The Sins Of Damascus
Syria And Saudi Arabia, Once Bitter Rivals,
Make Show Of Cooperation
Damascus Prophesied
To Be A Ruinous Heap
The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap. The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid. The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the LORD of hosts (Isa. 17:1-3).
The Sins Of Damascus
Aug. 1, 2010
The Sins of Damascus
by Dr. Mordechai Nisan
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/9629
Syria foments war, creates the Syria-Lebanon-Iran-Turkey anti-Israel axis, and is rewarded for these efforts by those among us who are willing to give her the Golan Heights. But "the four sins of Damascus are unforgivable" said the prophet Amos (Amos 1:3). The atmosphere in our area is heating up and the smell of war is in the air. Reports of long range rockets sent to Syria from Iran are only part of the story. Alongside Iran, Hizbullah, Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, the real kingpin of the axis of evil is Syria. Syria is at the apex of planning, encouraging and abetting constant tension, as well as acting as coordinator of all the aggressors in the anti Israel coalition. The proof of the pudding came when at the end of February, Syrian president Bashar Assad called for a summit in Damascus, to which he invited and then welcomed Iranian President Ahmadenijad and Hizbullah head Hassan Narallah.
Syria’s political and military terror dossier is filled to overflowing. In the 1930’s Damascus organized an armed invasion against the struggling Jewish return to the land. In 1948 the Syrian army attacked Israel. From the 1950’s until the Six Day War there were non-stop artillery bombardments and terrorist attacks from the Syrian held Golan heights to the kibbutzim in the valleys below. From the 1960’s on, Damascus began supporting and encouraging Arafat’s PLO and Habash’ Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. In the 1970’s the Syrian army invaded Lebanon in a barbaric war against the Marronite Christians who had ties to Israel. In the 1980’s, thanks to its training camps in the Eastern Lebanon Bak’a area, Syria aided and guided a variety of terror organizations—headed by Hizbullah, Amal and the National Syrian Party.
Syria’s defense and intelligence systems were behind a wide range of hijackings and kidnappings, as well as terror attacks against Jews/Israelis/Lebanese/Egyptians/Americans and perpetrated on Israeli soil. It was understood that Syria masterminded the murderous terror in Beirut and Tyre, Maalot and Kiryat Shmona, Buenos Aires and in the attempted hijacking of an El Al plane in London. The actual perpetrators were Palestinians and Shiites. Syrian support of Hizbullah was enhanced by the country’s being a land route for shipments of arms from Iran and Syria to Lebanon and Hizbullah. The fact that the headquarters of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad leadership are in Damascus is proof of Syria’s leaning in the Palestinian war against Israel. A training course for Palestinian youth held near Damascus ended recently, after a new terror organization was founded called “Fata Al Intifada.” The name is probably meant as a barb to Abu Maazen who is considered too willing to compromise and make peace with Israel.
Syria Has A Finger In Every Pie
Syria is at the forefront of the strategic transformation that has formed against Israel over the last few years. In the past, Lebanon, Iran and Turkey were friendly or passive towards Israel, but today, all three are on the front line of the anti Israel campaign and their hostile stand has caused Israel political and strategic damage, as the country is now surrounded by a tightening, ever widening ring of hatred. Syria’s achievements in the conflict with Israel are characterized by several landmark events: the 1976 invasions of Lebanon, the alliance with Iran in 1980, peace with Turkey in 2004 as expressed in Bashar Assad’s visit to Turkish PM Erdogan.
The Turks and Syrian’s common interest in controlling the Kurds and their desire to demarcate their adjoining borders soon turned Turkey from an ally of Israel to her aggressive enemy. There is not doubt that widening the breach between Turkey and Israel is a significant Syrian political victory. When the IDF succeeded in dealing the Shiites a heavy blow in 2006, the Hizbullah recovered and renewed itself thanks to Syria. It follows that until Syria is dealt a heavy blow, there is no chance of defeating Hizbullah, so that as far as long range strategic perspective goes, the Second Lebanon War accomplished nothing. In order to reach a modus vivendi in Lebanon, Syria’s central role must be taken into account. Syria cannot remain outside future conflicts.
The Iranian Shiite Revolution has strong ties to the Allawi rulership of Damascus, reaching all the way to Baal Bek, Nabatia and Dahyia in Southern Beirut. This Iran-Syrian treaty was begun in the 1980’s as a reaction to the Iran-Iraq War in the Persian Gulf and is as relevant as ever. It is not realistic to expect Damascus to break those ties at the request of the United States or Israel. The ties between the Hizbullah and Palestinians, and between the Hizbullah and Iran pass through Damascus. In April 2007, the Deputy head of Hizbullah, Naim Kassam, said that the Teheran regime authorizes every step his organization takes. In June 2010 the Hizbullah intended to send a flotilla from Lebanon to Gaza and Syria’s long shadow could be seen coordinating, planning and authorizing the anti-Israel actions.
The left and its cohorts’ engage in constant polemics about leaving the Golan Heights so as to achieve peace with Syria. These are matched by Syria’s continuous warmongering and ‘resistance’ to Israel’s occupation. The government of Israel keeps bowing to the pressure and agreeing to negotiations with Syria. This Theatre of the Absurd has no rules, no logic and certainly no morality. The world’s hallucinatory perception, still based on the “Land for Peace” mantra, can bring about a terrible capitulation. Therefore, the time has come to change Israel’s music to a clear, understandable refrain, accompanied by suitable actions, that show without a doubt that Israel will never give up the Golan.
For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land (Joel 3:1-2).
Syria, Saudi Leaders Travel Together To Lebanon
Jul 30, 2010
Syria, Saudi leaders travel together to Lebanon
By Elizabeth Kennedy
http://apnews.excite.com/article/20100730/D9H9IFKG0.html
BEIRUT (AP) - The leaders of Syria and Saudi Arabia, once bitter rivals, made an unprecedented show of cooperation Friday, traveling together to Lebanon in hopes of preventing any violence if members of a militant group are indicted in the 2005 assassination of a former Lebanese prime minister. The unusual joint visit by Syrian President Bashar Assad and Saudi King Abdullah underscored the depth of Arab concern over potential chaos in Lebanon. Many people fear indictments of Hezbollah members could spark clashes between Lebanon's Sunnis and Shiites, or that Hezbollah's nemesis Israel could be pulled into a conflict, causing wider turmoil. The summit also consecrated both countries' roles as power brokers in the region, where Syria is an ally of Iran and Saudi Arabia generally supports the U.S.
Washington has long tried to uproot Syrian influence in Lebanon, but Damascus and Riyadh seem to have a fragile understanding, suggesting both see a greater interest in keeping Lebanon quiet after years of feuding over it. "This is significant for two leaders who were fighting it out in Beirut just a few years ago," said Paul Salem, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut. "This indicates that they think this crisis is so big that they have to come themselves." The king and Assad walked side-by-side down the staircase from a Saudi jet at Beirut's airport and entered talks with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, President Michel Suleiman and other officials. The leader of Hezbollah, who rarely appears in public, did not take part, but Hezbollah Cabinet ministers were on hand. It was Assad's first visit to Lebanon in eight years. The highway from Beirut's airport into the city was lined with Syrian and Saudi flags, as well as banners with Assad's picture that proclaimed "Welcome among your family" Those words were a stark contrast to the bitterness many Lebanese vented at Syria when it was forced to withdraw its military in 2005, ending a nearly three-decade hold on Lebanon.
Few details about the discussions emerged. Afterward, Assad gave reporters a thumbs-up and said "it was an excellent summit" as he left Lebanon's presidential palace. The crisis centers around the international tribunal investigating the assassination of Hariri's father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, in a Valentine's Day truck bombing in 2005. Indictments are expected this year. The Netherlands-based tribunal has not said who will be charged, but the leader of Hezbollah said last week he already knows that Hezbollah members will be among them. That could spark riots between the Sunni supporters of Hariri and Shiites who largely back Hezbollah. The two sides have clashed before in their power struggle. In May 2008, Hezbollah gunmen swept through Sunni pro-government neighborhoods of Beirut, raising the threat of a new civil war. The crisis was resolved only after Arab countries mediated a truce and political compromise between the two sides that has tenuously held since.
After Friday's meeting, Lebanon, Syria and Saudi Arabia issued a joint statement that urged all parties to put Lebanon's interests above all else and refrain from violence. "Solidarity is a necessity, and standing side-by-side to confront challenges facing the Arab world," they said. Many in Lebanon blame Syria for Rafik Hariri's death, charges that Damascus denies. The killing sparked massive anti-Syrian protests in Lebanon, dubbed the "Cedar Revolution," which led to the Syrian withdrawal. The assassination also deepened a rift between Syria and Saudi Arabia, which each backed rival sides in the ensuing power struggle that nearly tore Lebanon apart: Syria backing a Hezbollah-led coalition, and Saudi Arabia and the United States supporting Saad Hariri's Sunni-led coalition. In recent years, however, Assad and Abdullah have repaired ties, and the joint visit was a sign of how much the rift has healed.
In Washington, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the U.S. hoped Friday's meeting would produce "a recommitment to Lebanese sovereignty" and "an understanding to try to restrain those elements within Lebanon who have precipitated conflict in the past." Assad rarely goes to Beirut. His last visit in 2002 was the first by a Syrian leader to the Lebanese capital in nearly three decades. Abdullah also was last in Lebanon in 2002, when he was crown prince. Hezbollah spokesman Ibrahim Moussawi told The Associated Press the group welcomed Friday's summit. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's July 22 announcement that he expected members of his movement to be indicted appeared to be an attempt to soften the impact of any charges. Nasrallah said his group will not turn over any of its members for trial. He said the tribunal has no credibility and is simply an "Israeli plot."
Another factor behind the concerns in Lebanon is that any turmoil within this country could expand into conflict with Israel, which fought a month long war with Hezbollah in the summer of 2006. Some in Israel fear Hezbollah could lash out at them if its members are indicted. Some Lebanese worry the indictment could give Israel fodder to justify a new assault on the heavily armed guerrilla force. The Saudi and Syrian pressure on their Lebanese allies does not guarantee an indictment against Hezbollah will go quietly, warned Fadia Kiwan, a political science professor at Beirut's St. Joseph University. "This could ignite the streets," she said. "Politicians are now using a quiet language and trying to calm down the situation, but the problems are in the streets."
Conclusion
Is this revenge-time upon Muslim terrorists who have hijacked Lebanon, Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, and Arab Gulf States? (See "Have The US And Israel Finally Begun To See The Light? Realizing Peace Is Not Possible In The Land Of Israel Without God's Blessing"). These governments will not stop terrorism. Israel, backed by the US have vowed to wipe out terrorism and now is the time, the Middle East is the place, and Hamas, Hezbollah, and Al-Qaida are the ones. Has Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Kuwait along with other "friends" of the US been forewarned ahead of time? Syria and Iran will need to be contained as well. If Iran and Syria decide to participate in the upcoming war then a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities will surely follow. Damascus is prophesied to be completely destroyed in the very near future.
The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from
being a city, and it shall be a
ruinous heap (Isaiah 17:1).
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