Monday, January 19, 2009

Syria's Obstructive Strategy of Resistance

By: Elias Bejjani*

The majority of Middle Eastern rulers and politicians are corrupt and deceptive hypocrites. They are experts at formulating empty rhetoric, while declaring illusory and misleading popular slogans, inventing false national stillborn causes and adopting demagogic attitudes, all the while fighting Don Quixote battles and wars.

They are merchants of blood and destruction and thrive and flourish only on miseries and disasters that they purposely inflict on their own people. Their tools and weapons are treachery, deceit, selfishness and opportunism. They worship power, thrive for total influence, and are ready to do any thing to pile more money into their coffers. Dignity, honor, sacrifice and benevolence are all foreign terms to them.

Since the establishment of the state of Israel in the forties, the majority of these Middle Eastern rulers and politicians along with their corrupt parties, militias and religious dictatorships, have been imposing on their people few bitter choices; either mere silence, absolute subservience, and blind, unquestionable loyalty to their oppressive regimes, or the risk of facing pre-fabricated serious accusation and charges of national treason and treachery.

They are specialists in all methods of brutal torture, oppression, persecution and organized crime, and use these to enforce the fabrication of false judicial cases and political assassinations against their own citizens.

For the last 70 years they have been killing their own people's spirit of freedom and peace, while abolishing all avenues of expression. They promote and spread in their own countries the education and culture of fanaticism, terrorism, ignorance and intolerance. These warlords aggressively fight all forms of democracy, freedom and justice, because these are their enemy. Their people have no say in any governance or decision making processes, and when any sort of election takes place, the results are predetermined and tailored to suit the master’s needs.

The most evil, repressive and notorious of all the Middle East regimes is the Syrian Baathist one. For the last thirty years, the rulers of this Stalinist regime have been murdering, persecuting and humiliating their own people and instigating chaos and strife in all neighboring countries; Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Turkey and Israel.

The Syrian Baathist regime rulers are very skilled in deception and in creating false, heroic national slogans. Two of their most popular slogans are that of ‘resistance’ (mukawama) and ‘obstruction’ (momanaa). They allege that their ‘resistance’ is against the state of Israel, and that the obstruction of the ‘resistance’ aims to kill any peace or reconciliation with it. Under these two Mockery tags, the Syrian regime jointly works with the Iranian Mullahs and their proxy terrorist groups to abort any chances or opportunities for peace in the Middle East.

One may wonder against whom do they exercise these two big lies of ‘resistance’ and ‘obstruction’ and to what gain. In reality, the Syrian regime's rulers main target is not Israel, but rather their own people, and the stability and peace in all moderate regimes in the region. They invest much into the proliferation of these two deceiving concepts in order to further their own individual interests of wealth, authority and power.

They resist and obstruct all legal and peaceful efforts that aim to liberate their occupied Golan Heights which they lost to Israel in the 1967 war. Never has even one bullet ever been fired from the Golan Heights on the Israelis during the last 32 years. Instead, they harbor, arm, finance, train and facilitate Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihadistsm and several other Lebanese and Palestinian terrorist groups to spread chaos and destabilization. They do all this under the false pretext of fighting Israel with ‘resistance’ and ‘obstruction’.

Why? The Syrian Baathist regime ‘resists’ and ‘obstructs’ peace with Israel and holds on to the “no peace, no war” status with the Jewish state in order to remain in power and justify the oppressing governance of their own people under marshal law.

Syria's rulers ‘resist’ and ‘obstruct’ peace, security and stability also in neighboring Iraq. They run training camps, provide arms and corridors for Jihadi terrorists and fundamentalists who infiltrate from Syria into Iraq to kill Iraqi civilians, attack American and Iraqi solders, assassinate and kidnap locals and foreigners, destabilize security and blow up religious and public facilities.

The Syrian regime also abuses the Palestinian people, while ‘resisting’ and ‘obstructing’ the unity among their various political factions. They oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state and work jointly with the Iranian Mullahs through HAMAS to abort all global and regional endeavors aimed at erecting an independent Palestinian State in Gaza and the West Bank via an Israeli-Palestinian peace treaty.

Syrian Baathist rulers occupied neighboring Lebanon for almost 30 years. They murdered, oppressed, tortured, imprisoned, kidnapped, displaced, and uprooted hundreds of thousands of Lebanese people, and assassinated tens of Lebanese politicians and intellectuals. They destroyed and impoverished the country and viciously armed numerous Lebanese and Palestinian terrorist militias and organizations; Hezbollah, Amal, Syrian Social National Party (SSNP) and many others. In full coordination and joint cooperation with Iran, they created the Hezbollah mini state and turned the 13 Palestinian refugee camps that are scattered throughout Lebanon into cantons, and a base for regional and global terrorism.

Although they were forced to withdraw their occupation army from Lebanon in 2005, they are still refusing to patrol their borders, or stop the smuggling of weapons and terrorists to Hezbollah and other Lebanese-Palestinian terrorist groups. At the same time and under the Palestinian flag, the Syrian Intelligence Service (Mukhabarat), still fully control and run three militia camps (Naeme near Beirut and Kosayia and Holwa in the Bekaa Valley).

Syria's rulers are ‘obstructing’ and ‘resisting’ the Israeli withdrawal from Shebaa Farms, due to the fact that they have continuously declined to provide the United Nations with appropriate documents that recognize the ownership of these farms as Lebanese.

Syria's rulers are ‘obstructing’ and ‘resisting’ the release of hundreds of innocent Lebanese citizens arbitrarily detained in their Nazi-like prisons for the past 25 years. Meanwhile, Syria ‘obstructs’ Human Rights' organizations from inspecting its jails and refuses to hand over the bodies of dead Lebanese detainees to their families. Syrian rulers are ‘resisting’ and ‘obstructing’ Lebanon from reclaiming its independence, sovereignty and freedom.

Based on all of the above mentioned flagrant atrocities, violations and crimes, there is no doubt that Syria along with Hezbollah, Hamas and the Iranian mullahs are all resisting and obstructing their own people from enjoying a free, peaceful, safe and dignified life. They are at the same time resisting and obstructing the progress of modernization, peace, stability and prosperity in the whole Middle East. Their ‘resistance’ and "obstruction" are targeting the peace, law and order in the whole world.

Time has come for all free world countries, especially the new US Obama administration, to start speaking with the rogue countries and organizations; Syria, Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, Al Qaeda and all other jihadists and terrorists in the only language that they know and understand; the language of strength and force. All other means are futile and a waste of time, especially with the Syrian Baathist regime and Hezbollah.

*Elias BejjaniCanadian-Lebanese Human Rights activist, journalist and political commentator Email phoenicia@hotmail.comWeb sites http://www.10452lccc.com & http://www.clhrf.comMailing phoenicia group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Phoenicia/Face Book LCCC group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=17974722934

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Hamas Is Perpetrating The death of its People

By: Elias Bejjani*
January 05/09

The genuine sympathy and empathy with the civilian massive casualties, disastrous human sufferings and extensive material loses that are sadly taking place in Gaza, should not by any mean derail or blind the actual focus of the free world countries and Human Rights’advocacy organizations away from the prime causes of the actual problem that led to the current Israeli-Palestinian bloody confrontation.

What has been going on in Gaza for the last two weeks is an unfortunate tragedy that has been instigated by the Axis of Evil countries, Syria and Iran through their terrorist groups, Hamas and Hezbollah. Gaza city, the impoverished Palestinian city has been turned into a theatre for a bloody tragedy.

This tragedy is a scheme planned and orchestrated directly by Syria and Iran. The tool in the implementation is fundamentalist Hamas.

A bloody and criminal tragedy holds the Palestinian people in Gaza and its suburbs mere hostages. The Gaza inhabitants are denied any say in this tragedy. The Axis of Evil countries and organizations are disregarding the security, destiny and livelihood for the people of Gaza.

The entire world knows that Syria and Iran totally control Hamas leadership, finance it directly and in secret, train its fighters, and supply it with weapons and equipment.

Yes, according to all standards, the people of Gaza today are hostages in Hamas' hands who bargain their blood mercilessly under the false slogans of resistance and liberation. Hamas’ conspiracy against its own people has been overt in all its provocative practices.

In reality, Hamas is mimicking Hezbollah, who, back in July 2006, murdered the Lebanese civilians and destroyed their infrastructure when it instigated, perpetrated and started its futile and destructive war with Israel to serve the interests, plans, and conspiracies of Teheran and Damascus, and then claimed the defeat of the Israeli army calling it a divine Victory.

This is precisely what Hamas has been doing and continues to do. It kept on provoking Israel through firing rockets and missiles on Israeli civilians and refused to renew a truce with the Jewish State that had been in effect for six months. It gave Israel all the justifications for waging its destructive and devastating on-going war against Gaza. Hamas has so far caused the death and injury of more than 4000 people and the destruction of hundreds of Palestinian targets in Gaza.

Hamas and Hezbollah’s practices and slogans are directly ordered by Teheran and Damascus. They are nothing but military terrorists and bloody instruments in the hands of Iran and Syria in achieving the expansionist goals of these two countries.

It is crystal clear that Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and all other moderate Arab countries are at the same main targets of the Axis of Evil countries (Syria & Iran) and their terrorist organizations tools (Hamas and Hezbollah).

Pro-Iranian and pro-Syrian demonstrators in Beirut uncovered this plot when they attempted to sack the Egyptian embassy while throwing shoes at it. At the same time and within the context of the same evil strategy, Sayed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s General Secretary openly and boldly called on the Egyptian people to demonstrate by the millions and open the Gaza-Egyptian crossings with their bare chests.

Nasrallah and other Hezbollah leadership also called for the Egyptian army officers and soldiers to pressure the Egyptian government into helping Hamas. They lashed at all Arab states and accused them of conspiracy against the Palestinian people, and to be sleeping in the same bed with the Israelis and the Americans.

The Iranian-Syrian loud anti-Israel rhetoric of theatrical threats and military boasting to destroy the Jewish state and send its people back to their countries of origin, as Iran's president Ahmad Najad keeps on uttering, has proved during the last two weeks to be just mere rhetoric that is void of any seriousness or actual military capabilities that backs the threats.

Therefore, the obvious question is, where are Iran’s missiles, navies, and bombs?
Why have Iran and Syria refrained from coming to the rescue of their tool, Hamas?
Where is this Syrian army that has destroyed our Lebanon and massacred our people?
Where is Hezbollah’s bravery and threats, and why don’t they rush to the aid of Hamas?


The answer remains as it was since the establishment of the state of Israel. Just mere demagogic empty speeches that are motivated with hatred, fundamentalism, lies, and a poisonous rejection of the other. The leaders of Iran and Syrian like many others in the Middle East, have been addicted to insulting the intelligence of their people. They say one thing and do just the opposite. Their verbal and paper claims of illusionary triumphs and divine victories had led their people into disasters, poverty, ignorance and fundamentalism.

We may have believed the sincerity and nationalism of those Lebanese politicians who made speeches, issued statements, and organized demonstrated in Beirut had they refused to be the stooges and propaganda drums of Iran and Syria. They have instead screamed against Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations, burned Israeli and American flags, and attempted to ransack the Egyptian embassy.

It would have been more productive and honorable for them to witness the truth, and demand that Iran and Syria along with their terrorist instruments Hamas and Hezbollah, have mercy on the Lebanese and Palestinian people. To release them from bondage. To stop using them as hostages. To halt the murder of their young. To quit using Lebanon and Gaza as theatre of action for the wars of others.

It is sad and distressing that some political and religious leaders in Lebanon, and other middle East countries delivered speeches contrary to their convictions. For when they cheered Hamas and blessed its actions, they simply practiced Dhimmitude and committed a crime and a sin. For they surely know the destructive, terrorist, and criminal roles of Hamas and Hezbollah since they call for their disarmament and elimination in secret.

These leaders must honestly declare their stances, break out from the web of fear, and clearly state matters as they are. The only long lasting solution for the Lebanese-Israeli and Palestinian-Israeli ongoing bloody conflict is a peace treaty through direct negotiations as already did Egypt and Jordan.

It remains, that Lebanon Gaza, and the whole Middle East will not know peace and security until the destructive Iranian-Syrian role is ended and the terrorist organizations of Hamas and Hezbollah are disarmed and their military teeth extracted.

*Elias Bejjani
Canadian-Lebanese Human Rights activist, journalist and political commentator
Email phoenicia@hotmail.com
Web sites http://www.10452lccc.com & http://www.clhrf.com
Mailing phoenicia group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
Phoenicia/Face Book LCCC group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=17974722934