Middle East Press on: Palestinian, Resistance, Israel, Syria: New Age Islam's Selection, 14 December 2024
By New Age Islam Edit Desk
14 December 2024
Emergence Of The New Syria
Palestinian Resistance Can Always Survive Without Outside Support. Can Israel?
Biden Shares Delusions About Syria, Taking Credit For Assad's Regime Fall
Netanyahu’s Resilience: How He Stays In Power After October 7
Why Paraguay’s Support For Israel Matters Now More Than Ever
Brazilian Contest Sparks Outrage Over Genocide-Inciting Question
How 2013 Could Have Ended Syria’s Nightmare
Israel Is Making A Big Mistake In Syria
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Emergence Of The New Syria
By Murat Yeşiltaş
DEC 13, 2024
The revolution in Syria has achieved its goal, but everything is just beginning. The primary goal of the revolution was to topple the Assad regime. For 13 years, it came very close to toppling the regime from time to time, but what could not be achieved in 13 years was realized in 12 days, and the 61-year-old Baathist regime collapsed. The one responsible for 13 years of tears and bloodshed had to flee the country and seek refuge in Russia.
Much will be written about the revolution; many stories will be told. But the most important thing is how the future of Syria will be built from now on. Many dynamics will shape Syria’s future.
Internal dynamics
In terms of internal dynamics, the rapid collapse of the regime constitutes an important starting point. Given that the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) played a leading role in the overthrow of the regime, the transitional administration will also be dominated by the HTS. The peaceful transfer of power to the opposition by Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Jalali, who remained the only symbolic representative of the regime in Damascus, ensured a relatively smooth start to the transition period. However, the top priority in Syria is to ensure security after the fall of the regime. To achieve full security, the military conflicts in the current controlled areas must be completely ended, and daily life must be made safe.
Given that the opposition controls more territory than it did during the revolution, ensuring security in Syria’s most populous cities, such as Damascus, Aleppo, Hama and Homs, is critical for the transition. However, in critical cities such as Daraa, Suveyda, Latakia and Tartous, the primary issue for building a smooth transition is establishing a sustainable security environment. Consensus on the formation of a civilian government and the continued functioning of state institutions is also critical to the stability of the transition. However, Israel’s growing appetite for the Golan Heights, the ambiguous behavior of the U.S.-backed opposition, and the YPG/PKK’s opportunistic approach raise the possibility of a resumption of military conflicts. Even though Iranian-backed militias have left Syria, the possibility that they have left behind asymmetric elements also points to the fragile nature of the security environment.
Another important point to be considered alongside security is that the transitional government should develop and implement an inclusive governance model for Syria’s political reconstruction process. It is clear that the HTS has transformed itself. However, there are still divergent views on many issues within the new administration. At this point, coordination and coexistence between different groups are crucial. The consensus between the Syrian interim government, the HTS, and other groups in the transition process will be the most critical issue in the reconstruction process. It does not seem possible for the PKK/YPG to continue with a territorial claim in this transition process. At a time when the support of the U.S. is vital, the PKK/YPG’s continued position on maximalist demands will cause the transition process in Syria to be painful in the northeast of Syria. Building inclusiveness to keep ethnic and sectarian diversity together should be an indispensable criterion for the new era in Syria.
Political arrangements, which have many topics, can only be discussed during the transition period on a stable ground. These include the structure of the state, new security sector arrangements, power sharing, building a political system and free elections. Syria can only enter a democratic and conflict-free period in which the territorial integrity of Syria will be ensured if arrangements are made for governance and state structure that is not tied to territorial zones. The reconstruction of the security sector is among the most critical issues. Military groups must dissolve themselves and restructure under an interim defense ministry to be established in the coming period to eliminate potential conflicts.
Regional dynamics
For regional actors, Türkiye’s role has become even more important. It is not possible to understand Türkiye’s role by focusing only on the last 12 days. Türkiye’s role can be more clearly understood by looking at the past 13 years. Ankara’s unwavering hosting of Syrian refugees, creating the military and diplomatic conditions to protect Idlib against the regime’s operations, and limiting and weakening the YPG, especially in the fight against terrorism, made a strong ground for the opposition’s 12-day success.
Türkiye has a much more critical role to play in the new process. Türkiye is likely to lead efforts to stabilize northern Syria, secure its borders, and facilitate the return of refugees. Ankara’s ability to mediate and rebuild trust between the incoming government and the different factions will also help shape the political character of Syria’s future. If Türkiye succeeds in preventing YPG/PKK separatism, it could emerge as a dominant stabilizing force in the region. Another priority for Türkiye is to implement a multilateral method to shape regional and global diplomacy and ensure Syria’s territorial integrity. Ankara will continue to coordinate with Moscow and Tehran, even though Russia and Iran are much weakened in Syria.
One of the most critical regional actors in Syria is Israel. However, it is doubtful how much Israel wants to remain loyal to Syria’s territorial integrity. The reasons for this are obvious. Israel is keeping a Damascus-centered geopolitical narrative alive and is considering expansion into Syria. The creation of a new military situation in the Golan Heights is the most obvious evidence of this. The new government, which Netanyahu securitizes with the so-called radicals argument, also provides Israel with new legitimacy. The U.S.’ open support for Israel’s possible engagement in Syria also strengthens the possibility of Israel becoming a destabilizing actor in Syria. The only option to balance Israel is to keep the regional diplomacy dynamic against a possible fait accompli.
Iran’s position in the new Syria is highly questionable. Iran is aware that it is weakening and losing its depth in Lebanon and Syria. The collapse of the Syrian front, the most important pillar of the proxy doctrine based on territorial expansion and territorial control, may lead Iran to turn to asymmetric elements in Syria. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's framing of the opposition’s success as part of the U.S. and Israeli support is the most important sign of this.
It is clear that there is confusion in the Arab countries. It is understood that they will accept the new status quo even if they are not happy with the overthrow of the regime. The critical issue is to develop a new relationship model with Damascus to support the transition process and be part of the process to build a sustainable order in Syria. The way to do this is to work together with Türkiye to put maximum effort into building a stable Syria. At this point, the creation of a new diplomatic platform could be the first step toward coordination.
International dynamics
In the new era, the U.S. priorities in Syria include Israel’s security, the continued existence of the PKK/YPG and the fight against Daesh. The weakening influence of Russia and Iran may make it easier for the U.S. to accept the new status quo and cooperate with it. The current balance on the ground may also facilitate U.S. President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from Syria. Considering that the pre-Nov. 27 plans and possible scenarios no longer have any meaning for the Washington administration, we can say that the new Syria will not be seen as a priority for the U.S. in the Middle East. Still, it is worth being cautious. There are many opportunities for Türkiye and the U.S. to build a new Syria without the PKK/YPG. It is almost impossible for a strategy built on the PKK/YPG to work in the new Syria.
It is also clear that Russia is in the midst of a reassessment in Syria. Moscow has had to revise its priorities while analyzing the causes of the new situation. Russia will not have the same position in the new Syria as before, and the smartest approach is to focus on the political process and establish relations with the new administration. It is very likely to use U.N. Resolution 2254 and the Astana format to increase its diplomatic depth.
New era
The new Syria is one of the biggest geopolitical ruptures of the Arab Spring. The revolution has achieved its primary objective but establishing a new order in Syria is fraught with challenges. The lessons of Libya, Egypt, Yemen and Tunisia are fraught with political and social tragedy. Tunisia and Egypt chose to continue by building new authoritarianism on institutionalized systems. Yemen and Libya were not able to exit the process of political and military conflict over non-institutionalized structures, nor were they able to establish an order. Syria is an exception. It was a regime with a long civil war and a very different practice of institutionalization.
If those who succeeded in the revolution build a sustainable model and establish a new order in Syria, the new Syria has the opportunity to produce new results in the geopolitics of the Middle East. The only way to do this is to build a just, democratic and sustainable order. There is no model for this yet. And it will not be easy to build it.
https://www.dailysabah.com/opinion/columns/emergence-of-the-new-syria
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Palestinian Resistance Can Always Survive Without Outside Support. Can Israel?
Joseph Massad
13 December 2024
In the last two months, the Israelis and their American masters have intensified their extermination campaign in Gaza, hoping to quell Palestinian resistance to the Jewish-supremacist apartheid state once and for all.
After failing to attain any of their objectives since 7 October 2023, the United States and Israel laid the blame on the allies of the Palestinian resistance and the military aid they provided to it.
They began to target these allies based on the belief that without outside help, Palestinian resistance would dissipate and cease to exist.
Ironically, it is Israel, since its establishment in 1948, that could not survive, economically or militarily, absent massive and constant infusions of western financial, military, and diplomatic capital.
Indeed, Israel cannot survive today without such enormous levels of outside assistance and protection, without which the settler-colony would collapse in a matter of months.
This fact was made clearer over the past year, which exposed Israel as a fourth-rate military power whose only achievement is committing genocide against a civilian population.
To achieve its objectives, Israel has relied on a monumental level of US and EU military and intelligence help. With their support, Israel was able to weaken the Lebanese resistance, culminating in a ceasefire that it has since violated more than 100 times, and reach a stalemate with Iran.
In turn, the Americans, along with Turkey and Israel, were successful in helping to overthrow the Syrian regime, which had been a boon to the Palestinian and Lebanese resistance. The Israelis also targeted Iranian officials and bombed the Iranian consulate in Damascus, which led to Iranian retaliation and yet more Israeli bombings of Iran itself.
Meanwhile, Israel has ramped up its mass killing and starvation of Palestinians in northern Gaza, with full US and European Union support, and escalated Israeli settlers' pogroms and military raids and invasions of West Bank cities and towns.
It also augmented its crackdown on the shackled Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem, most recently by imposing the racist anti-Palestinian Israeli curriculum on their schools and banning the Palestinian curriculum, in addition to taking over Palestinian homes and businesses for the benefit of Jewish settlers.
As for the isolated Palestinian citizens of Israel, the Israeli regime has also enacted a number of laws in recent months to erode what few rights they still had under the Israeli apartheid system.
The latest US and Israeli strategy aims to erase from memory the massive military defeats the Israelis have suffered since the launch of Al-Aqsa Flood by Hamas last October.
Above all, it seeks to fortify the Jewish settler colony against ongoing military threats from the resistance and impose Israel's will, not only on the Palestinian people but the entire Arab world.
Palestinian resistance
Now that the US has succeeded in overthrowing all Arab dictators who deigned to refuse its orders to normalise with Israel (or insisted on conditions to normalise, which Israel refused) - Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi, and Bashar al-Assad - while bolstering all other Arab dictators who fully submit to their will and pay obeisance to them - extending from Morocco through Jordan and the Palestinian Authority (PA) to the Gulf - the Americans and Israelis feel certain that quashing Palestinian resistance is entirely within reach.
This perception is based on the persistent ideological conviction on the part of the imperialist US and the genocidal Israeli state that Palestinian resistance is not generated by the genocidal and apartheid nature of the settler-colonial Israeli regime but is instead the outcome of external support for Palestinian resistance.
For these short-sighted and self-serving US and Israeli strategists, once such support is destroyed, Palestinian resistance will also disappear.
Unsurprisingly, their ignorance and refusal to learn from the history of Palestinian resistance to Zionist colonisation and Jewish supremacist rule is as intransigent as ever.
That Palestinian resistance started in the 1880s at the inception of Jewish colonisation, and without outside support, seems immaterial to the cruel and racist American and Israeli strategists.
In fact, beginning in 1882 and continuing throughout the 1890s, Palestinian peasant resistance targeted all the Jewish colonies to the point that "there was scarcely a Jewish colony which did not come into conflict" with the native Palestinian peasants.
The fact that Palestinian resistance continued since then, most of the time not only without outside support but despite the tremendous increases in the quantity and quality of outside support for the Zionist oppressors of the Palestinians, does not disabuse these strategists of this racist notion, which discounts the oppression of the Palestinians as the actual impetus for their resistance.
'On their own'
Unlike the Palestinian people, Zionist colonisers, since the end of the 19th century, always enjoyed the support of all the colonising European countries and the US empire in quashing any resistance to Jewish colonisation and apartheid.
After World War One, the Zionists were also aided in their efforts by Arab regimes and a number of wealthy and landed Palestinian families who collaborated both with them and the British occupation of the country.
Aside from a few volunteers from across the border, the Palestinian people resisted Zionist colonisation on their own with all their might, standing up to the British Empire and the Zionist gangs in the 1920s and 1930s despite the British and the Zionists' use of extreme terrorism and brutality against this captive population.
Transjordanian peasant revolutionaries who attempted to assist the Palestinians by providing them with refuge and targeted British interests in Transjordan were quickly put down in the second half of the 1930s by the Emir Abdullah of Transjordan and his British-controlled army which used 10 British air force planes to bomb them.
The so-called support of the few Arab armies who intervened on 15 May 1948 to stop the Zionist expulsion of almost 400,000 Palestinians - which began nearly six months earlier on 30 November 1947 - and to safeguard the 45 percent of Palestine that the empires of the north had designated as a Palestinian state in the infamous United Nations Partition Plan of 29 November 1947 - utterly backfired.
Not only were these ill-equipped Arab armies outnumbered by the much better-trained and equipped Zionist gangs, but they also failed to prevent the Zionist expulsion of yet another 360,000 Palestinians and lost more than half of the 45 percent of Palestine they were supposed to safeguard.
Whatever lands the by-then self-designated King Abdullah was able to keep, he annexed to Jordan, according to a plan he devised with the Zionists beforehand. He later refused to recognise the All-Palestine Government that was set up in Gaza in September 1948.
The imperial powers followed suit by recognising Israel's takeover of 78 percent of Palestine and Abdullah's takeover of 18 percent of it, which he renamed the "West Bank". (Gaza was safeguarded by the Egyptians until it was conquered twice by the Israelis, in 1956 and again in 1967, when Israel finally took it over.)
Meanwhile, all the major imperial powers and the Soviets fully supported the 1948 Zionist conquest militarily and diplomatically.
British and American Jewish volunteer pilots and international Zionist Jewish brigades arrived in Palestine from around the western world to aid the Zionist conquest of the land of the Palestinians. Many such volunteers continue to come to Israel and assist in imposing Jewish supremacy and apartheid on the Palestinians.
Losing legitimacy
Since 7 October 2023, the US and the EU have also become fully fledged partners with Israel in its ongoing genocide of the Palestinians - a genocide that is supported openly or tacitly by all Arab regimes, including the collaborationist PA, except for Lebanon's Hezbollah, the Ansar Allah government of Yemen, some Iraqi resistance groups, the recently fallen Syrian regime, and Iran.
These Palestinian, Arab, and western supporters of Israel have also been instrumental in militarily protecting Israel from retaliation by the Arab forces of resistance and Iran, and in the case of the PA, through a campaign of repression of Palestinian resistors in the West Bank.
At the same time, supporters of the Palestinians launched a campaign to make it increasingly difficult for Israel's supporters and sponsors to continue to aid its ongoing genocide.
Whether at the UN, the International Court of Justice, or the International Criminal Court, a number of resolutions, decisions, and indictments of Israel have been issued, which the US tried to neutralise with all the threats and penalties it has at its disposal.
Add to this the increasing success of the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement in pressuring countries and businesses to withdraw investments in Israel, as Norway recently did.
Moreover, the loss of support for Israel by a substantial portion of the western public, including European and American Jews, has also contributed to the weakening of the legitimacy of the genocidal settler colony in traditionally pro-Israel western circles, which had provided much-needed support historically.
Inevitable collapse
The record of the last 15 months has been mixed.
Israel has been exposed as weak militarily, economically, and diplomatically and unable to stop becoming weaker by the day on all fronts, save that of committing genocide.
Yet, thanks to the large military and financial help from the US and EU countries, the Israelis are able to continue to use every barbaric method at their disposal to destroy Palestinian resistance.
The perplexing thing for US and Israeli strategists, however, is that Palestinian resistance, which has not received any infusions of military or financial help from any outside source since 7 October 2023, continues to resist the annihilationist Israelis in Gaza and the West Bank, and in East Jerusalem.
Despite the jubilation and celebrations in Israel over its recent achievements, its Palestinian victims will continue the struggle until its genocidal Jewish supremacist regime is fully dismantled.
In view of these developments, it is more likely that genocidal Israel, and not Palestinian resistance to it, will no longer be able to survive due to diminishing outside support and international isolation.
This is something US and Israeli strategists know well, even if they refuse to take cognisance of its realism.
All the murderous horror they are visiting on the Arab region today will only delay the inevitable collapse of the genocidal settler-colonial regime, but it will not succeed in safeguarding its existence.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/palestinian-resistance-can-always-survive-without-outside-support-can-israel
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Biden Shares Delusions About Syria, Taking Credit For Assad's Regime Fall
By Pesach Wolicki
December 14, 2024
On Sunday, hours after news broke of the fall of the Assad regime, President Joe Biden delivered a nine-minute address on the situation in Syria. After praising Assad’s fall as “a fundamental act of justice” and “a moment of historic opportunity,” Biden went on to credit his administration for bringing the situation about.
“For years, the main backers of Assad have been Iran, Hezbollah, and Russia, but over the last week, their support collapsed, all three of them, because all three of them are far weaker today than they were when I took office.”
While it is true that the current weakness of Iran, Hezbollah, and Russia in the region led to the toppling of Assad, Biden taking credit for this complex turn of events is disingenuous, to say the least. A more accurate assessment would be that the weakness of both Iran and Hezbollah is in spite of Biden’s policies, not because of them.
Sanctions on Iran
As president, Donald Trump placed crippling sanctions on Iran, making it almost impossible for them to sell their oil and petrochemical products. As a result, when Trump left office, the Iranian regime was nearly bankrupt and on the verge of collapse, with reportedly only $4 billion in cash reserves.
Hamas, Hezbollah, and the other Iranian proxies were underfunded. Trump also ordered the assassination of Qasem Soleimani and pulled the US out of the disastrous nuclear deal that threatened the region and granted significant economic benefits to Tehran. The Islamic regime was never weaker.
Immediately upon entering the White House, the Biden administration began working to undo these policies. They ceased enforcement of sanctions on the Iranian oil and petrochemical industry, leading Iran to sign a 25-year output deal with the Chinese Communist Party.l Profits from oil sales to China alone have accounted for an estimated over $100 billion since Biden took office. This total does not include tens of billions of dollars in sanctions relief provided to Tehran under Biden.
IT WAS revealed a few days ago that the Biden administration granted Iran an additional $10 billion in sanctions relief just days after the November 5 election. The administration also began negotiating with Iran to restart the nuclear deal. Flush with cash, the mullahs in Tehran were once again able to afford the luxury of funding Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and the rest of their global terror network.
Ironically, it can be argued that Biden's administration policies did, in fact, lead to the weakening of Iran and Hezbollah, but not in the manner Biden suggests. After all, it is worth asking if Hamas and Hezbollah would have attacked Israel in the first place, had the Trump policies remained in place.
More recently, since October 7, the Biden administration has repeatedly gone to great lengths to prevent the destruction of Hamas and Hezbollah.
The demands on Israel not to enter Rafah and to allow vast quantities of humanitarian aid to be delivered into the hands of Hamas, the repeated calls for Israel not to invade Lebanon, and to limit the scope and scale of retaliatory strikes against Iran were all designed to prevent the defeat of Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas. For Biden to now take credit for the weakening of Iran and Hezbollah is gaslighting at its finest.
US military presence in Syria
Later in the speech, Biden spoke about how the US “maintained our military presence in Syria... ensuring that ISIS can never establish a safe haven there again.” He added that the US plans to help establish an “independent sovereign Syria with a new constitution and new government that serves all Syrians.” He also pledged US resources to rebuild the war-torn country.
Listening to Biden makes one wonder if he is aware of just who the rebels who replaced Assad are. The rebel leader and presumptive ruler of Syria, Mohammad al-Julani, literally came up through the ranks of ISIS and Al-Qaeda, even serving for a time as personal assistant to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Julani’s group, Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) – which began as the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, was officially added by the US State Department to the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations in 2018, which also put a $10 million bounty on Julani’s head.
For Biden to boast that his administration took steps to prevent ISIS from ever establishing itself in Syria while the country has been taken over by a jihadist who came up through the ranks of ISIS and Al-Qaeda is the height of absurdity. And hoping that these Sharia-seeking jihadists have any plans to set up a free and democratic society with a constitution is the height of delusion.
Rather than taking credit for the downfall of Assad, Biden ought to apologize for fomenting so much death, chaos, and instability across the Middle East.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-833258
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Netanyahu’s Resilience: How He Stays In Power After October 7
By Yisrael Medad/The Media Line
December 13, 2024
Over 14 months have passed since hordes of Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists brutally invaded Israel’s Western Negev communities, killing 1,200, kidnapping 250, and committing other heinous crimes.
It was like a throwback to 627 CE, when the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza surrendered to Muhammed’s forces. In that case, all the men and one woman were beheaded, and the rest of the women and children were enslaved, except for a few converts. In Be’eri, Sderot, and Nir Oz, no one was even given the choice to convert.
The October 7 attacks resulted in enormous devastation, both physical and psychological, and monumental surprise. The public reverberations of anger, frustration, and shock at the failures of the military and the government were palpable. Yet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has remained in power.
US President Joe Biden is out of the political picture. There’s a new prime minister in England, and France’s president is tottering. Bashar Assad has fled Syria. Meanwhile, Israel’s prime minister continues to serve. He does so despite the attacks on October 7, despite the hostages still held in Gaza, and despite the cries from the parliamentary opposition and the anarchists who protest on Kaplan Street.
How and why has he succeeded?
A central complaint of the anti-Netanyahu crowd is that he “lacks a strategy and a plan” or that he “lacks a vision.” Those claims have been proven false. Although the Israeli military began its campaign slowly, it is now obvious that there was a plan from the beginning. The generals simply needed someone to force them to put into practice a plan they had probably previously rejected, as it ran against their mindset that Hamas had been deterred and was an ineffective military force.
The person who forced the military to adopt that plan was the prime minister. If former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant hadn’t been overly concerned with his own future (hiring his own lawyer to protect him from charges of war crimes), the partnership between the two would have been more successful in the field.
Moreover, that criticism smacks of sour grapes. At the root of the criticism is that Netanyahu did not adopt the self-destructive strategy that the opposition wanted him to follow. An example of such a self-destructive strategy was Yair Lapid’s government surrendering Israeli territory to Lebanon under the threat of Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah.
As for the genuine problem of the Qatari money permitted into Gaza to prop up Hamas, Rafi DeMogge (the pseudonym of a researcher who writes on political demography) had an answer for that in a piece published in Mosaic on October 21. He acknowledged that Netanyahu went along with the popular conception that transfer of Qatari funds to Gaza would protect Israel’s security, but he also said that the prime minister had no real alternative. He noted that even the Bennett-Lapid government did not “make any meaningful change to Netanyahu’s decade-old Gaza policy.”
To think that the prime minister could have nixed that financial flow prior to October 7 is naive. He would have faced the sloganeering of his opponents that he would be inviting a war. It was, as usual, Hamas that allowed him to finally unleash the Israeli military’s withheld power. The situation in Lebanon illustrates that success is often the result of political leadership overriding the politicization of the army chiefs.
On the issue of the hostages, Netanyahu has benefited from most of the population realizing that Hamas, not Israel, has been the recalcitrant partner in possible release deals, something even American diplomats have admitted is the case.
Another aspect that indicates his success is the economic situation.
This past week, Globes reported record figures for mergers and acquisitions in the Israeli tech industry over the past year. A new report from Vintage Investment Partners indicates that merger and acquisition deals set a new peak of $10.5 billion, 22% higher than the previous peak of $8.6 billion in 2021. Even a cursory reading of business media sites indicates that all the bleak prophecies of Israel’s economy did not come to pass, even if the situation is not perfect.
True, Israel will need to invest huge amounts in rebuilding the Western Negev and northern Israel, as well as in shoring up small businesses and industry. Nevertheless, the prime minister is still orchestrating a firm and reliable economic balance for the country. Financial suffering in Israel has been limited, and the people realize that.
Netanyahu has also displayed diplomatic leadership and expertise in presenting the Israeli narrative, two skills that are appreciated by the electorate. It is quite possible that his performance since October 7 assisted Donald Trump’s showing in the election by providing his supporters with an additional reason to vote against the Democratic elite, which is perceived as weak and “woke.”
Anti-Israel actions on college campuses and in the streets of American cities were seen as threatening to average Americans. When Americans saw the Israeli prime minister’s firm stand and considered his strong friendship with Trump, they were further convinced to lend Trump their support for Israel’s sake. No other Israeli politician could have achieved that.
That same situation also convinced Netanyahu’s Israeli coalition partners not to rock the boat too much. Moreover, the onslaught of genocide and war crimes charges from the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court shored up his base and provided him with another layer of public support.
His errors and the various court cases concerning his personal affairs have not outweighed his apparent brilliance in managing the affairs of the state. Even the delay in releasing the hostages has not affected his political standing. His appearances both on the international stage and within Israel’s political and security spheres have been successful. And now, with the developing situation in Syria, few would wish him to leave office.
Netanyahu has proven that Israel has a strong leader in the face of continuing terror, an increasingly anti-Zionist Europe, and the developing security situation. And that is what the people want.
Yisrael Medad is a research fellow at the Menachem Begin Heritage Centre.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-833331
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Why Paraguay’s Support For Israel Matters Now More Than Ever
By Maram Stern
December 13, 2024
In a world increasingly divided by conflict and misunderstanding, moments of genuine solidarity stand out as beacons of hope. Such was the case when Paraguay’s President Santiago Peña announced that his country’s embassy in Israel would soon return to Jerusalem. The declaration, made during the reopening of Israel’s embassy in Asunción, was more than a diplomatic formality—it was a bold affirmation of friendship and shared values.
Paraguay and Israel have long enjoyed a deep bond, one rooted in mutual respect and common aspirations. Their partnership spans decades and has brought tangible benefits in areas like agriculture, technology, and security. President Peña’s decision to restore the embassy to Jerusalem builds on this legacy, reaffirming Paraguay’s commitment to its ally at a time when such gestures carry extraordinary weight.
This move also resonates far beyond the confines of bilateral relations. Over the past year, Israel has faced both legitimate criticism and a troubling wave of antisemitic rhetoric, much of it veiled under the guise of political discourse. In some cases, this hostility has emerged from senior officials within Latin America. By contrast, President Peña’s leadership sends a powerful message: building a better world requires respecting history, fostering understanding, and rejecting prejudice in all its forms.
Beyond symbolism
Reestablishing the embassy in Jerusalem is more than a symbolic act. It underscores a profound recognition of the city’s unique role as the historical and spiritual heart of the Jewish people. It is a testament to the principles of justice and truth, values that are increasingly vital in an era marked by misinformation and division.
Paraguay’s decision also reminds thehe community that solidarity and courage are essential in addressing the challenges of our time. Jerusalem is not merely a point on a map; irepresents thets identity and hopeofor millions. By acknowledging this, Paraguay is not only strengthening its ties with Israel but also contributing to a global dialogue centred on mutual respect and cooperation.
President Peña’s announcement deserves recognition, not just for its political significance but also for its moral clarity. At a time when standing with Israel is often politicized, Paraguay has chosen to lead with conviction, reinforcing the ideals of friendship, unity, and coexistence.
In returning its embassy to Jerusalem, Paraguay has shown the world what it means to honour shared values and historical truths. It is an example that should inspire others, reminding us all that even in the most challenging times, there is room for acts of courage and gestures of profound meaning.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-833322
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Brazilian Contest Sparks Outrage Over Genocide-Inciting Question
By Eman Abusidu
December 13, 2024
In an official letter addressed to Eliana Nunes Estrela, Secretary of Education for the State of Ceará, the Palestinian Arab Federation of Brazil (Fepal) called for the cancellation of Question 23 in Public Selection Process No. 008/2024, asserting that its wording promotes the “defence of Palestinian genocide”.
The letter stated that the Federation expressed its strong disapproval of the content of the question included in the employment competition exam organised by the state to recruit professionals for its public education network.
The question, posed to thousands of applicants, addressed the United States’ deployment of missile defence systems to Israel. It asked applicants to choose the reason for this action from the following options: “constant attacks from the Gaza Strip”, “Lebanon’s continuous violation of Israeli airspace”, “attacks originating from the West Bank as a ‘disputed’ area with the Palestinians” and “Israel’s lack of naval strength, making aerial protection essential”.
The Federation criticised the portrayal of Israel as a victim, pointing out the absence of any mention of the genocide being perpetrated against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which is considered the first televised genocide in history.
The Federation based its stance on reports from the United Nations and international human rights organisations describing Israel as a “supremacist apartheid regime”. It also referenced ongoing investigations by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) into crimes against humanity and genocide, including arrest warrants issued for Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his dismissed Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant.
“Israel is portrayed as a “victim”, yet there is no mention of the ongoing extermination of the Palestinian population in Gaza, which is the largest in history when compared proportionally to other wars and genocides, including World War II. This genocide in Gaza is part of the broader genocidal social experiment that Zionism has been enforcing in Palestine since at least December 17, 1947”, Fepal President, Ualid Rabah, mentioned in the letter.
Fepal President, Ualid Rabah, condemns the inclusion of a question he deems “immoral”, as it could, even if unintentionally, suggest “complicity and justification for genocide”. The letter underscores the scale of the genocide in Gaza, calling it “the largest civilian extermination in history”.
“Question 23 led thousands of candidates who took the exam to see the victims of the genocide as the villains and the perpetrators of genocide as the victims. In practice, it promoted Israel’s genocidal agenda, which seeks the extermination of the Palestinian population—a final solution that leads to the complete ethnic cleansing of Palestine,” Rabah added.
Ualid Rabah also highlights a second concern: the potential influence of Zionist propaganda on Ceará’s education system, which distorts the reality of Palestine to convince students that the extermination of tens of thousands of Palestinians is justifiable and legitimate. “It’s like criminalising the Warsaw Ghetto for its uprising against the Nazis,” he explains.
Fepal was also calling for the immediate cancellation of the question and a public retraction from the department to ensure that society is informed about what transpired. As of now, the Ceará Department of Education has not officially responded to the request.
“We hope the Secretary will show sensitivity and annul the matter. Additionally, we expect a public retraction of this genocidal error,” the President of Fepal concluded.
It is worth noting that the Federation of Palestinian Arab Institutions in Brazil (FEPAL) was established in 1979 and is considered the legal and official entity representing the Palestinian Diaspora in Brazilian territory.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241213-brazilian-contest-sparks-outrage-over-genocide-inciting-question/
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How 2013 Could Have Ended Syria’s Nightmare
Dr. Azeem Ibrahim
December 13, 2024
The curtain has fallen on Bashar Assad’s regime. Fleeing Damascus for the safety of Moscow, Assad has left behind a fractured Syria.
Opposition groups — representing the country’s diverse mosaic of tribes, ethnicities, and religions — now hold the reins. The infamous torture chambers of Mezze and Sednaya have been opened, and the archives, hastily abandoned by Assad loyalists, reveal an apparatus of state-sponsored mass murder.
While Syria’s long and harrowing war is over, one cannot escape the thought: This moment could have come a decade earlier. The world could have been spared the cascading horrors unleashed by Syria’s descent into chaos.
The statistics are a grim testament to the war’s brutality. Over 600,000 lives have been lost, a number that could climb closer to a million. Millions more were displaced, many seeking refuge across Europe, triggering a crisis that toppled governments and claimed thousands of lives in the perilous Mediterranean crossings.
Amid this devastation emerged Daesh, whose reign of terror extended from Raqqa to Iraq and beyond, casting a dark shadow of extremism across the globe.
The bloodshed etched onto this chapter of history remains unparalleled, its savagery exceeding even that of Russia’s invasions of Ukraine. The Assad regime bears primary responsibility, but others share the blame.
Assad clung to power by enlisting foreign fighters, Russian airpower, and Hezbollah militants while employing sieges, starvation, and chemical weapons against his own people.
Markets, hospitals, and civilian infrastructure were reduced to rubble. Meanwhile, the regime transformed into a narco-state, enriching its elite through the drug trade while ordinary Syrians faced poverty and rationed electricity.
Russia and Iran backed Assad. Western nations faltered. Promises were made and broken, sanctions were eased, and tentative gestures toward rehabilitating the regime emboldened Assad’s brutal strategies.
The pivotal moment came in 2013, a year that could have altered Syria’s fate. The regime’s desperation became evident in August of that year when it deployed sarin gas in East Ghouta, killing over a thousand people in a gruesome act of terror.
President Barack Obama had declared chemical weapons a “red line,” hinting at dire consequences for their use. Yet, when the moment came, he blinked.
Instead of decisive action, a deal brokered by Russia allowed Assad to evade accountability. Inspectors arrived to oversee the dismantling of Syria’s chemical arsenal, but the strikes that could have crippled the regime or its weapons production never came. The hollow rhetoric of “the regime must go” faded into ineffectual whispers.
The consequences were catastrophic. The regime’s chemical warfare continued, turning Ghouta and countless other regions into graveyards. The regime’s strategy of siege and chemical attacks became a hallmark of the war, prolonging the suffering and emboldening the regime to crush the opposition with impunity.
This inaction was not inevitable. In 2013, the regime was vulnerable. The opposition, coordinated by the Syrian National Coalition, had momentum. This secular, pluralist coalition of defectors and civil society leaders aimed to replace the regime with a government representative of all Syrians.
At the time, the opposition controlled significant territory, including parts of Aleppo and the Damascus suburbs. Daesh had not yet emerged, and Russia had yet to intervene militarily.
Western support for the Syrian National Coalition could have tipped the scales. Airstrikes or the credible threat of force might have constrained the regime, preventing its reliance on chemical weapons and aerial bombardments. Instead, the regime regrouped, secured Russian backing, and plunged Syria into deeper chaos.
By flinching in 2013, the Obama administration missed a critical opportunity. The regime, hollow then as it was in its final days, could have been defeated or coerced into compromise. The staggering human cost of the past decade — the lives lost, the communities destroyed, the rise of Daesh — might have been avoided.
Today, as Syria’s future hangs in the balance, it is worth reflecting on what might have been. The courage of the Syrian people has been remarkable, but the global community’s failure to match that resolve remains a sobering lesson. The Syrian National Coalition’s vision of a pluralist Syria — a beacon of hope in those early years — seems distant now, not only in time but in plausibility.
The world’s hesitation in 2013 allowed a regime to entrench itself in barbarity. The scars of that decision will remain, a testament to what happens when moral imperatives are overshadowed by political caution.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2582974
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Israel Is Making A Big Mistake In Syria
Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib
December 13, 2024
As soon as the anti-regime forces arrived in Damascus and freed the country from Bashar Assad, Israel began its attacks. The pretext Israel uses is that it is conducting a “preemptive strike” to prevent strategic weapons from reaching the hands of “terrorists.” However, what Israel fails to realize is that a demilitarized Syria is far more dangerous to Israel than a Syria with a strong army.
While the world was taken by surprise by the sudden escape of Assad, and the anti-Assad forces were trying to establish themselves in Damascus, Israel carried out 480 airstrikes. At least 350 strikes involved manned aircraft. The strikes targeted airfields, anti-aircraft batteries, missiles, drones, fighter jets, tanks, and navy vessels. Israeli attacks reached Damascus, Homs, Tartus, Latakia, and Palmyra. A Syrian colleague in Damascus said that on the night of Dec. 9, airstrikes on the capital did not stop.
Israel is taking pride in conducting a “successful” operation. The success of the Israeli attack depends on how it is evaluated. Of course, Israel was successful in destroying the Syrian military capability in no time and faced no real resistance. However, what kind of success can this bring to Israel? Strategically, none.
Israel was able to conduct a genocide in Gaza, and literally destroy Gaza and get away with it. Hence, it is not strange that Israel destroys the Syrian army and faces no repercussions. Israel also advanced ahead of the current buffer and took new territory. Of course, it faced no opposition. The army collapsed and the rebels are all in Damascus. Israel conducted an incursion in Quneitra and took Mount Hermon, a meeting point for Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon.
For Israel, the fall of Assad means a breaking of the Iranian crescent that links Iran to Iraq, Syria, and to Lebanon. There are two views in Israel today. One says that now that Iran is weakened, it is the time to establish hegemony over the region, hence the claim of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel will “change the face of the Middle East.” Another view suggests that the Assad regime collapsed because Al-Hashd Al-Sha’abi and Hezbollah were side-lined. Hence, it is better not to provoke them.
The attack on Syria without any provocation or casus belli should ring alarm bells in all countries of the region. Israel attacked Syria just because it does not like the new man in charge. If this sets a precedent, what will prevent Israel from hitting other countries? In this respect, Israel has created increased animosity and increased suspicion. Is that to the benefit of Israel? Not really. However, the Israeli leadership is afflicted with the arrogance of power. It cannot see the repercussions of its actions.
In Israel’s twisted logic, it did pacify Syria, so whatever leadership comes, Syria cannot conduct any aggressive action against Israel. Israel had a tacit agreement with the Assad regime whereby Syria could never be used to stage attacks on Israel. With Assad gone, Israel does not know the intentions of the new government. Hence, Israel took this illegitimate step and attacked Syria without being provoked.
Israel’s main concern with Syria was that it presented a corridor to deliver arms to Hezbollah. Hezbollah has been severely damaged. To reconstitute itself it needs to get new shipments via Syria, especially since the new ceasefire agreement makes sure that a US general has control of Beirut airport. This is far-fetched. The opposition that recently took power looks at Hezbollah as the enemy. Regardless of the interest of Israel, the rebels would not let arms go through Syria to Lebanon. Hence, there was no need to bomb Syria and create unnecessary animosity with the nascent state.
Israel is claiming that it does not want Ahmed Al-Sharaa, the rebel leader, to have access to chemical weapons. However, removal of chemical weapons could have been conducted by international organizations in the same way it was handled in Libya after the fall of Muammar Qaddafi.
Israel should not seek a demilitarized Syria. A demilitarized Syria is dangerous for Israel. If the new state has no army or no capable army this can mean two outcomes. Syria can ask another country for protection in order to create deterrence. It will probably not be a country that is friendly to Israel. In the absence of a strong state, non-state actors operate freely. If there is no strong army to guard the borders or protect the country, what can prevent foreign militias from infiltrating and reaching Lebanon?
A strong Syria, a capable state with a capable army, is in Israel’s interest. However, Israeli actions are not driven by logic, but by pure belligerence. It thinks it can bully everyone around and pacify all its neighbours. It does not think of forging relations with neighbours or creating goodwill. More than ever, people in the region believe that there is no partner for peace in Israel. Increased animosity in Syria and the region, a weak state in Syria, and porous borders are a disaster in the making for Israel. However, Israel is too blind to see what is coming.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2582973
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/middle-east-press/palestinian-resistance-israel-syria/d/134023
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