meantime, parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said he was relieved by this cabinet session, adding to As-Safir: “This might be the first productive session in a long time but what remains to be seen is the implementation of the decision in regard to the electricity sector and the Cabinet’s sustainment of this level of productivity.”

On the other hand, Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah confirmed the party’s support to Mikati’s government, stressing that its continuation served the interests, security and stability of the country. On the Arab level, Sayyed Nasrallah criticized the Arabs’ disregarding of the events in Bahrain, stressing the nation’s responsibility towards the Palestinian cause and the liberation of the sanctities. Regarding the situation in Syria, Sayyed Nasrallah assured that the foreign threat, whether via military intervention, armament or the dispatch of Arab troops had been eliminated, adding that all the facts confirmed that the proposed solution for the Syrian crisis was a political one based on dialogue between the authority and the opposition and the introduction of serious reforms.

In a related context, President Michel Suleiman said to As-Safir: “I am playing a positive role and will continue to do so by encouraging the Syrian command to secure the success of the mission of international Envoy Kofi Annan, regardless of whom it will serve. What is important is for it to serve Syria, and as Lebanon’s president of the republic, what interests me is civil peace, security and stability in Syria and for the solution to serve democracy as this would be fair to all.”