Conservative's Conscience

Syria-The Shadow behind the Reality

Modern Syria began when French control (1920-46) ended. Its struggle to form a stable self-government has neither been a pretty one to watch, nor an admirable one to emulate.

History testifies that while Syria didn’t acclimate quickly to self-government, it did demonstrate its ability to keep its hatreds in order, chief among them being its determination to destroy Israel.

Syria has fought three wars against Israel:
o In 1948 it joined other Arab nations in an attempt to physically overturn the United Nations ruling that had established Israel as a sovereign nation.
o In 1967 it joined Jordan and Iraq in support of Egypt’s attempts to eliminate Israel (“Pave the Arab roads with the skulls of Jews.” – Gamal Abdul Nasser, 1954-70, Egyptian leader).
o In 1973 Syria attempted (and failed) to remove Israel from Golan Heights.

Additionally, Syria has been engaged since 1982 in a war with Israel in Southern Lebanon, using Hezbollah, a group of Israel-hating Lebanese Shiites, as its proxy troops.

The message? Syria is an implacable enemy of Israel.

Syria’s repeated wars with Israel, which invariably ended in defeat, brought with them political consequences. Fingers were pointed and blame was assigned.

Political instability ensued until ….

Hafez al Assad in 1968 assumed power in a bloodless military coup, and he brought with him the powerful Ba’th Party that, under Saddam Hussein, ruled Iraq for decades – it also has allies in Lebanon and Jordan.

Assad died in 2000 and was succeeded by his son, Bashar.

Interesting dates to remember are these: Syria sent 40,000 troops to Lebanon in 1976 allegedly to stop the ongoing civil war. Arafat at the time was attacking Israel from Southern Lebanon with no interference from the Syrians or the Lebanese. In so doing, Arafat was performing a service for Syria at the cost of Palestinian and Lebanese lives, and not Syrian lives.

When Arafat was ejected from Lebanon in 1982 the irritant to Israel that he had represented went with him.

Presto!

Another irritant appeared – Hezbollah.

It has served Syria well as Arafat II ever since.

Another aspect of Syrian history provides insight into how they -- and Arab nations in general -- have exploited the Palestinian people.

The U.S. negotiated with Syria during the 1948-52 period about a U.S. plan to re-settle over a half-million Palestinians in Syria. The U.S. offered Syria $400 million dollars to take these people in.

Syria refused.

Despite this and other attempts by the U.S. to create a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian question, the national and international press continues to portray Syrians and other Arabs as being caring, and the U.S. as being delinquent because a solution has not been found.

Poppycock!

Israel is bordered by Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Egypt. It has been attacked from each of these locations for more than a half-century.

It is being attacked again.

It is responding.

Vigorously!

Against whom?

Hezbollah out front; Syria in the shadows.