Syria's First High Ranking Defection or a Forced Confession? The Taped Resignation of Hama Attorney General

Syria’s First High Ranking Defection or a Forced Confession? The Taped Resignation of Hama Attorney General

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

Hama Attorney-General Adnan Bakkour

Three Provocative Videos make the rounds today. Again It is hard to know what is true. I leave it to readers to assess them.

A video clip purportedly recorded by Attorney General of Hama City shows him reading a resignation letter in protest of government atrocities against Hamwi civilians. حماة_استقالة.المحامي الاول عدنان محمد البكور 31/8/2001 The opposition distributed this video on Wednesday to argue that the Attorney general was not kidnapped but defected. Sana had written on Monday that the Attorney General had been kidnapped by 7 gunmen on his way to work.

The BBC report on this is circumspect. It explains, “In a video statement, Hama governorate attorney-general Adnan Bakkour said he had evidence of more than 70 executions and hundreds of cases of torture. It is not clear when he was filmed…. In his statement, which was posted online on Wednesday, he said he was resigning because of the “al-Assad regime and his gangs”….

Reuter’s Khalid Oweis is not circumspect. He writes: “Attorney general of Syria’s Hama defects.” Oweis quotes Attorney General Bakour: “What Syrian television is broadcasting about me being kidnapped by armed groups is totally false. I am in the protection of rebel inhabitants and in good health, today, Wednesday, 31 August. I will give live statements once I leave Syria soon,” he said.

Syrian government sources claim that he was forced to read a statement in front of the camera. Hama Governor Anas al-Naem said in a statement to SANA:

“The Attorney General has been forced by his kidnappers to give false information in the framework of the media camping goals, this indicates that those channels became partners in the crimes perpetrated by the armed terrorist groups against innocents in Syria,” .

A video of government troops, purportedly burnt following an attack on their offices in Hama by the Muslim Brotherhood. It has been suggested that this was a reason for the attack on Hama. Graphic. It is hard to verify the timing of such a video.
A video of the young man who featured so prominently in the Youtube film of massacre of soldiers at Jisr ash-Shaghour. He has been caught and tells his story. Again, hard to know how accurate such a “confession” is, when torture is common.

The New York Times’ Nada Bakri reports that “Syrian security forces conducted house-to-house raids in the central city of Hama on Wednesday, hunting for activists involved in the country’s uprising, residents and activists said.” Perhaps they are looking for the Attorney General?

French 24 – Debate – Watch the second part, here
Does the Opposition need unity?
Who does it represent?

Joshua Landis
Jonathan Paris (London)
Shevan, Syrian Kurdish activist;
Fouad AL OBAID, Columnist, Kuwait times;

Here is a list of the 94 members of the Transition Council led by Bourhan Ghalioun
looks like eu has agreed on the embargo after all the arguments. it seems that it will become effective tomorrow and will offer a temporary exception till november 15 (italy’s issue)
EU Set To Broaden Syria Sanctions, Impose Oil Embargo By
2011-08-29, By Laurence Norman, DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

BRUSSELS (Dow Jones)–The European Union is set to move ahead with an oil embargo on Syria but is likely to leave a possible ban on European investment in the Syrian energy sector for a future round of measures, E.U. diplomats said Monday. Dow Jones Newswires reported last week that the oil embargo was on track to be approved, as was a change broadening the legal basis of the current sanctions against the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government to people who support or benefit from the regime. Until now, an asset freeze and travel ban could be placed only on those who ordered, helped with or carried out Syria’s violent crackdown on protestors.

Syrian Activists: Tanks, Troops Raid Hama, Make Arrests, 3 August 2011

Syrian rights activists and residents say government tanks and troops have entered the central city of Hama, making arrests in a renewed crackdown on the hotbed of opposition to President Bashar al-Assad.

The activists and residents say gunfire was heard in Hama on Wednesday, as tanks and military vehicles drove into the city. They say hundreds of Syrian security forces also emerged from buses parked on the city’s outskirts and entered on foot, searching for activists involved in a five-month pro-democracy uprising.

Syrian security forces withdrew from Hama earlier this month following a weeklong siege of the city, which has seen some of the country’s biggest protests demanding an end to Assad’s 11-year autocratic rule.

Syrian Forces Turn Focus to Activists
By NADA BAKRI, NYTImes

Syrian security forces conducted house-to-house raids in the central city of Hama on Wednesday, hunting for activists involved in the country’s uprising, residents and activists said….

Syrian businessmen fear slow economic death
By an FT reporter in Damascus

With fresh European Union sanctions against Syria looming, anxiety among the country’s powerful business elite is growing.

Sanctions targeting Syrian oil exports may be announced by Brussels as early as Friday, and businessmen fear it will be just the start of a wider process to isolate the country economically.

The US, which has fewer economic links with Damascus, has already announced wide-ranging sanctions against the Syrian regime.

Western diplomats in the Syrian capital say broader sanctions in the pipeline will target individuals and businesses deemed supporters of the regime, while there is also talk of banning European countries from investing in Syria.

Syrian businessmen say that could spell disaster for their businesses and the Syrian economy, already on its knees after five months of protests and violence.

“The effect of sanctions will be dramatic,” says one leading business figure in Damascus. “Business is already basically zero; this is just going to mean a slow death for the economy.”

Another person in the business services sector agrees, arguing that relations with Syria’s biggest trading partner are crucial. “[Syrian allies] Russia and China are no substitute for the EU,” he says. “Losing it will be disastrous.”

Many businesses are already feeling the impact of international isolation. Dollar transactions into and out of the country stopped last week, with the regime blaming tighter US sanctions.

That has made it almost impossible for import and export companies to pay suppliers and invoice customers overseas, businessmen complain. Wealthy merchant families who in recent years have secured licences to distribute foreign cars and clothing fear losing their livelihoods.

Foreign banks are also becoming uneasy about doing business as an indirect result of sanctions, with several closing accounts of Syrian residents, according to diplomats.

But while the government is keen to focus anger towards the US and Europe, at least some of the blame among businessmen is being laid at the regime’s door.

“The regime has sacrificed the economy for its own survival,” complains the leading Damascus businessman.

No member of the business elite has publicly denounced the regime. But while the elite is regarded as a crucial pillar of support for Bashar al-Assad, the president, there are signs it is becoming increasingly sympathetic to the protesters’ cause.

Ausama Monajed, a Syrian opposition figure and activist now based abroad, says some businessmen in the capital are even providing financial assistance to the protest movement.

“Millions of Syrian pounds are coming from these people,” he claims. “If a protesting community needs something, the money gets to them very quickly.”

Activists such as Mr Monajed are hoping to press more businessmen to turn their backs on the Assad clique, particularly as sanctions take hold.

Despite the economic strain, the willingness of the business elite to defect is unclear.

Many owe their fortunes almost entirely to the regime, and know that its demise will spell the end of their own business empires.

Rami Makhlouf, Syria’s most powerful businessman and the president’s cousin, is accused by his critics of using his family connections to secure his commercial empire.

Many other business figures are former security, military or party officials who have also used connections to advance their business interests.

“Those who have made their money through corruption or because their fathers are former generals will probably stay with Assad until the end,” admits Mr Monajed.

But there is a bigger question over how long the government can depend on the wider business class, particularly the merchant families in Damascus and Aleppo who may have less to lose from regime change, despite being traditional Assad supporters.

Steven Heydemann, a Syria analyst from the US Institute of Peace in Washington, says the traditional Sunni merchant families are more likely to turn against Assad as a result of a decade of economic liberalisation that has benefited regime favourites such as Mr Makhlouf at their expense.

“In the last 10 years there has been a very clear narrowing of the circle of corruption around Rami Makhlouf and other regime insiders, and that has alienated the larger Sunni elite,” he says. “That can have very powerful effects.

“In Tunisia the regime lost the support of its key business allies because the Ben Ali family monopolised the wealth. Assad could have made the same mistake.”

He is not surprised that no businessmen have publicly denounced the regime. “It’s a survival strategy,” he says. “So long as the fate of the regime is uncertain, they are hedging their bets.”

“The Evolution of Kurdish Politics in Syria,” in Merip, By Christian Sinclair

Syrian dissident: Peace with Israel possible, Wednesday, August 31, 2011

A Syrian Kurdish opposition leader has told the Jerusalem Post that peace between Israel and Syria would be possible in a post-Assad era.

“We have a new vision for Syria – a federal Syria, a just Syria – not an Arab republic – that is inclusive, whether you’re Kurd or Arab, Christian or Muslim,” said Sherkoh Abbas, president of the Kurdistan National Assembly of Syria (KNAS).

He said a country as homogeneous as Syria is best suited to a federal model, in which areas with high minority populations enjoy certain powers not wielded by the national government.

The new Syria that Abbas envisions would be at peace with all of its neighbors, including Israel.

“Many Syrian religious and tribal leaders who are now part of the Syrian Democracy Council have no problem recognizing Israel and making peace,” he said. “They want to focus on Syria, and they have problems replacing one dictator with another – whether that’s Islamists or another group.”

Abbas dismissed the notion that because Assad has kept the Syrian-Israeli border largely quiet during his reign, the Syrian president is somehow a force for regional stability.

“Look at Hamas and Hezbollah.

Is Israel more stable today, or its borders more secure?” he said. Syria is a major sponsor and arms supplier for both radical groups, and a close ally of Iran.

“The only people who benefit from this regime staying in power are Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and other organizations that promote terrorism. Everyone else will win by removing this regime,” he said.

Of all Syrians, he said, Kurds are among the most favorably inclined to Israel. “Kurds in general have absolutely no problem with Israel. Israelis don’t kill us; they don’t take our land or oppress us. Why would we have a problem?” he said. “As for Kurdish religious leaders, they often say that the Koran says Israel belongs to the Jews, who are God’s chosen people, so why we should fight them? Even atheists say why should we fight the fight of Arab nationalism, which uses Islam to serve its own needs? We don’t want to fight – Jews are God’s people as well.”

SARKOZY SAYS SYRIA’S ASSAD IS `BEYOND REPAIR’, 2011-08-31 By GREGORY VISCUSI

Aug. 31 (Bloomberg) — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “can’t expect protection from his own people” and France will do everything “legally possible” to seek his ouster, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said. Speaking to French Ambassadors at their annual meeting in Paris, Sarkozy said he regrets that the Security Council still hasn’t imposed sanctions on Syria.

Russia opposes West-drafted UN resolution on Syria: diplomat
2011-08-29 23:11:52

MOSCOW, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) — Russia stands against a West-drafted UN resolution on Syria, said Russian ambassador to the United Nations Vitali Churkin on Monday.

“The draft resolution on Syria is completely non-objective and it envisages pressure on the Syrian authorities only,” Churkin told the Russia Today television channel.

“We are afraid that the resolution could push the most radical Syrian opposition forces to more active operations to topple the government. Just because of that, we categorically do not accept the aims our Western colleagues try to attain with that resolution. We offer the alternative,” the Russian diplomat said.

He stressed that the draft resolution does not contain a single word about political dialogue between the Syrian opposition and the government.

“The UN Security Council should not stay aside but it must act in a positive way,” Churkin stressed.

Also on Monday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sent a message to his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, via his envoy Mikhail Bogdanov, announced the Kremlin.

Medvedev urged Assad “to stop immediately and completely” any violence from either side.

The Kremlin also stressed that the opposition should not dodge participation in a dialogue proposed by the authorities, saying dialogue is the only way to the restoration of social order and a democratic transformation of Syria.

Haytham Khoury published on (كلنا شركاء),

The West’s four military options in Syria by Michael E. O’Hanlon Special to CNN

He runs through America’s military options on Syria. As he says, “it is worth surveying the tools at our disposal to contemplate what might come next – if not immediately, then perhaps down the road.”

WSJ [Reg]: Iran Feels Heat Over Support for Damascus, 2011-08-30

BEIRUT—Iran’s steadfast support for Syria’s regime has rapidly eroded Tehran’s credibility among Arabs, leaving the country with a foreign-policy dilemma as popular uprisings mount across the region. Supporting President Bashar al-Assad will …

Turkey, Syria Approaching Diplomatic Rift, 08/30/11, VOA

Turkey’s prime minister and its president have announced they have lost confidence in the Syrian leadership, while the foreign minister warned that Ankara will side with the Syrian protesters against Damascus if forced to choose. The statements are seen as a possible final diplomatic breaking point between the former close allies.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul, in an interview over the weekend, described the government gestures in Syria as too little, too late as the Syrian crackdown against opposition continues. That message was followed up by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a TV address to the nation Sunday in which he strongly attacked Damascus.

He said a government cannot survive by force or brutality or by shooting and killing unarmed people taking to the streets. He said the only solution is to silence arms immediately and listen to the demands of the people. Mr. Erdogan said the world saw the end of those who did not choose this way in Tunisia and in Egypt, and now observes with sorrow what is being lived in Libya.

Weekly Standard: A ‘Model’ Nation for Syria?
by Lee Smith

A national flag hangs on a statue of Syria’s late president Hafez Assad at the entrance of the city of Homs on Aug. 30, 2011. Rights activists reported widespread anti-regime protests across Syria.

A national flag hangs on a statue of Syria’s late president Hafez Assad at the entrance of the city of Homs on Aug. 30, 2011. Rights activists reported widespread anti-regime protests across Syria.

Earlier today, Syrian security forces arrested the brother of a Syrian opposition leader in exile, Radwan Ziadeh, who is now a George Washington University visiting scholar. 37-year-old Yassin Ziadeh was at a demonstration after prayers (for the Eid al-Fitr holiday), Radwan told me on the phone. “The security forces attacked the demonstrators,” says Radwan. “[Yassin] was running away and got swept up by Syrian air force security”—which is historically one of the regime’s most active security branches, in large part because former president Hafez Assad,…

Sanctions, as I’ve argued before, may not be enough to accomplish the goal the Obama administration has now set for itself—for Assad to leave power. And yet it seems the Syrian opposition is more willing to entertain the possibility of armed assistance than the White House has let on.

…..”We demand international community to intervene for the protection of the Syrian people from genocide.”

In other words, the Syrian opposition has taken note of what worked for the Libyan rebels—how they got the international community on their side, and how that pushed Gadhafi to the brink. …

U.S. Sanctions Syrian Foreign Minister Muallim and Assad Adviser Buthaina Shaaban, Wall Street Journal

At UN on Syria, UK Says Its Email Trumps Russia’s Oral Request, P5 Blues

UNITED NATIONS, August 30 — Amid a Security Council split between dueling Syria resolutions introduced by Russia supported by China, versus the Council’s four European members and the US, a side fight about which draft first went “into blue,” and thus could be called for a vote first, has been joined.

Russia steps up UN battle over Syria

Russia on Friday stepped up UN Security Council hostilities over Syria by proposing a resolution without sanctions to rival a Europe-US call to directly target President Bashar al-Assad. Russia’s ambassador Vitaly Churkin accused the Western allies of “stirring up the opposition” in Syria with their call for an assets freeze on Assad and his entourage and an arms embargo against Damascus.

Sinking the Mavi Marmara – 30 Aug 2011

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu says the Israeli murder of nine activists aboard the Mavi Marmara was in accordance with international law

The release of the findings of the UN panel of inquiry into the May 2010 Israeli attack on the Turkish Mavi Marmara, part of the Freedom Flotilla endeavoring to deliver aid to besieged Gaza, was recently delayed for the fourth time since the originally scheduled release date over three months ago….

Ankara censures Israel for its attacks on Gaza, but does not hesitate to bomb the Kurdish PKK movement in much the same manner. Perhaps some UAVs will help them warm up to Jerusalem. By Zvi Bar’el, Haaretz

CFR: Syria: How To Avoid Civil War, And What To Ask Ambassador Ford., 2011-08-04 by Elliott Abrams

I’ve recently written two articles on Syria. In The Wall Street Journal, I discussed what actions might be taken to help avoid sectarian conflict. The longer the current violence continues the …

Analysis: EU oil jolt may not be enough to rock Assad
by Dominic Evans
BEIRUT | Mon Aug 29, 2011

(Reuters) – Oil sanctions which the European Union is expected to impose on Damascus for repressing protests would be a significant blow to Syria’s economy but it may take more than that to hasten the end of President Bashar al-Assad’s rule.

Five months of protest and government reprisals have undoubtedly inflicted economic damage. Even before the likely EU embargo on Syrian crude exports, tourism, trade, manufacturing and foreign investment have all collapsed, reversing a decade of steady growth, starting to drain the country’s financial reserves and forcing many Syrians out of work.

One industrialist said some were losing patience with the worsening economic outlook.

Yet the wealthy business classes in Damascus and Aleppo have so far remained loyal to Assad and months of high global prices for Syria’s oil exports mean his government still has substantial foreign exchange reserves to fall back on.

EU diplomats confirmed on Friday plans to sanction imports of Syrian oil, saying the embargo could be imposed this week. The loss of European oil sales will interrupt a crucial flow of foreign currency and force Syria to offer its oil more cheaply to new customers further afield.

Syria produces around 385,000 barrels per day of oil, exporting around 150,000 bpd, most of which goes to Europe.

“Syria will have to sell oil at a more discounted price,” said Eurasia Group analyst Ayham Kamel. “It’s important, though it’s not going to bankrupt the regime.”…

Achy said trade with Syria’s neighbors had fallen off, probably around 30 to 40 percent. The collapse in investment and tourism meant that oil and remittances from Syrians working abroad were the only sources of income holding up so far.

Indications were that the government had already halted investment spending in infrastructure, schools and hospitals to focus on more immediate needs, he said. Any interruption to its $2.5 billion a year oil exports “will have an immediate impact on current spending as well … this means probably the government will not be able to pay civil servants.”

“Thirty percent of the labor force is in the public sector and this means the economy will feel the effect because these people also consume, pay rent, buy food and clothes,” he said.

That kind of disruption would be likely to fuel more dissent against Assad, and Achy said the financial cost of unrest could ultimately bring down his rule. But Ayham of Eurasia Group said it was unlikely the immediate impact would be so severe, and that only a broader EU trade embargo would really squeeze Syria. “(EU oil sanctions) are not going to be a significant impediment in terms of financial constraints on the regime in terms of hard currency,” he said….

Syria Spent USD 2 Billion Defending Currency – Syria Report

Syria has spent USD 2 billion since mid-March defending its national currency, according to Adib Mayaleh, the governor of the Central Bank, who denied rumours of Iranian help to support his country’s economy….

Economy Syrian President Enacts Decentralisation Law

On August 23, the Syrian President issued a decree granting more powers and duties to regional councils in a move aimed at encouraging decentralisation.

Iran: US, Israeli plot against Syria failed – 2011-08-29 – China Daily

“A plan by the American-Zionism axis aimed at creating a sectarian war in Syria is defeated,” Amirabdollahian was quoted as saying. TEHRAN – Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said the US and Israel plot to trigger a sectarian war in Syria has failed, the local satellite Press TV reported on Monday.

He called on “the people of Syria (to) pursue their legitimate demands through democratic way and believe in the reforms plan of (President) Bashar al-Assad,” said the report.

The Syrian nation is proud of its “presence in the front line of resistance and support of the oppressed people of Palestine,” he added.

On Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi warned against “dire consequences of change in Syria’s government.”

Guardian (GB): Syrian businessmen signal revulsion with President Assad’s regime, 2011-08-28, Nour Ali guardian.co.uk

A Syrian in Istanbul registers his protest against President Assad of Syria. Dozens of Syrians living in Turkey demonstrated.

A Jonathan Guyer cartoon about Ali Farzat

National Co-ordinating Body in Syria:

This body condemns the Syrian authorities who have prevented three national figures of democracy in Syria from travelling. Michel Kilo, Louay Hussein, and Fayez Sara Member are members of the organisation’s Executive and were stopped during their way on an overland crossing to Lebanon on the pretext of this being dangerous for them. The Co-ordinating Body states that this flies in the face of transparency and reform, and it is illegal, and calls for these practices to stop.
Professors Michel Kilo, Louay Hussein, Fayez Sarah have been prevented from traveling

Syria lifts censorship
Aug 28, 2011 17:58 Moscow Time

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad has approved a law which abolishes censorship and lifts restrictions on spreading foreign media in his country.

US: Libya death toll could be at 30 000

Washington – An Obama administration official says estimates of the death toll in Libya after more than two months of violence could reach as high as 30 000.

Assad: Strong but Encircled and Vulnerable
by Rami G. Khouri Released: 31 Aug 2011

BEIRUT — The signs are not good for the Syrian government and regime headed by President Bashar Assad and his tight knit network of family members, security agencies, Baath Party members and business associates that dominate the country. In the past week, a steady stream of incidents and signals all add up to strengthen the trend that has pertained for several months now: The regime is increasingly isolated at home and abroad, but remains bunkered down and ready to fight to the end. The exact nature of that end scenario is not clear, but seems imminent now, especially in view of just the past week’s events…..

Many, including myself, have argued for months that the Syrian government is strong in its immediate moorings and support bases, and enjoys legitimacy among many Syrians. The problem that Assad and his system now face is that he has wasted much of that support and legitimacy, and is now ‘strong’ in a very different and much more vulnerable manner. ….

Syria is likely to — and is able to — persist in this mode for months, until either the pressures against it subside or its own ability to resist cracks. Neither of these is imminent today, but one of them will happen as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow. If the Syrian regime can break its isolation from the encircling forces that now pen it in, it might have a chance to orchestrate a gradual change to a more open and liberal system of governance. The likelihood of that happening is now zero.

How Saudi Arabia can contain Iran – and other benefits from Syria’s turmoil
Saudi Arabia is facing its biggest foreign policy obstacle (and opportunity) yet – one whose outcome matters deeply to the US. How the kingdom handles Syrian turmoil will determine its leadership standing in the region and its containment of Iran.
By Bilal Y. Saab IN CSMonitor

All of a sudden, Saudi Arabia finds itself facing a historic opportunity to greatly enhance its strategic position in the Middle East and perhaps even assume an undisputed leadership role in Arab politics.

And this is hardly just an internal Saudi matter.

The regional status of the kingdom is a matter of some importance to the United States and its policies in the Middle East. Given the (still solid) strategic alliance between the US and Saudi Arabia, it goes without saying that a more influential and assertive Riyadh helps Washington achieve its overall foreign policy goals in the region, most urgent of which is checking Iran’s power and preventing it from becoming a nuclear power state.

So what is this new Saudi opportunity all about? It starts in Syria

Comments (235)

Aboud said:

And I quote from the Rami Khoury article

“Using battlefield tanks to kill your own civilians inside cities is not a sign of strength, but rather of savagery born of desperation.”

August 31st, 2011, 9:52 pm

beaware said:

Rebel leaders put Libya death toll at 50,000
By Kim Sengupta in Tripoli
Wednesday, 31 August 2011
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/rebel-leaders-put-libya-death-toll-at-50000-2346590.html
An estimated 50,000 people have been killed in Libya since the start of the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi’s rule, according to the rebels’ military leadership.

Details of the death toll come as the Transitional National Council (TNC) gave Gaddafi supporters – increasingly pushed back to loyalist strongholds such as Sirte – four days to surrender or face a full-scale military assault.
In Misrata and Zlitan between 15,000 and 17,000 were killed and Jebel Nafusa [the Western Mountains] took a lot of casualties,” said Colonel Hisham Buhagiar, commander of the anti-Gaddafi troops. “Then there was Ajdabiyah, Brega. Many people were killed there too,” he said, referring to towns repeatedly fought over in eastern Libya.

The TNC called for Gaddafi supporters to avoid a bloodbath. Rebel military spokesman, Colonel Ahmed Bani, said: “Zero hour is quickly approaching.”

August 31st, 2011, 11:33 pm

MM said:

Dr Landis,

Your posting of 2 unlisted, nonsearchable youtube videos uploaded by “PeacefulReform4Syria” that has less than 10 views on it (Video of Gov’t Troops burned, Young man in Jisr Al-Shughour video) is rather suspicious. After reviewing the account of the uploader, it appears it is a front account for government propaganda featuring videos created by dunia tv, etc attempts that support the claim that there are terrorist groups in Syria or other armed elements.

First, the first video uses footage that has the SNN logo on it. They are in the business of providing citizen videos showing what’s going on in the ground in favor of the revolution. The citizens around the bodies are not jubilant. They’re shocked at what they found. This video is a poor production – with a story concocted in the first screen and a backup video that is unclear what is going on. The video circles a container and indicates it’s a gas tank. Everyone in Syria knows this is a “Beedon Mae” or “Water –tank” if you will. Potable water doesn’t flow in many syrian cities except for few hours at a time, people fill these tanks so that they have something to drink. They also fill them at natural springs. It could’ve been filled with gas but it looks like the man’s trying to help. Most importantly, the people are yelling “ya rab” – in essence, they’re seeking assistance from God as to what to do. Finally, and this is a very important note, the Muslim Brotherhood would NEVER burn a person alive. WHY? This is one of the greatest Islamic sins any person can commit. Note: I am not an “MB” – but its clear the regime wants to make a demon out of them. This video is of extremely poor quality and not well thought out by the government propaganda services who concocted it. (NOTE: I tried to find the video from the original SNN youtube channel but there’s too many videos to sort through, this would put the nail in the coffin on this myth).

The second video – we have seen many like this before and they have been exposed. If he was with the Shabbiha, it would not be very difficult to convince him to cooperate in the creation of this video. How credible can he be? Given that he is extremely relaxed, I have sincere doubts. You are facing certain death — would you be chatting so nonchalantly about what happened, etc.?

These videos are very iffy, and raise questions – why are you posting them? Especially the first one? I feel and suspect you are being fed this and are being forced to do so.

August 31st, 2011, 11:42 pm

ann said:

EU tightens sanctions against Assad’s regime

By Peter O’Donnell and Constant Brand
01.09.2011 / 05:20 CET

EU officials eyes formal agreement around the weekend.

http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/imported/eu-tightens-sanctions-against-assad-s-regime/71888.aspx

The discussions are coloured by awareness that an oil-trade embargo without wider international backing may not work, even though the US has also recently announced similar restrictions. Bill Farren-Price, of UK-based consultancy Petroleum Policy Intelligence, said the envisaged sanctions present difficulties and will hardly represent a knock-out punch for Syria. “There’s plenty of demand for Syrian oil not in the EU and that’s where they’ll sell it,” he said.

Jane Kinninmont, a senior research fellow for the Middle East and north Africa at Chatham House, a UK-based think-tank, also doubted that sanctions could bring about the collapse of the regime, even if there would be some effect on Syria’s sources of foreign income.

Richard Youngs of Fride, a Madrid-based think-tank, considers oil sanctions “more symbolic than substantial”. In his view, the “real problem” in Syria is the fragmentation of opposition forces, coupled with the EU’s failure to consolidate relations with opposition forces when they were “crying out for contact” before the repression.

August 31st, 2011, 11:47 pm

Turkey-Israel Relations Reach New Low – August 31, 2011

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/europe/Turkey-Israel-Relations-Reach-New-Low-128830978.html

Turkey and Israel are set for a diplomatic showdown with the scheduled publication of a United Nations report this Friday into the killing last year by Israeli security forces of nine Turkish citizens on a boat attempting to break Israel’s economic blockade of the Gaza Strip. The release of the U.N. report has been repeatedly delayed to give time to diplomatic efforts to reconcile the two formerly close allies.

Since last year’s killing of nine Turkish citizens by Israeli forces, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on Israel to apologize and compensate the families of those killed. Equally resolute, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said there is nothing to apologize for. The impasse has severely damaged bilateral relations of the formerly close allies. But Erdogan has warned things could get a lot worse.

He says unless Israel offers an apology, pays compensation, and removes the embargo against the Gaza Strip, it is not possible for Turkey-Israel relations to improve. Erdogan says that from now on, Turkey as well as the families will take some steps, so a new phase will be beginning.

The expected publication this Friday of the U.N. report into the killings is the deadline set by Ankara for its demands to be met. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu earlier this month said that both Washington and Jerusalem are aware of the sanctions Turkey is prepared to impose against Israel. International relations expert Soli Ozel says Ankara has options.

“Turkey can lower the level of its relations in Israel, pushing for the recognition of Palestinian statehood,” said Ozel. “It can try to sue [the] Israeli military and politicians in international courts. Whether they can pull this off or not, I don’t know, which is why I think the Americans are so adamant that things don’t get out of hand.”

According to both Turkish and Israeli media reports, a proposal by the U.S. for what is described as a softened Israeli apology in exchange for normalizing relations has so far been rejected by Jerusalem. Diplomatic columnist Semih Idiz says such an intervention is an indication that Washington is aware of Turkey’s growing importance in the increasingly volatile Middle East. That importance, Idiz claims, is a key factor behind Ankara maintaining its tough stance towards Jerusalem.

“We are dealing with a very different kind of environment now in the Middle East,” said Idiz. “Turkey has a greater presence, if not with some regimes, at least with the people in the region. And so it is not so vital for Turkey as it might have been in the past to have good relations with Israel.”

But despite deteriorating diplomatic relations, bilateral trade has continued to flourish. International relations expert Ozel believes whatever happens, trade will be left largely untouched.

“Trade embargo, I doubt it,” said Because the trade volume is almost $3 billion between the two countries, non-military. So it will hurt some of the constituents of Erdogan as well.”

Trade is still a card Israel can play. The Turkish military is urgently buying sophisticated equipment in the face of a resurgence in fighting against the Kurdish rebel group, the PKK. At the top of its list are drones, of which Israel is a main supplier. As alternative provider the U.S. is tied up due to its own military demands, Ankara may have a vested interest in at least maintaining trade relations with Israel. However, political columnist Asla Aydintasbas says Erdogan has limited room to maneuver.

“Knowing [the] prime minister’s personality and knowing the importance of this issue for Turkey, I don’t see how Turkey can accept anything short of an apology. And frankly there is not a word, which is an apology in English or an apology in Turkish, but is different in Hebrew. It is just what it is,” said the columnist.

International diplomatic efforts are expected to intensify to find a compromise, as Turkey’s deadline for its demands to be met nears.

September 1st, 2011, 12:19 am

Fundamentally Freund: Israel’s educational mediocrity

By MICHAEL FREUND

08/31/2011 22:51

http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=236223

The report examined the performance of 15-year olds in the fields of literacy, math and science, and its findings should concern every parent in this country.

Simply put, Israel came in 29th overall, putting it behind Slovakia and barely ahead of Turkey, Chile and Mexico.

In other areas, too, Israel’s educational system lags behind. When it comes to the average number of students in each primary school classroom, the Jewish state has one of the highest rates in the world among developed countries.

September 1st, 2011, 12:28 am

Kurds Stage Worldwide Protest Condemning Turkish Raids

August 31, 2011 12:09 pm

http://www.ianyanmag.com/2011/08/31/kurds-protest-turkish-raids-in-iraqi-kurdistan/

Inspired by an ongoing “Arab Spring” in countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa, Kurds in Turkey, which number around 20 million, have taken to the streets in Istanbul and elsewhere in the country to protest against political repression, cultural suppression, discrimination and a decision by Turkey’s election board to ban prominent Kurdish politicians from upcoming elections.

Hostile Turkish-Kurdish relations have been ongoing for more almost a century, but with aggressions mounting this year, and recent news of Turkey launching major air raids on Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) bases in northern Iraq in response to landmine attacks by the party that left dozens of Turkish soldiers dead in Turkey’s Hakkari province, the conflict and increasing violence have reemerged stronger than before.

Outside of Turkey, Kurdish Diasporans are also determined to call attention to another example of what they say is the “Turkish states repression of the Kurdish people.” From Tokyo to Nashville, Tennessee, Amsterdam and Rome, Kurdish leaders have been mobilizing protest demonstrations in recent weeks.

Kurds in the United Kingdom have also participated in protests, assembling in front of the Turkish Embassy in London for an “emergency demonstration” against “Turkish bombardment of Kurdish regions indiscriminately and disproportionately,” said a press release to “Stop Turkey’s War Against the Kurds” on the site of Kurdish blogger and activist, Hevallo.

September 1st, 2011, 12:36 am

Surge of Anger as Bahraini Forces Attack Protesters, Kill Teen

Despite Multiple Witnesses, Government Denies Police Involvement

by Jason Ditz, August 31, 2011

http://news.antiwar.com/2011/08/31/upswell-of-anger-as-bahraini-fores-attack-protesters-kill-teen/

The King of Bahrain may have officially “forgiven” the pro-democracy demonstrators whose calls for free elections led him to endorse a Saudi invasion of the country and a brutal crackdown, but it hasn’t changed his tactics.

Today, a small protest in the town of Sitra was attacked by police, who fired tear-gas canisters into the crowd and killed a 14 year old. This level of police violence seems tame by the standards set earlier this year, but it is sparking a new surge of anger against the regime among the nation’s Shi’ite majority, which still hopes to see elections at some point.

Police just up and killing somebody with a “non-lethal projectile” is nothing new, and people usually just shrug it off as one of those crazy things police do sometimes, but this killing is particularly galling both because of the history of anti-protester violence and because the Bahraini government denied police were even there.

Incredibly, despite dozens of witnesses who put police at the scene and a confirmation that he died when they shot a canister at him, Bahrain’s Interior Ministry insists no police were present and is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of “those responsible.” In all likelihood, this will mean the arrest of the doctor that treated him or the witnesses for making the regime look bad.

September 1st, 2011, 12:40 am

Protesters are a ‘burden,’ Yemen’s Saleh says

Published: Aug. 31, 2011 at 4:35 PM

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/08/31/Protesters-a-burden-Yemens-Saleh-says/UPI-45181314822958/

September 1st, 2011, 12:50 am

Dale Andersen said:

Memo To: MM

RE: “…Dr Landis’ posting of 2 unlisted, nonsearchable youtube videos…”

A scholar begins his research by collecting EVERYTHING he can find on the subject, irrespective of origin. You put it all in a pile. THEN you sort it out. We’re talking raw data, Dude.

He’s not trying to make a political point. That’s your job, okay?

Memo to Ann: we get it, girl. You don’t like Jews. Guess what? Nobody else here likes them, either. You’re preaching to the choir.

September 1st, 2011, 1:06 am

SYRIAN HAMSTER said:

Is it a Defectin or a……. um.. Defection ?

Check the smile at the end, the fellow is terrified of his kidnappers

Not many standing up for Besho on SC

SGID @ Some comment @ Some two posts a go

You are right, what’s with that Asian animation.?

All shabeeha are now needed on the ground. Not only in Damascus, but also in DC, Paris, London, Toronto, Sydney, Moscow, and…. the list goes on. Little or no time for electronic wars, which brings me to the next topic.

An E-Army with Ranks

The Syrian President, univerthal ecth-bocth mathter, has recetly added the followin special ranks to the Syrian Forces. These are dedicated to oficcers in the invincible Electronic Army and are equivalent to no other ranks in Syria.

Quark
Mu-on
Glu-on
Bozo-n
Nutt-rino
Nutt-ron

Senior officers are those who know a few Inlgesh words and are exactly as many sub-atomoc particles are, spontanuous massless exictation whare the rank and the anti rank are one and the same. The Electronic army is accepting suggestions.

Badna Nsheelo La Bashar
If in Homs
Badna Nsheelu La Bashar

September 1st, 2011, 2:50 am

Revlon said:

Total count of Martyrs, accounted for, in the Month of Ramadan, according to the Syrian Revolution Intelligence System facebook website was 55, for a rate of 19 souls a day. The count does not include missing bodies that were taken away and burried in mass graves by Jr’s forces.

I personally believe, Judging by Mr Bakkour’s video testimony, and based on his account of 350 bodies in mass graves, It is likely that the actual figure for martyrs across Syria to be at least twice the figure of accounted for and quoted by human rights groups.
The actual count might be 6000 or more.
_________________________________________________________________
Syrian Revolution Intelligence System جهاز إستخبارات الثورة السورية

تقرير عن أعداد الشهداء على يد النظام السوري لشهر رمضان المبارك
من 1 الى 29 رمضان
من 1 الى 29 أغسطس

(551 شهيد)

– يشمل هذا التقرير احصائية بأعداد الشهداء الذين سقطوا خلال أيام شهر رمضان المبارك والذي انتهى في يوم الاثنين 29 اغسطس في مختلف أنحاء سورية بما في ذلك حماة ودير الزور واللاذقية.

– هذا التقرير يمثل الشهداء الذين تم احصائهم ومعرفة أسمائهم وتشييعهم ولا يشمل الجثث المختطفة أو التي لم يتم تسليمها لذويها بعد.

– هذا التقرير لا يشمل عدد الشهداء الذين سقطوا في اليوم السابق لرمضان (31 أغسطس) في ما سمي بمجزرة هلال رمضان بمدينة حماة والتي قتل فيها وحدها في ذلك اليوم ما يقارب 130 شهيد.

– اعداد شهداء اللاذقية منذ السبت 13 اغسطس وحتى الاثنين 15 اغسطس هي 35 شهيد وهم الموثقين لكن العدد اكبر بكثير من ذلك.

– أكثر الأيام دموية وسقوط للشهداء كان يوم الأحد 7 أغسطس باقتحام دير الزور والحولة وسقوط 76 شهيد.

– متوسط عدد الشهداء لكل يوم من أيام رمضان هو 19 شهيد

September 1st, 2011, 4:59 am

hsyrian said:

It looks like history repeats itself

When I asked for my little academic question :

” How many ( 5000 ? ) INNOCENT victims has been killed by the terrorists of the Muslim Brotherhood between 1976 and 1982 until the Syrian Army terminated the Islamist armed uprising in Hama and the Islamist terrorist actions stopped in Syria.”

Including the slaughter of ( > 83 ) cadets at the Aleppo Artillery School in 16 June 1979.
Including the murder of the rector of Damascus University, Dr. Muhammad al-Fadl, killed in February 1977
Including the murder of the doyen of Syrian dentists, Dr Ibrahim Na’ama, killed in March 1978
Including the murder of the neurologist Dr. Muhammad Shahada Khalil, who was killed in August 1979

I did not mention the killing of
the commander of the Hama garrison, Colonel Ali Haydar, killed in October 1976

September 1st, 2011, 5:07 am

One commentator said:

“Finally, and this is a very important note, the Muslim Brotherhood would NEVER burn a person alive. WHY? This is one of the greatest Islamic sins any person can commit”

Quite frankly , you can try to explain that to the families of all the victims of terrorist attacks by the Muslim Brothers and Al Qaida.

Starting New York 9/11
unless the sin do not apply in the case of non muslim victims including member of little sect.

September 1st, 2011, 5:21 am

Sources to sooryoon.net:
– Preparations are underway to announce a broad based, Revolutionary Council that would incorporate the already announced national council of exile activists, as well as ground coordination committees.

Released prisoners report that torture victims have threatened their torturers that they plan to grind them once the revolution prevails!

مصادر سورية في دمشق لـ سوريون نت: التحضيرات لإعلان مجلس ثوري في سورية والمعتقلون يصرخون بوجه سجانيهم سنفرمكم بعد انتصار الثورة
2011/09/01
دمشق ـ سوريون نت:
http://www.sooryoon.net/?p=32043

قالت مصادر الثوار في سورية لـ سوريون نت إن التحضيرات متواصلة لإعلان مجلس ثوري في سورية يضم المجلس الانتقالي الأخير الذي أعلن عنه، بالإضافة إلى تنسيقيات الثورة السورية وتشكيلاتها وتجمعات أحرار دمشق وحلب وحمص بالإضافة إلى المعارضة في الخارج والداخل ، وأضافت المصادر بأن الاتصالات متواصلة من أجل الإعلان عن هذا المجلس الذي سيشكل بمثابة بديل حقيقي في حال سقوط النظام السوري، وترافق ذلك مع تصدعات خطيرة أصابت النظام السوري تمثلت في انشقاقات بمعسكر طلائع البعث قرب إدلب وكذلك انشقاقات في ريف دمشق ودرعا..
في غضون ذلك قال معتقلون مفرج عنهم لـ سوريون نت إن التعذيب الذي تصاعدت وتيرته بحق المعتقلين في السجون السورية هذه الأيام يصرخون بوجه سجانيهم سنفرمكم بعد انتصار الثورة وسقوط النظام، وأن السجانيين يعيشون حالة من الانهيار الرهيبة، وأفيد بأن النظام السوري سعى إلى استقدام كل الضباط والعناصر الأمنية المتقاعدة التي لم يعد لديها خبرة كبيرة في التعامل مع الواقع الجديد، سيما وأن العناصر الأمنية الحالية كلها تتفرغ إلى ملاحقة المتظاهرين مما يؤشر إلى حالة الانهيار التي يتعرض لها النظام السوري ..

September 1st, 2011, 5:25 am

Chris W said:

Ann,

Your posts are appreciated. Don’t listen to the trolls. You don’t have to summarise. Whole reports are not an inconvenience. Not, at least, for those who come here for information and not to engage in mutual admiration and premature triumphalism…

September 1st, 2011, 5:26 am

There is absolutely no evidence that any UNARMED Syrian civilian inside cities HAS BEEN KILLED by a shell from battlefields tanks.

Tanks are used as deterrence and protection of the soldiers entering the cities under the control of armed uprising and armed gangs and to clear the road blocks.

Showing signs of military strength is on the contrary reducing the tension and the risk of casualties.

Constant lie is the proof of desperation by the activists.

September 1st, 2011, 5:44 am

R said:

Teen Muhammad Khidhr AlWadi fell martyr on the second day of Eid.
Muhammad probably did not have the chance to use his parents Eidiyeh.
THUG ONE JR was quicker in delivering his gift to Muhammad, a dollar worth bullet to his head!

AlFatiha upon his soul,
May God bless his family with solace and empower them with patience.

Syrian Child Shot Dead 30-8-2001 Daráa درعا الشهيد الطفل موسى خضر الوادي

September 1st, 2011, 5:46 am

Free Dumanis is the first weekly newspaper issued by The revolutionary committee of Duma.
500 copies were printed and distributed.
مدينة دوما :: تم البارحة توزيع 500 نسخة من هذه الجريدة
تنسيقية مدينة دوما – الثورة السورية في ريف دمسق

http://www.facebook.com/Youth.Syria.Freedom#!/photo.php?fbid=163281817086075&set=a.112197655527825.19958.111632495584341&type=1&theater

September 1st, 2011, 5:58 am

A Commentator’s post of humerous account of regime’s claims and anti-claims regarding the Syrian revolution
http://www.facebook.com/Syrian.Revolution

Damas Syria
أصاله مالها أصل وأخوها تبرأ منها
ومحمد آل رشي كردي وأبوه تبرأ منه
فارس الحلو راكض ورا الشهرة
ومي أسكاف حرامية ومنافقة
والفنانون ينفون اعتقالهم
…وهيثم المالح خرّف وصار في آرذال العمر
وأعضاء في النظام استقالوا حين قتل 500 متظاهر وعادوا إليه بعد قتل 1000 متظاهر
وابراهيم قاشوش كان يغني في نهرالعاصي فوقعت منه حجرته
ومخلوف دعم الليرة السورية خوفاً على أقتصاد الوطن
والعرعور لوطي وتم طرده من الجيش فاشتغل شيخ
والقرضاوي متزوج رقاصة مغربية
والبوطي يفتي (حسب المبادئ الشرعية) الخروج للشارع محرم وإلغاء صلاة التراويح حلال
وقطر مافي عندهم ديمقراطية
والسعودية تسحق معارضيها
وأمريكا لديها أهداف استراتيجية وتدخلاتها سافرة
وتركيا ترسل أسلحة للمتظاهرين ومخافرها الحدودية هجانة
وفرنسا تريد أحتلال سوريا مرة أخرى
وساركوزي يريد كسب ناخبية ليفوز بولاية جديدة
والسفيرين الأمريكي والفرنسي يسعون للفتنة
وقبرص وقحة لإنها جردت مخلوف من الجنسية
وقناة العربية عبرية و تثير الفتنة
وقناة ال BBC تبث أخبار مفبركة
وكالة فرانس برنس ليس لديهم مصداقية
والجزيرة ترسل حبوب هلوسة ومتآمرة مع أمريكا
صحيفتي السفير والأخبار المؤيدتين للنظام تنشر أخبار كاذبة وعارية عن الصحة
ومحكمة الحريري مسيّسة
والثورة في سوريا مؤامرة عليها
والشعب المُداس بالأحذية من البشمركة وليسوا من سوريا
الإنتفاضة فقط في الأماكن الحدودية
والمتظاهري ن جميعهم مندسينوسلفيين وعراعير
ومنطقة الميدان في دمشق مليئ بالجواسيس السويدية
أما دير الزور فيطلبون دخول الجيش
وأهل حماة متآمرين مع السفير الأمريكي والفرنسي
وحمص تأوي مسلحين أفغانيين وباكستانيي ن
وقطنا تستعد لإمارة تكفيرية ولديها قيادي
وأهل درعا جميعهم مهرّبين ومجرمين
والطفل حمزة الخطيب كان يغتصب النساء في المظاهرات ووزنه 160 كيلو
والأجهزة الأمنية اعتقلته للتعرف عليه فهي لا تسمح باغتصاب النساء إلا من قبلها
ثم سلمته للجماعات المسلحةسليماً وأرسلت معه حليب وبمبرز
والمسلحين منتشرين في كل المدن السورية وأنا واحد منهم
والجيش لم ينشق في البوكمال بل المسلحين سطوا على ثكنة عسكرية وسرقوا الدبابات
وفي حلب يُخطف المحامين من النقابة ومن قبل غرباء وأمام الأمن وياخذوهم لأماكن مجهولة
ومطالبي الحرية لايفهمون معنى الحرية
والمجرمين هم من يطالب بالديمقراطية
الخارجين من الجوامع خرجوا ليشكروا ربهم على نعمة المطر
والمهجرين إلى لبنان كانوا يحضرون لإمارة سلفية
والمهجرين إلى تركيا رهائن أو ذهبوا لزيارة أقربائهم أو لجؤوا بعد مطاردة للمهربين
والفيديوها ت معدلة على الفوتوشوب رغم أن الفوتوشوب يعدل الصور فقط
والمنشقين عن الجيش كلهم شخص واحد
وتفجير أنابيب النفط في دير الزور سببه خلل فني
وحده النظام ماشاء الله عليه…..
ولم نسمع أو نرى أو نجد أحداً دخل السجون أو ُضرب أو ُقتل !!
والأمن والجيش في منتهى الرومنسية وإذا اعتقل أحداً”خــــــطا ً” … قام الجيش بتعليمه القرآن والسيرة النبوية الشريفة (الله يتقبّل) !!
بل لم نجد أبداً ونهائياً أي عنصر أمن أو شبيح يحمل سلاحاً أو حتى عصاً كهربائية أو حتى بلاستيكية !!
لم يدنسوا المساجد أو يقصفوها ولم يسرقون البيوت أو يعتقلوا من فيها في حياتهم !!
وقنوات النظام الأخبارية وإعلامه حر ذو مصداقية عالية!!
وأزلامة في منتهى الحنية والتواضع !!
لا يوجد فيه شبيحة ولا يحكمون البلد أبداً

59 minutes ago •

September 1st, 2011, 6:43 am

“Showing signs of military strength is on the contrary reducing the tension and the risk of casualties.”

In one day, more people died in Hama when the tanks were sent in than in all the months Hama was demonstrating.

In one day, more people died in Latakia when the tanks were sent in than in all the months Latakia was demonstrating.

In one day, more people died in Telkelakh when the tanks were sent in than in all the months Telkelakh was demonstrating.

In one day, more people died in Dar’a when the tanks were sent in than in all the months Dar’a was demonstrating. Oh, and people are still dying in Dar’a *because* of the presence of the army.

More people are dying in Homs, the heavy military presence hasn’t bought “peace”.

The Syrian army’s role is to terrorize and oppress. It is not a fighting force. Only in Syria is the army used as an extension of the crowd control police.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MQec-0ZcwM&feature=player_embedded

September 1st, 2011, 6:45 am

Dear Joshua

Before your debate in France24 TV , did you have a chance to ask them about the judicial inquiry for the FAKE defection of the Syrian Ambassador in Paris that this channel reported affecting its reputation ?

Nothing to do with the takeover of the embassy’s internet site by hackers supporting the Opposition at that time ?

In Syria , now the fight is clearly between the army and the Muslim Brothers armed gangs and provokers.

Activists which are not Muslim Brothers are only doing the talks for the foreign audience and the buzz on Internet but they have no control on the ground.

As the government and the army do not want and can not let the Muslim Brothers participate in elections
as long as the “secular” opposition cannot distance itself from the Muslim Brothers
the political situation is blocked.

Inside the country , Syrian businessmen or civilians are just watching and waiting for the end of the fight hoping that an external OTAN army will not destroy their houses and factories like they have done in Libya, Irak , Afghanistan, Yugoslavia .

September 1st, 2011, 7:08 am

annie said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKyK_GjQyYM
Syrian deaths behind bars reaching massive proportions

neilsai Neil Sammonds
I will be live on Democracy Now! in 40 mins re #Syria incl deaths in custody.
That is in about 20 minutes now

September 1st, 2011, 7:48 am

Akbar Palace said:

Before your debate in France24 TV…

HSYRIAN,

Debate? What could possibly be the topic of this debate?

September 1st, 2011, 7:56 am

The activists lies in Syria :

Peaceful protesters in Jisr Al Shoghur
Soldiers killed by their Alawi officers
People demonstrating peacefully until the army arrives to kill them
Muslim Brothers are not terrorists
Al Qaeda does not exist

If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.

September 1st, 2011, 8:05 am

sheila said:

Amal,
Could you please tell us more about you? Obviously in general terms as not to be recognized. Do you live in Syria or in the West? age group? education? etc…
Thank you

September 1st, 2011, 8:11 am

Dear Jushua,

You are acting like a PID regulator .
May I suggest you behave like a PI regulator with a lower Integral gain behind a low pass filter.

I am sure that you can find in your University of Oklahoma
( you made now famous in Syria and beyond through your blog )
a physician able to explain to you how to do it.

September 1st, 2011, 8:37 am

“a physician able to explain to you how to do it.”

*facepalm* This is what happens when a menhebak tries to sound clever.

If Professor Landis went and sought the advice of a “physician”, the only thing he’d get for his troubles would be a puzzled “huh? menhebak said what?”, and maybe some advice on maintaining his blood pressure.

Now, if professor Landis instead went to one of the university’s science labs and sought the advice of a physicist, maybe he’d have more luck.

September 1st, 2011, 8:58 am

norman said:

It looks that there are changes in what is published, don’t you think?

http://www.syria-news.com/index.php

Gosh, ‘Aboud’, your mastery of American idiomatic English is eerie. I guess a linguistic genius like you has every right to mock actual Syrians for lack of language fluency.

September 1st, 2011, 9:04 am

OFF THE WALL said:

ZIADSOURY
A Question answered. Comment only if you have a secured, non-traceable email.

September 1st, 2011, 9:06 am

Tom said:

The Attorney General of Hama was kidnapped on Aug 29 and SANA has already published the story well in advance. Even after the news of resignation video, SANA doesn’t seem to be confused or embarrassed, so I think that this is another media campaign.

With regard to the National Council, many “members” announced a statement complaining that their names were quoted without their approval, including “Chairman” Ghalioun. So the Council broke apart in the air immediately after the announcement. This is my understanding.

Asharq al-Awsat article indicates that Saudi Arabia placed a complaint to Turkey by saying that Erdogan should not sell a dream (to topple al-Assad) to others.
http://www.aawsat.com/leader.asp?section=3&issueno=11955&article=636945&search=%C3%D1%CF%E6%DB%C7%E4%20%C8%ED%E4%20%C7%E1%CD%DE%ED%DE%C9&state=true

A few days later, a professor of King Saud Univ. said, on the same paper, that Turkish role has ended and that Turkey may publish a statement of excuse or withdraw its ambassador from Damascus, but they won’t do anything more than that against Syria.

A few hours ago, Nuland of the US attacked Syrian foreign minister by using exceptionally excited expression. Previously the US has frozen assets of 3 Syrians who don’t have any assets in the US. No one will call it a sanction.

US calls Syrian minister Assad’s ‘shameless tool’
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-255408-us-calls-syrian-minister-assads-shameless-tool.html

Any move in the UN Security Council will be blocked by Russia.

All of these would be an indication that the one who is standing at a crossroad is the United States, not Syria.

I remembered a miserable intelligence failure by Israel in Lebanon in 1982. They relied on the Maronites only, and failed.

This time, Turkey could not fulfill its promise to topple al-Assad due to their low quality of Middle Eastern studies and intelligence as well as immaturity of strategic planning. The US relied on Turkish Sunnis only, and is about to fail.

September 1st, 2011, 9:21 am

To #13. hsyrian,
Since you have been asking for so long and no one wants to tackle this issue, I would like to attempt to put this to rest. Here is my take on what happened in the late 70s and early 80s in Syria during the MB uprising:
As I have mentioned before, I was 14 years old in Aleppo during the uprising. I clearly remember the first horrific incident: the artillery School massacre of 34 cadets by one of their own: Ibrahim AlYousuf. They were gathered in the gym for a “meeting” and instead faced the bullets.
Before the uprising started, people were getting really upset with the regime. Corruption, nepotism and the deteriorating economy were the main reasons for the public anger. This is why the majority of Syrians supported the MB uprising, including many minorities, until the indiscriminate killings started. People could convince themselves that the Artillery School massacre was legitimate, because they were soldiers, however, no one could argue that the killing of professors, doctors and teachers like Muhammad Al Fadl, Ibrahim Na’ma, Shahada Khalil or Yousuf AlYousuf was legitimate. They were simply killed because they were Alawiis and this did not sit well with the majority of Syrians.
In my view, the MB uprising failed because it lost popular support.
On the other hand, the government reaction was even worse. The indiscriminate killing by the Mbs was mere change compared to that of the government. The terror that we had to live with specifically in Aleppo, Hama and Jisr Alshougur, is hard to describe. Some areas had it worse than others. Hama was literally destroyed.
So to answer your question:
No one knows how many innocent victims were killed by the Mbs in the late 70s and early 80s, and no one knows how many innocent victims were killed by the Syrian regime in the same period, but I can assure you that everyone knows that far more were killed by the regime.
I am very upset about the killings committed by the MBS. I personally knew two of the Alawiis they killed in Aleppo, but I am more horrified by the atrocities our government committed against innocent civilians whose only crime was that they lived in Syria at the time. This is our government that is supposed to protect us.

September 1st, 2011, 9:24 am

Abu Umar said:

” 206. Humanist said:

Re. sunni-soulmates (s-s) Abu Umar and Khalid T:

The AssadS are in fact SUNNIS by conversion (look it up!), so ACCORDING TO YOUR LOGIC all Sunnis of Syria should LOVE THEM (and by the same logic all the alawires should hate them because they betrayed their own sect).

It just doesn’t work that way….”

How childish can you get? Even if the Assads did “become” Sunnis, they are still acting in the interests of their Alawi group, killing tens of thousands of Sunnis so that they can maintain their Alawi power structure. If what you are saying is true, than the majority of Maher al-Asad’s unit would be filled with Sunnis.

September 1st, 2011, 9:26 am

Norman @29

I’m sorry Norman I can’t read Arabic. Can you please elaborate on your comment. Thank you

September 1st, 2011, 9:31 am

Disclaimer

Most people ( but not all the commentators here ) realized that I am only talking to human beings ( like Dr Joshua Landis ) and
that I systematically discard comments from spamming machines aka Ntrepid Muslim Brothers aka A**** which are usually dealt with by electricians for their daily battery replacement.

To: 33. Sheila

I don’t say that what the Syrian government did in early 1980s was beautiful. But the MB’s problem must be understood in the context of Israel’s invasion into Lebanon in 1982.

The most important challenge for Syria at that time was how to deal with Israel. So the government did not have time to negotiate with domestic actors. They needed to “finish” the problem as quickly as possible.

It is unacceptable for Syria to engage in lengthy peaceful humanitarian negotiations with MB, and to lose the whole Lebanon.

If I had been the Syrian President in 1982, I would have done the same without mercy. No regret and no compensation for them.

It is also necessary to mention to aspects of tribal politics and foreign influence (Iraq, Jordan, Saudi) of MB. It also relates to the fundamental question: whether Syria allows political parties based on religion.

September 1st, 2011, 9:47 am

An arrested civilian being belted by a pack of camouflage uniform dressed soldiers.
The footage was shot by a camera with zoom function and was acknowledged by an on looking soldier.

It would appear that such footage might be used as a feedback for superiors, in order to check on the participation of members of the torture unit with the beating!

30-8-2011 Torture in Syria, Daraa أوغاريت درعا , تعذيب الأمن للمعتقلين في أول أيام العيد

September 1st, 2011, 9:48 am

Between 1976 and 1982 , the Muslim Brothers not only murdered many ( Alawi ? , Sunni ? )identified INNOCENT personalities and soldiers that I previously mentioned

but they also used bombs to mass murder indiscriminately ordinary people in the streets of Syrian cities ,…

“Hama was NOT literally destroyed” only the old city quarter was involved in the armed uprising.

example: Bremen or Hiroshima ( and others ) were literally destroyed during WW2.

September 1st, 2011, 9:52 am

They are very clear and frank about the possible defection of the prosecutor in Hama ,
You can use Google translate too .

That is something we are not used to in Syrian press,

Thank you Norman

September 1st, 2011, 9:57 am

Mr Haytham AlMaleh reached out and addressed the Syrian Nation from Cairo, on the occasion of Eid AlFitr, something Jr. and Papa have failed to do for over 40 years!
30-08-2011
رسالة أ. هيثم المالح إلى السوريين من القاهرة

September 1st, 2011, 10:00 am

“Gosh, ‘Aboud’, your mastery of American idiomatic English is eerie. I guess a linguistic genius like you has every right to mock actual Syrians for lack of language fluency.”

And yet sadly, I was completely unaware of the fact that “Valarie” was a legitimate name. Unlike the menhebaks, I haven’t lived in the USA or Canada, so I take pleasure in correcting their horrific English.

But hey, what do I know, I’m just a Homsi, ignorant in the ways of the wider world 🙂

Heck, the only people in Homs who would recognize my voice in English would be my brothers. If they plan on snitching on me, I give up on this whole freedom thingy 🙂

September 1st, 2011, 10:02 am

To #37. hsyrian:
Good points, however, don’t you feel that how much of the city was destroyed is really a mute point?.
My point is that when your government acts worse than the “armed gangs” this is when you have a big problem. To reiterate your point: history is repeating itself.

September 1st, 2011, 10:05 am

“Since you have been asking for so long and no one wants to tackle this issue”

Sheila, because it’s irrelevant. This revolution is not a movement to bring the MB into power. The MB aren’t leading the demonstrations. No MB slogans are being shouted. The MB is not financing the movement.

The menhebaks can’t have it both ways, claiming that this is a revolution without a leadership while at the same time claiming the MB are leading us all by the nose.

September 1st, 2011, 10:06 am

Mr Adnan Bakkour reappears on YouTube, refutes regime claims and plans to make live announcements from Syria soon.

أوغاريت النائب العام الأول في حماة ينفي ما قاله النظام في أن جماعات أرهابية اختطفته 31 8 2011

– I am Lawyer Adnan Muhammad AlBakkour, previously the Attrony General of Hama
– He reaffirmed the reasons for his resignation.
– He refuted his kdnapping by armed terrorist gangs, circulated by the regime.
– Today is Wednesday, 31 August 2001. I am in good health, in the protection of the revolutionsists.
– Shabbeha’s attempt to arrest me earlier today, in Hameediyeh failed.
– I plan to go on the air and make new, live announcements soon, from Syria.

September 1st, 2011, 10:17 am

An official source in Hama stated that the false confessions broadcast by al-Jazeera satellite channel which showed the kidnapped Attorney General of Hama, Adnan Bakkour, telling lies about completely false practices are fabrications hatched by armed terrorist groups who kidnapped him three days ago and forced him to say these lies at gunpoint.

The source added that this piece of news is another dirty game by al-Jazeera which exerts all possible efforts to mislead the public opinion and to obtain false statements by important figures in the Syrian society which is considered a clear participation in the events and maybe through coordinating with the kidnappers themselves.

The source said “al-Jazeera channel started to adopt this style with the aim of undermining the sovereignty of Syria and its people,” stressing that the Syrians are not astonished at broadcasting these fabrications which al-Jazeera has always been known for.

The source indicated that from the beginning of this ugly crime, the local mass media broadcasted the news of kidnapping the Attorney General along with his driver and bodyguard upon arriving to Karnaz village while he was heading for his work at Hama Justice Palace last Monday.

Driver and Bodyguard of Hama Attorney General Narrate Details about Kidnapping Him

Driver and Bodyguard of Hama Attorney General, Adnan Bakkour, narrated the details of kidnapping him which proves that the video broadcasted by al-Jazeera satellite channel is another fabrication hatched by armed terrorist groups.

Bakkour’s Driver, Bahaa al-Yousef, said “last Monday on August 29th while we were heading to Hama Justice Palace, a terrorist group encompassing seven members intercepted us with Kalashnikov rifles and they forced the Attorney General to go with them in a microbus and one of them took his car and they headed for unknown destination.”

Al- al-Yousef added “We immediately tried to make phone calls, but the network was busy, and we were not able to phone anyone until we reached Hama City on one of the public buses and we told Hama Chief Prosecutors about what happened and they informed the competent authorities.

Bodyguard of Hama Attorney General, Mohammad Fatrawi said “Upon arriving to Karnaz village, a terrorist group intercepted us and kidnapped the Attorney General.”

Relatives of Colonel Mohammed al-Sahou Stress that He Died of Natural Causes

In Deir Ezzor, relatives of Colonel, Mohammed al-Sahou, stressed that he died due to a heart attack and that his body is intact, affirming that they categorically reject exploiting his death by al- Arabiya satellite channel which alleged that he was killed after his defection from the army.

Cousin of al-Sahou, Asmar al-Sahou said that the body of Mohammad was intact when it was brought from the Military Hospital and when it was washed and he died of natural causes, adding that Mohammad talked on phone with two of his cousins at 02:30 am before he died and he talked with his daughter at 03:30 am.

Al-Sahou’s son, Qasem al-Sahou, said that the body of his father is intact and he is sure of that as he saw the body.

Lawyer, Ibrahim al-Baghdadi, said that he headed to Deir Ezzor Military Hospital when he knew about al-Sahou’s death and the Attorney General and the Chief Prosecutor were their and he asked for examining the body by three specialized doctors.

He added that the doctors examined the whole body and they found that the cause of the death was a heart attack and that al-Sahou died in less than 12 hours.

http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/09/01/367007.htm

September 1st, 2011, 10:24 am

Tara said:

Watching the clip, It is very clear that Hama’s attorney general is not coerced to say anything. His facial expression and body language are quite relaxed.

One more evidence towards building a case for crimes against humanity.

September 1st, 2011, 10:31 am

Administrator of the “Syrian Revolution 2011 Facebook Page” Speaks Out.
The official spokesman of the site lives in Sweden and leads Sweden’s chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood

Written by: Syria Comment – Joshua Landis
April 25, 2011
His name is فداء الدين طريف السيد عيسى Fida’ ad-Din Tariif as-Sayyid `Isa, born 1985. Syria Revolution 2011 is the most important webpage of the Syria revolution. It has over 130,000 members. It is the major source of news and Youtube videos about the Syrian revolution.

An account of how the video was captured and what happened to the Syria Revolution 2011 webpage on Saturday 2011, sent to me by a friend.

On Saturday afternoon, the https://www.facebook.com/Syrian.Revolution suffered a sudden technical glitch. The main content page lost most of its content and its membership read only a few hundred rather than the nearly 138,000 members it had had. Shortly after chrashing, a video appeared on the site. In this video, a man – the administrator of the site – is seen angrily lashing out against those he believed had hacked the original Facebook page and taken it down.

Approximately 15 minutes later, a new message was loaded on the page. This message explained how it was an error by Facebook that brought the page down. Shortly after the original page was restored along with the nearly 138,000 members who have joined. The video accusing the Syrian authorities of having hacked the site was immediately taken down by the owner. It has been sent to Syria Comment, which will presumably publish it. The owner of the site “Syria Revolution 2011″ is clearly the same man that was mentioned by Champress a few weeks ago. In that article, it was revealed that the gentleman is based in Sweden and that he belongs to the Moslem Brotherhood.

فداء الدين طريف السيد عيسى من مواليد عام 1985 ومنظم في جماعة “الاخوان المسلمين” ومدير لمكتبها في السويد ، وهو أحد أعضاء من يدعون اللجنة المؤقتة لإعلان دمشق المدعومة من جهات باتت معروفة بعداءها لـ سوريا

Here is another email about Fida’

All I know is that on March 22nd, Champress got it right when they said that he is the admin of the revolution page. Someone managed to get into his Facebook page and got all the photos in that article. Plus according to Champress:

ويظهر في صفحته الخاصة على الـ (فيس بوك) شعارات “للاخوان المسلمين” و صور تجمعه مع قيادات “للاخوان” في مصر ومحاضرات يلقيها على بعض الشباب في أماكن متفرقة.

وكان فداء بدأ بالظهورعلى بعض الأقنية الفضائية دون الكشف عن صورته ، ويحرص على تقديم نفسه بإسم حركي مختصر من اسمه الكامل ، وعمد بعد أخر ظهور له على قناة الـ بي بي سي والتي ظهر فيها بوجهه الحقيقي الى إزالة كافة صوره الموجودة على صفحته الشخصية.

ولدى الرجوع إلى بعض هذه اللقاءات يظهر فداء في لقاء مع قناة “بردى” الفضائية المعارضة في تاريخ 5 شباط الماضي و يتحدث عن دعواته للتظاهر ويزّل بكلمة “جماعتنا” المشهورة الاستخدام للدلالة على “الاخوان المسلمين” قبل أن يتراجع مخاطباً المذيع بأنه لا يريد أن تظهر الدعوة بأنها من “الجماعة” بل يريدها أن تظهر بأنها عفوية وشبابية لمخاطبة شرائح كبيرة من المجتمع السوري لجرها إلى التظاهر.

Also, on his Facebook profile he had photos of meetings he held with Egyptian brotherhood leaders, he had the logo of the brotherhood, but when he appeared on the BBC and exposed his identity, he removed all previous photos from his profile on FB.

Also, he spoke to Barada TV on Feb 5th and called upon the Syrian people to demonstrate in the streets using “جماعتنا” (which is normally used to imply the Muslim Brotherhood.

I don’t know much more, but I have the administrator’s original (first few weeks’) posts and they were big time ikhwan.

See the attached sample where one Egyptian comment says “Dear administrator: I wish you can reduce the heavy use of religious language, we want to attract the whole spectrum of people”

Also, you can check this Egyptian imam’s video (Fadel Suleiman) that the admin posted proudly

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN5MnL9lxHc&feature=player_embedded

http://www.eurasiareview.com/the-man-behind-syria-revolution-2011-facebook-page-speaks-out-oped-25042011/

September 1st, 2011, 10:33 am

DIGGING FOR GOLD IN BOSRA said:

@ 10 DALE ANDERSEN “Memo to Ann: we get it, girl. You don’t like Jews. Guess what? Nobody else here likes them, either. You’re preaching to the choir.”

What a stupid racist thing to say. How do you know the other people on this forum ‘don’t like Jews’? Why would someone ‘not like’ an entire group of people? Silly.

September 1st, 2011, 10:43 am

I want to make it clear that i like Jews, and everybody else , even you Tara,

September 1st, 2011, 10:52 am

Some guy in damascus said:

The Syrian revolution group does not contain any specific ideology , rather it focuses on the regime’s misgivings. As for fida2 , according to the group he is only the spokesman for the group. I don’t know why you can’t see it but this revolution is after equality, dignity and freedom. I have yet to see slogans like islamiya, shar3iya or salafiya. I know a majority of this nation has a religious identity but for now we want the minimum for nation building….equality, dignity and freedom.
Freedom: الله سورية حرية و بس
Dignity:الموت و لا المذلة
Equality: جمعة العظمة ، جمعة الشيخ صالح علي
When you give people the right to debate and express you can explain to them why you think a shar3iya based constitution is bad.

September 1st, 2011, 10:55 am

Haytham Khoury said:

September 1st, 2011, 11:12 am

Norman:

Remember Jesus Christ was a Jew.

September 1st, 2011, 11:13 am

Haytham,

I said i like Jews,

September 1st, 2011, 11:21 am

About Jew haters in this forum; it is understandable that one should hate them when one has only dealt with the Zionist types.
But I have met some righteous Jews.

Atzmon is one, exceptional: Israeli, born there, who came to realize that he was in the wrong place, that he did not belong. He describes himself now as a Hebrew speaking Palestinian and lives in the UK. He is hated by every variety of jews; just published a book : The wandering who ?

Here is a poem found on his website by Mhara Costello: Terrorist !!
http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/mhara-costello-terrorist-must-watch.html

September 1st, 2011, 11:23 am

Syrian constitution:
Islamic jurisprudence is A MAIN source of legislation.

New Libyan Muslim Brother ( Al Qaeda ) based constitution :
Islam is the Religion of the State, and THE PRINCIPAL source of legislation is Islamic Jurisprudence (Sharia).

Anybody can feel the difference between A MAIN and THE PRINCIPAL

http://blog.heritage.org/2011/08/22/libyan-draft-constitution-sharia-is-principal-source-of-legislation/

http://www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/sy00000_.html

September 1st, 2011, 11:29 am

Norman @55:

I know but I wanted to tease you.

September 1st, 2011, 11:38 am

Jesus and i have mothers from the same town, how about that,

September 1st, 2011, 11:41 am

Habib said:

Sheila, comment 33

I already made a comment about the MB crimes. Search for my name, keyword “aleppo” if you’re interested. All I have to say is you’re full of shit. What happened in the 70’s/80’s was purely political. Syria was doing very well during that period of time. It was after the October war which shattered the zionist illusion that they were invincible. It was at about the start of the Lebanese civil war where Syria made sure it had a dominant role to stop a zionist takeover (using their maronite agents). It was also at the time where Hafez al-Asad refused to join Sadat at Camp David. It was all purely political pressure, funded by the west and Saudi Arabia.

The crimes began with killing Dr. al-Yousef for no fucking reason other than that he’s Alawi. He was popular because he gave free optometry treatment to the poor that couldn’t afford it. The whole goal of the MB was to create sectarian strife, just like today. After the military operations in Hama in 1982, the terrorism stopped. Is it because the army was killing civilians left and right in Hama? NO! The terrorism stopped because the army killed the MB terrorists. It’s so upsetting that we’re seeing the same agents for sectarian strife today, but blind people who lived during the MB terrorism spree, and acknowledge them, somehow don’t see the similarities. The government is our government and it has kept Syria united despite this sickening global attack. The MB were proudly announcing that every day in Ramadan would be a Friday, and they failed, so you guys get upset and start bitching on here. Every time President Asad goes on TV and speaks calmly and rationally, you guys get upset and bitch some more on here. Then now suddenly, out of nowhere, with no one else “resigning” we get this attorney general, kidnapped on Monday, claiming he “resigned” on Wednesday while reading a statement (just like all the other military “defectors”) and you guys get excited again, but hopefully when Bakkour is saved from the terrorist kidnappers and tells the story, you guys will be upset again and bitching on here about it once more.

Trukouna bi7alna w rou7u bal6u al-ba7r

September 1st, 2011, 11:42 am

@ Sheila #33

“This is why the majority of Syrians supported the MB uprising, including many minorities, until the indiscriminate killings started.”

I agree completely with Sheila. As you can deduce from my name, I am Christian. At the beginning of events of the late 70s and early 80s, we did not know who did the Artillery college shooting was killing the army officers. Indeed, despite the killing my parents and the people around us did not feel much indignation (even, there was understanding for the some groups’ unhappiness). The indignation started when Mohamed al-Fadil and Ali Khalil Shahadeh were killed and then the condemnation happened when the public transport vehicles were targeted. Then, the disgust was deepened when the targeted the Kids’ schools.

(More to follow later.

September 1st, 2011, 11:51 am

It is an exciting news. I always say humanity can’t be divided by races or country of origin.

“You see this this I how get information from people; it is by teasing them. You can say I am Mukhabarat, but you can say I have better methods.

September 1st, 2011, 11:57 am

Husam said:

@ HABIB:

“NO! The terrorism stopped because the army killed the MB terrorists.”

The Army also killed +20,000 innocent people, elderly, women and children. You meant: Trukouna bi7halna… to run the country like Rabbits, rule as Kings and plunder the country while the majority of Syrians are living on $2/day?

You will not be left alone… because selfish people like you never left anyone alone.

September 1st, 2011, 11:58 am

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DanielPearl.PNG

Don’t you think that this man “facial expression and body language are quite relaxed”

Read the story

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Pearl

September 1st, 2011, 12:01 pm

uzair8 said:

2 points. One on the attorney general of Hama.

Firstly. A message to the regime, the thugs, torturers, those involved in the oppression etc.

Divine Justice is going to catch up with you. InshaAllah. You can run to the hills and run for your lives but you will not escape the inevitable. Prepare for the wrath of God.

Those of us not involved in the tyrannical machinary in any way should consider ourselves very lucky and we should prostrate to God Almighty in gratitude. Woe to the regime and their collaborators.

A verse from the Quran for the muslims on here:

وَهُوَ الْقَاهِرُ فَوْقَ عِبَادِهِ ۚ وَهُوَ الْحَكِيمُ الْخَبِيرُ {18}

[Yusufali 6:18] “He is the Irresistible, (watching) from above over His worshippers; and He is the Wise, acquainted with all things.”

Second point. About the Attorney General. If the defection is true as I suspect it is, it is of utmost urgency for the regime to kill him. The regime can then maintain its line that armed gangs kidnapped him and forced him to make those statements on video before killing him. However, if he manages to get out of Syria and then speaks to the media in safety he can do some real damage to the regime. This would be a significant blow for the regime. I hope and pray the revolutionaries can sneak the Attorney General out of Syria. It will be difficult as the regime will be hunting for him and preventing his escape.

September 1st, 2011, 12:11 pm

“It was at about the start of the Lebanese civil war where Syria made sure it had a dominant role to stop a zionist takeover (using their maronite agents)”

Kindly have some respect for our intelligence, even if you don’t have any respect for your own. The Syrian army invaded Lebanon to save the Maronites from a sure military defeat at the hands of the PLO. It was only later that Papa Assad switched sides.

Just how credible do you imagine yourself to be when you try to lie about even that fact?

September 1st, 2011, 12:17 pm

Syria’s attorney general: Resignation or kidnapping?
By Ivan Watson and Hamdi Alkhshali, CNN
September 1, 2011 11:35 a.m. EDT
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/09/01/syria.unrest/
(CNN) — What happened to the attorney general of Hama?

The mystery surrounding judge Adnan Bakkour deepened Thursday as Syrian state media and the attorney general himself offered conflicting narratives of his whereabouts.

Syria’s state news agency first highlighted Bakkour’s case Tuesday, when it reported that he had been kidnapped by “seven gunmen with rifles and machine guns” near the village of Karnaz.

The next day, however, a video emerged on YouTube where a gray-haired man in a gray suit and tie introduced himself to the camera as Bakkour.

“I announce my resignation from my position with the Assad regime and his gangs,” the judge said.

Bakkour calmly read from a piece of paper, while seated at a desk, with a glass of water by his left hand and a Toshiba laptop by his right.

He went on to list reasons for his resignation.

Bakkour accused Syrian authorities of killing 72 prisoners at the central prison in Hama. He claimed there was a mass grave with 420 bodies in a place called Al Khalidiya, and accused the government of trying to frame the opposition for the killings.

“They (the government) asked me to prepare a report and present it to them showing that the victims were killed by the protesters,” Bakkour said.

The attorney general also accused security services of torturing and killing more than 300 demonstrators.

CNN cannot independently confirm these claims. The government in Damascus has denied repeated requests for CNN journalists to visit Syria.

Soon after the release of Bakkour’s video resignation, the Syrian state news agency SANA fired back, saying the attorney general had been coerced by kidnappers to make false statements.

Citing an unnamed “official source” in the city of Hama, SANA wrote that “armed terrorist groups who kidnapped” Bakkour “forced him to say these lies at gunpoint.”

The SANA article accused the Arabic news channel Al Jazeera of collaborating with kidnappers to mislead Syrian public opinion.

But hours later, Bakkour was back on camera in another video uploaded to YouTube.

This time, he appeared standing, wearing the same suit, but now without a tie.

“What Syrian TV broadcast that I had been kidnapped by armed groups is untrue,” Bakkour said.

“I am now protected by the rebels and I am in good health. Today is Wednesday August 31st. Shabiha (pro-government militia) tried to kidnap me today but they failed to do so. I will make live statements as soon as I leave Syria, soon.”

If Bakkour has in fact defected, it would mark a major blow to the Syrian government, said one prominent Syrian activist in exile,.

“He (Bakkour) has been appointed directly by the minister of justice. He is the highest authority among all the judges in Hama,” said Rami Abdulrahman, director of the London-based Syrian Observatory of Human Rights.

“We cannot confirm whether or not he has defected or whether he has been kidnapped,” Abdulrahman added.

The western Syrian city of Hama has been at the center of the protests, with fierce crackdowns last month that included military tanks and government forces raiding homes.

Since the uprising first erupted in Syria more than five months ago, a number of men have appeared in similar videos wearing military uniforms and announcing their defection from the Syrian army.

Meanwhile, Syrian state TV has also broadcast televised confessions of men who claimed to commit acts of political violence on the part of the Syrian opposition.

The United Nations Human Rights Commissioner has reported that more than 2,200 people have been killed since the security forces launched a bloody campaign to crush anti-government protests last March.

Citing a pattern of widespread, systematic human rights abuses, UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay says the Damascus regime may be guilty of “crimes against humanity.”

September 1st, 2011, 12:20 pm

Norman @51

Ok now, let’s not get sentimental here. Already pre-occupied…

BTW, I do not think you are a bad person, Norman

September 1st, 2011, 12:30 pm

Tara,
I do not think that you are a bad person either.

September 1st, 2011, 12:42 pm

NK said:

Here’s the first video, posted on Aug 20

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKV0YXWWg_s&skipcontrinter=1

of course the video Prof. Landis posted has the first 10 seconds of it removed because the guy clearly says ” These are the reforms of Bashar Assad “.

Here’s another video posted on the same day, not sure if those are the same corpses displayed in the first video

jna said:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4795093

On a red-hot August night in 1965, the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles exploded with racial frustration. Six days later, 34 people were dead, hundreds more injured and a wide swath of South-Central L.A. was scarred with burned-out buildings and looted stores.

The unrest began with a routine traffic stop by CHP officer Lee Minikus. He arrested 20-year-old Marquette Fry for suspicion of driving under the influence, and things got out of hand when Fry’s mother arrived at the scene and started yelling at the officer. A crowd began to form, and by the time Fry was booked, the riot was under way, sparked by rumors that the officer had beaten an elderly woman.

Forty years later, many area residents still remember those days. Some still term it a rebellion, not a riot. The official government report concluded the riots were rooted in discontent over high unemployment; poor housing and medical care; and bad schools. Relations with the police were at an all-time low.

Alice Harris — known as “Sweet Alice” to her neighbors — has lived in Watts for 46 years. She says things haven’t changed much at all. “Everybody is tense — no jobs, zero tolerance in the housing projects… people scared of the police,” she says.

Tommy Jaquette, now a community activist and director of the Watts Summer Festival, was 21 years old in 1965, and a friend of Fry’s. He says he knows what it was like to be a young black man in 1965, always getting harassed by white police officers.

“I knew the frustration, the hostility, and I knew the attitude of the police — and it was payback time, for the most part,” he says.

Police were ordered to shoot to kill, and 14,000 National Guard troops rolled in, complete with tanks. Businesses went up in smoke; most never returned.

After the riots, Watts finally got a grocery store and a medical center — but mismanagement at the hospital threatens to close it down. The jobless rate is still high, and schools are still in bad shape.

Harris says if things don’t shape up, things could turn violent yet again. “I don’t want to be in another riot… I don’t want children or grandchildren to be in a riot. It’s dangerous.”

September 1st, 2011, 12:52 pm

Aboud

And it has become the Assad’s ultimate revenge exacting tool on wide swaths of Syrian citizenry.

September 1st, 2011, 1:04 pm

Dear Shiela, in regard to #60

I don’t know about you but in my opinion when people use vulgarity especially when talking to a woman, I don’t think they are worth a response.

فاجأ رئيس الوزراء التركي رجب طيب إردوغان الجميع أمس بإصدار مرسوم قانون لإعادة الممتلكات المصادرة للأقليات الدينية منذ عام 1936. ويعتبر المحللون هذه الخطوة المفاجأة الكبرى الثانية لإردوغان بعد إقصائه القيادات العسكرية قبل أشهر.

أُعلن عن هذا المرسوم أمس قبل ساعات من إفطار رمضاني مشترك نظمته المؤسسات الدينية غير المسلمة لرئيس الوزراء. وينص المرسوم الجديد على إعادة ما صادرته السلطات التركية من ممتلكات المؤسسات الدينية المختلفة بعد تعداد عام 1936. وتجدر الإشارة هنا إلى أن المقصود بالمؤسسات الدينية غير المسلمة تلك التي تم الاعتراف بها من قبل تركيا في اتفاقيات دولية وقعتها الجمهورية التركية منذ عام 1932.

ويشمل المرسوم إعادة الممتلكات حسب سجلات المصادرة بدء من عام 1936، إعادة المقابر غير المسلمة التي سُلمت بشكل غير مقبول للإدارات المحلية، كما جاء في النص، ثم إعادة العقارات غير واضحة الملكية، والمقصود هنا الأديرة والكنائس التي لم تعترف بها القوانين التركية حتى الآن.

ويشمل النص أيضا تقديم تعويضات للملاّكين الحاليين في حال تنازل أو بيع الدولة لبعض هذه الأملاك لأطراف أخرى.

September 1st, 2011, 1:08 pm

Evan said:

#66 Aboud, is it really true that Assad invaded Lebanon to save the maronites from defeat at the hands of the PLO? If so that is very funny considering Israel invaded for essentially the same reason. Did Assad switch his priorities only once he found that he and Israel were on the same ideological side?

September 1st, 2011, 1:10 pm

Evan, I recommend Robert Fisk’s “Pity the Nation”, an excellent book on the Lebanese civil war. Hafez switched sides in 1977, the Israelis invaded South Lebanon in 1978.

You can never predict which side a Lebanese warlord will support next year. Michelle Aoun was chased out of Lebanon by Papa Assad, yet on his return to Lebanon became pro-Syrian. Whatever is convenient for the times, I guess.

(The following is by Jibran Khalil Jibran)

Pity the nation that is full of beliefs and empty of religion.

Pity the nation that wears a cloth it does not weave,
eats a bread it does not harvest,
and drinks a wine that flows not from its own wine-press.

Pity the nation that acclaims the bully as hero,
and that deems the glittering conqueror bountiful.

Pity a nation that despises a passion in its dream,
yet submits in its awakening.

Pity the nation that raises not its voice
save when it walks in a funeral,
boasts not except among its ruins,
and will rebel not save when its neck is laid
between the sword and the block.

Pity the nation whose statesman is a fox,
whose philosopher is a juggler,
and whose art is the art of patching and mimicking.

Pity the nation that welcomes its new ruler with trumpeting,
and farewells him with hooting,
only to welcome another with trumpeting again.

Pity the nation whose sages are dumb with years
and whose strong men are yet in the cradle.

Pity the nation divided into into fragments,
each fragment deeming itself a nation.

September 1st, 2011, 1:14 pm

“Understandable that Onde Should Hate” NewZ

Annie said:

Annie,

What exactly is a “Zionist type”? I need to know this so I can tell whether or not I can hate the Jew.

Atzmon is one, exceptional: Israeli, born there, who came to realize that he was in the wrong place, that he did not belong.

So are you saying the criteria that it is “understandable that one should hate” a Jew is determined by whether or not the Jew feels he/she is “in the wrong place” (i.e. living in Israel)?

September 1st, 2011, 1:22 pm

Hey guys, remember when Aunt Buthaina said that the revolution would be over within two weeks, back in May?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/10/world/middleeast/10syria.html?pagewanted=all

ROFL!!!!!! She’s so pathetic she doesn’t even deserve to be on any sanctions list.

September 1st, 2011, 1:34 pm

@ Annie 56 “About Jew haters in this forum; it is understandable that one should hate them when one has only dealt with the Zionist types.
But I have met some righteous Jews.

Atzmon is one, exceptional: Israeli, born there, who came to realize that he was in the wrong place, that he did not belong.”

Annie, you are dangerously close to conflating Judaism and Zionism. Contrary to what you are saying, it’s not understandable that one should “hate them”, why don’t you look up عبد الوهاب المسيري
It’s comments like the above that give me very little faith in the ability of Syria to escape a bloodbath.

September 1st, 2011, 1:39 pm

Annie isn’t Ann (except for their anti-semitism) NewZ

50. DIGGING FOR GOLD IN BOSRA said:

Digging for Gold in Bosra,

Gee, I guess you answered your own question. q:o)

September 1st, 2011, 1:51 pm

5 dancing shlomos said:

of course this is just the tip of the freedom and democracy iceberg but this is a beginning to the what the govt of syria should aspire to:

In America The Rule Of Law Is Vacated
Bank fraudsters, torturers, and war criminals running free…

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=26326

September 1st, 2011, 2:11 pm

small clue how israelis makes it in israel and in america. special privileges (only $100 billion or so each year min):

American Taxpayers Subsidize Israel’s Prosperity

by Alison Weir, September 01, 2011
Email This | Print This | Share This | Antiwar Forum
Israel’s Jerusalem Post newspaper recently published an article calling Israel “The New Golden Country” for young people from around the world. It reports that Israel boasts an ever-increasing GDP, a strong currency, and “a lower unemployment rate than the U.S.”

The article fails to mention the well over $3 billion a year that American taxpayers have given Israel for years, nor the fact that some of this money has been used to develop industries that compete with U.S. companies, costing thousands of American jobs and adding to the American unemployment rate.

The story also omits the fact that Israel has periodically stolen U.S. technology, hurting the U.S. economy still more, and fails to note that support for Israel has cost Americans in the range of $3-$6 trillion and that these costs continue to escalate.

http://original.antiwar.com/alison-weir/2011/08/31/american-taxpayers-subsidize-israels-prosperity/

September 1st, 2011, 2:20 pm

5 Dancing Ahmads,

Yes, we Americans sure have it bad. One day we hope to aspire to be as endowed with “rule of law” like in most Arab and Muslim nations.

BTW, where do you live?

September 1st, 2011, 2:22 pm

Memo To: 5 DANCING SHLOMOS

RE: Welcome Back, Dude!

We thought you were dead. Ann and Akbario Palazzo were wondering whether some of Besho’s Boys smashed in your face and cut off your fingers. Oh wait! You work for Besho. Never mind…

September 1st, 2011, 2:23 pm

6. ann “Fundamentally Freund: Israel’s educational mediocrity”

israel and its jews rank number 1 in what is important to them: stealing and lying.

amurderka ranks 1st in killing but this is done for israel so israel shares this #1 ranking.

3 firsts.

September 1st, 2011, 2:28 pm

israelis also rank first in the dimwit category.

September 1st, 2011, 2:30 pm

5DS what are your opinions on Syria? I mean this is Syria Comment, after all.

September 1st, 2011, 2:40 pm

To #60. Habib,
Your rude words are really unwarranted, especially when you display such ignorance and lack of judgment. They just reflect on who you are:

I agree with you that that the MB uprising was partially politically motivated.
I vehemently disagree that back then Syria was doing well. Nepotism was at its highest (see 3), corruption was rampant and people were very angry with the regime.
I knew Dr. Al-Yousef personally. A very nice and decent man, who unfortunately for him, was appointed the head of the ophthalmology department at the university of Aleppo upon return from his studies in Russia (we all know how good the Russian degrees given to foreigners were). He was decent enough to admit that he lacked the knowledge and asked for helped from a local old timer to really learn ophthalmology. As nice and decent as he was, he was very unqualified for that position, by his own admission. Dr. Al-Yousef knew about ophthalmology as much as I knew when I was 14 (I am not a doctor). He was popular because he was a nice and decent man. He could not really help anyone with his medicine. He needed help. (I am still not over his killing)
We won nothing in 1973. It was a failed war. We shattered nobody’s illusions except our own.
We did not stop the Zionist takeover of Lebanon. They still feel free to go in whenever they feel like it.
What a smart move by Hafez not to join Camp David!!!!!!
Your beloved regime that kept Syria united also drove Syria into the ground whether educationally, economically or socially. Enough is enough.
Please find someone to teach you proper behavior and how to address a lady. It might help you later in life.

Dear Tara,
Thanks for your support. It is shocking to me to see how some people here lack manners and proper behaviour. Thank God for people like you to make writting here worth it.

September 1st, 2011, 2:48 pm

Dear Aboud,
Great words. Thank you. What do we do without you!

September 1st, 2011, 2:55 pm

Memo To: SHIELA

RE: “…What do we do without Aboud?…”

Indeed! What would we do without him? He’s the key to the solution, the missing piece of the puzzle, the sine qua non, the indispensable component, the…the…words fail me. Nothing I could say on this matter could possibly match the depth of my feelings…

September 1st, 2011, 3:30 pm

2011-09-01 18:37:56

ناشط سوري : المعارضة السورية في الداخل “موحدة” أما في الخارج فهي “مشتتة ”

أعلن الناشط السياسي السوري ميشيل كيلو اليوم الخميس أن المعارضة السورية في الخارج مشتتة أما في الداخل فهي موحدة في الرأي, مشيرا إلى أن مطالب المعارضة الداخلية تتركز حول الحوار وإيجاد حل توافقي وعن نظام انتقالي يقود البلاد إلى الديمقراطية.

وقال المعارض السوري ميشيل كيلو في اتصال مع قناة “روسيا اليوم” من دمشق, إن” المعارضة موحدة عندما رفضت الذهاب إلى اللقاء التشاوري، الذي دعت إليه الحكومة السورية، موضحا أن المعارضة الخارجية مشتتة لكن الداخلية تتمتع برؤية موحدة وبأهداف واحدة ووسائل عمل واحدة أيضا”.

وكانت عدة شخصيات سورية معارضة رفضت المشاركة في الحوار الوطني بدمشق الذي دعت إليه السلطات السورية منذ شهر تموز الماضي , مبررة ذلك بعدم توفير مناخ للحوار من خلال استمرار الحل الأمني في التعامل مع الاحتجاجات التي تشهدها منذ أشهر.

ونفى كيلو تماما أن” يكون الخارج يحرض المعارضة على استعمال العنف”، مشددا “أننا لا نستعمل العنف”، موضحا أن المعارضة الداخلية لم تطالب حتى الآن بإسقاط النظام، وتتحدث عن حوار وعن حل توافقي وعن نظام انتقالي يقود البلاد إلى الديمقراطية.

واضاف كيلو “نحن والنظام.. نحن وحزب البعث لا حالة من الديمقراطية والانفتاح على بعضنا البعض”، مشددا على أن الحل الوحيد هو الحوار “وليس الدبابة ولا القوة ولا الشبيحة ولا المخابرات”.

وكان المعارض السوري ميشيل كيلو قدم , خلال فعاليات اللقاء التشاوري تحت عنوان “سورية للجميع في ظل دولة ديمقراطية مدنية”، لـ “مناقشة آلية الانتقال إلى الدولة المدنية الذي انعقد بفندق سميراميس بدمشق بمشاركة 200 شخصية معارضة, جملة مطالب ومقترحات من اجل إخراج سورية من الأزمة التي تتعرض لها, منها إيقاف الحل الأمني والاعتراف بالأحزاب واعتبارها جزء من النسيج السياسي وضرورة تعديل الدستور وغيرها من المقترحات ….

وأوضح أن “الأصوات التي سمعت مؤخرا تتحدث عن حماية دولية جاءت بسبب يأس الناس من وقف القمع”، معتبرا أن “الأمور أضحت أبعد من القبول بالإصلاحات، بيد أن السبيل الوحيد للخروج من المأزق هو طاولة الحوار بناء على برنامج حقيقي يؤدي إلى نظام انتقالي يقوم على أساس الحرية”, متوقعا أنه “بمجرد أن يأخذ مجلس الآمن قرارا لحماية المدنيين واستخدام حق التدخل الإنساني فسيكون هناك إجراءات سريعة لكل أنواع التدخل في سورية”.

وكان مجلس الأمن الدولي توصل مطلع الشهر الماضي إلى مسودة قرار حول الأزمة في سورية, حيث اصدر بيانا دعا فيه وقف مظاهر العنف في سورية وبدء حوار سياسي بين السلطة والمعارضة, منددا بالانتهاكات التي تمارس من قبل السلطات السورية بحق المتظاهرين .

وتأتي تصريحات 3 أيام على إعلان تشكيل شخصيات معارضة ما أسموه “المجلس الوطني الانتقالي” الذي يضم أكثر من 90 شخصا, برئاسة برهان غليون.

وكانت المعارضة السورية في الخارج قدت عدة مؤتمرات خارج سورية منها 3 مؤتمرات في تركيا, فيما عقدت شخصيات معارضة في الداخل مؤتمر لها في دمشق.

يشار إلى أن سورية تشهد منذ 5 أشهر على خروج تظاهرات في عدد من المدن السورية تركزت أيام الجمعة تنادي بالحرية وشعارات سياسية مناهضة للنظام, ترافقت باستشهاد المئات من المدنيين وعناصر الجيش والأمن, حملت السلطات السورية مسؤولية هذا الأمر لجماعات مسلحة, فيما يتهم نشطاء حقوقيون السلطات باستخدام “العنف لاسكات صوت الاحتجاجات.

سيريانيوز

معارض 2011-09-01 20:52:27
الى فـراس صـــقر
جميل منك ان تحارب و تفضح و تطالب بؤر الفساد و لكني لم اسمع يوما بأن قاضي حكم خطأ فزج به السجن و لم اسمع يوما ان تمت محاكحمة ضابط مخابرات لتدخله في عمل اجهزة الدولة او لقبضه رشوة من التاجر فلان و لم اسمع يوماان مشروعا تجاريامربدون تدخل المخابرات وتوزيع التحاصص بين الوزير المختص و احد ضباط المختص فأين هي محاربة الفساد التي تتكلم عنها . الفساد هوان تتقدم الى وظيفة ويفوز من تدعمه اجهزةالدولة الفساد هوان تقف انت على اشارةالمرور و تمر سيارة مفيمة مسرعة مو سائلةلا عنك ولاعن شرطي المرورولاالقانون
-سورياشهيرة سكر 2011-09-01 20:46:31
أين المعارضة الشريفة ؟؟؟
المعارضة من حيث المبدأ لاغبار عليها شريطة أن تكون لصالح الوطن وليس خدمة لاجندات خارجية مغرضة ولها اهدافها الخبيثة ، والمعارضة فيما نرى أنها حوار الطرشان لان أمريكا والغرب لن يسمح لاي معارضة شريفة في سوريا بان تتحاور بشفافية مع القيادة في سوريا ليبب بسيط لانهم يريدون تنصيب أزلام وعملاء لهم ، وكلنا يعرف ماذا جرى في مؤتمر الخيانة في سان جيرمان بباريس حيث برنار ليفي اليهودي كان المنظر الرئيسي للمعارضة التي باعت نفسها للشيطان على امل ان يسلمها البلد ، هل الشعب السوري يريد تسليم البلد لهكذا عملاء !!
-سورياعربي سوري 2011-09-01 20:36:57
ضمانات
فليتفضل السيد كيلو ويعطينا فقط ربع كيلو ضمانات بأنه سيسلم السلاح الموجود وكل من ارتكب جريمة بحق رجال الأمن السوري الذي يسميهم شبيحة وأفراد حماة الوطن الأبطال الذين تتفنن الجزيرة وبقية العصابة بتسميتهم بأسماء تنطبق عليهم فقط، يقوم بتسليم المجرمين الذين اعتدوا على الجيش والأمن والمواطنين من كافة الأطياف والممتلكات العامة والخاصة ثم يطلب إيقاف الحل الأمني. صدر قانون الأحزاب فليشترك بحزب ثم يربح انتخابات ويعدل الدستور.. وإلا فهو مشارك بالعمالة وليصمت على أقل تقدير.
-ألمانيامواطن سوري 2011-09-01 20:37:14
!!
مين ميشيل كيلو ؟ مين معارضة ؟ على أساس اذا طالبو هالقلة القليلة بإسقاط النظام .. خلص راح نروح على بيوتنا !!
-سورياشاهد حق 2011-09-01 20:28:29
الى السيد (حب سوريا واجب)
نداء ورجاء لكل سوري يخاف الله الرجاء ابلاغ عن اي فاسد او مرتشي او قاتل او مجرم او تاجر سلاح او مخدرات ؟؟؟حاولت الاستجابة لندائك فوجدتني اعرض نفسي للخطر فكل هؤلاء المعنيين هم من عظام الرقبة للسلطة واخو اخته يقدر يفتح تمو غنهم وذباب الازرق يشوفه..خلينا بحالنا الله يرضى عليك حاميها حراميها والله يصفيهم ببعضهم يارب
-أفغانستانحازم كم الماز 2011-09-01 20:29:42
حكي كتير و فعل ولاشي
معلش مرة تانية بدي احكي..وين الحوار يلي عم تحكي عليهظليش ما أحرجتوا ” النظام”و فتحتوا الملفات يلي بتشوفوها مناسبة؟ليش ما بتواجهوا “النظام”؟تهربكن من مسؤوليتكم كمعارضة تعبر عن الشعب يا استاذ ميشيل بتنزع المصداقية عندكم.لك سمعنا من الرئيس بمأدبة الافطار مع علماءالدين من نقد و مصارحة مما أكتر كلامكن مع الجزيرة و العربية. كله هاد كلام بكلام للآن.
-سورياسامر 2011-09-01 20:22:53
منبوذوا المجلس الإنتقالي
قسم المجلس الانتقالي المغانم فأعطيت الرئاسة للغليون ووزعت المناصب على بقية المعارضين ولقد تم إغفال عدد من رموز المعارضة ممن يعتقدون أنفسهم الأكثر أهمية في حراك المعارضة (مثل الكيلو والمناع) فثارت ثائرتهم ووجهوا سهامهم إلى معارضي اسطنبول ومجلسهم الإنتقالي فأي بؤس ينتظر السوريين إذا ماقيِّض للمعارضة من تسلم زمام الأمور
-سورياحازم كم الماز 2011-09-01 20:23:07
وين الحوار استاذ ميشيل؟
وين الحوار؟ما رفضتوه؟ السبيل الوحيد لتغييرات سريعة و جادة هو الحوار.أنا فرد من هالمجتمع و بحقلي قول أنو أصريتوا تهربوا من الحوار فتقيمكن عندي صفر و انتو كاذبين.رعلى كل حال منعرف انو تأثيركم على الشارع السوري ضعيف بس لايعني انومانقدر “افعالكن” بالحوار وقت يصير على أرض الواقع.
-سوريام فراس صقر 2011-09-01 20:16:45
عن أي معارضة نتكلم 2
واعود وأكرر ماهي مطالب هذه المعارضة فلتتفضل ببرنامجها إن كانت موحدة، وماذا عن حرية الاديان والاعتقاد إن كانت تؤمن بالحرية والمواطنة………*
سوريام فراس صقر 2011-09-01 20:11:02
عن أي معارضة نتكلم
صراحة وهذا راي الشخصي انا استغرب من موقف من يسمون أنفسهم بالمعارضة، ماهو مفهوم المعارضة لديهم؟؟؟ هل هو التسليح والتقطيع والاضراب والتظاهرات التي لم نعد نعرف حقيقة أهدافها ومن يقف ورائها…. وأواد أن أذكر سيريانيوز أنني في يوم من ايام عام 2009 كنت ممن شارك بسماهمة بعنوان الفساد وبأسمي الصريح، نعم أنا اعارض الفساد والرشوة والبيروقراطية والمحسوبيةبل وأحاربهم، كن لن أسمح ابدا بالعبث والمساس بامن وطني وشعبي……….عاشت سوريا
سورياzedabuzed 2011-09-01 19:07:03
إلى السيد كيلو
انظروا واسمعوا الأخبار ايها العملاء من اقنيه غير جزيرتكم وووو.لقد بداء اسيادكم وعلى رأسهم سيدكم ساركوزي بتقسيم الحصص بينهم في ليبيا,لأجل هذا فعلوا كل شيء لاسقاط القذافي,والدور عليكم يا بلهاء يساعدونكم ويفعلوا اي شيء لكم لاقتسامكم.ntv.ru وللعلم ان في الأخبار الدوليه حبيبتكم فرنسا تطلب 35%من الحصص في ليبيا أرجوا النشر سوريا نيوز.
-روسيا الاتحاديةجورج 2011-09-01 19:01:34
المعارضة الداخلية
ميشيل كيلو وزملائه يمثلون جزء بسيط من المعارضة الداخلية فاما الجزء الاكبر هو عامة الشعب ممثلين بالمتظاهرين الاحرار.
سورياحب سوريا واجب 2011-09-01 19:00:17
نداء ورجاء لكل سوري يخاف الله
نداء خاص لكل مواطن سوري شريف غيور على وحدة سوريا والاديان في سوريا نداء كل من يعرف او يعلم عن مكان اي خائن او مندس او من اعضاء التنسيقيات التخريبية او من يدفع على التحريض بمقابل مادي او معنوي الرجاء ابلاغ السلطات او كتابة اسمه هنا بالموقع وارجوا رجاء خاص كل من يعلم عن اي فاسد او مرتشي او قاتل او مجرم او تاجر سلاح او مخدرات اكتبوا اسمائهم هنا وبلغوا عنهم السلطات المختصة حرصا على وحدة دين وتراب سوريا لان ساعة الندم لاتفيد والمؤامرة على سوريا اكبر من كلمة حرية والتظاهرات افهموها قبل فوات الاوان
-سوريا
copy rights © syria-news 2010

September 1st, 2011, 3:34 pm

Anyone knows if being on sanction list means that we will not read Op Eds from Aunti Buthaina in western newspapers?

September 1st, 2011, 3:41 pm

77. AP, I just said that it is normal for people who have only dealt with the zionist occupiers that they would engulf Jews in their dislike with Israel’s insistence of being the State of the Jews. Israelis have not been a plus for this region to say the least.

For me it is never understandable that one should hate a Jew as such, period. A Jew is not responsible for being born in a Jewish family. It is what we do with our lives which counts. And I have known righteous Jews and righteous exiled or not exiled Israelis.

And this is all I’ll say on the topic. We are in Syria Comment and it deals with Syria.

September 1st, 2011, 3:44 pm

Ghat Al Bird said:

Headline from China’s Xinhua [english edition].

September 1, 2011.

” Syrian official denies resignation of Hama general attorney”.

September 1st, 2011, 3:47 pm

Khalid Tlass said:

Haytham Khoury, are you Maronite by any chance ? (no offence intended). Just curious why some Maronites prefer French names like Michel, Camille, Pierre, Francois, Jean, etc.

September 1st, 2011, 3:52 pm

90. sheila said:

Indeed, what would SC be without Aboud et al.
May be, one day, he will have the honour of being quoted by Josh 🙂

Aboud, make sure to check in at least once a day because like the others I would worry.

September 1st, 2011, 3:53 pm

N.Z. said:

Sheila, a shabih can easily be spotted by the language he uses. #60 is a typical example.

amal said:

What an intelligent question KALID TLASS my boy! 😉

You’re so smart MON PETIT CON!! 😀

September 1st, 2011, 3:56 pm

We are in Syria Comment and it deals with Syria.

It was not me who wrote your blatantly anti-semitic post #56, which, BTW, had nothing to do with Syria.

Therefore, I reserve the right to respond to it and I also reserve the right to remind (as if he didn’t know) DIGGING FOR GOLD IN BOSRA, that anti-semitism on this forum is, unfortunately, alive, well, and par for the course.

I don’t care to beat a “dead-horse”, but it is obvious this horse isn’t dead.

September 1st, 2011, 4:08 pm

SC should incorporate a coloring book for people unable to articulate statements beyond pre K level.

September 1st, 2011, 4:13 pm

Hey guys ( and girls ) , remember when one commentator here said that the revolution would be winning before the end of Ramadan, back in July ?

He is so pathetic he doesn’t even deserve to be listed here.

September 1st, 2011, 4:18 pm

Let me guess HSYRIAN

Might he be that boiler room Israeli impersonating a Syrian character on this blog?! 😀

September 1st, 2011, 4:25 pm

I also remember years of posts from someone (and his side-kick) explaining why Assad is the best choice for Syria.

But we can’t ban Professor Josh and Alex.

Who will monitor the website?;)

Amal,

Are you saying Aboud is Israeli? I’m afraid some Arabs would cut off their nose to spite their face if it came down to agreeing with a Jew or Israeli.

Now THAT’S silly. And painful.

September 1st, 2011, 4:29 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwxuOdfqN-s&feature=youtu.be

With all the brutality that brave Syrians, young and old are facing with bare chests, you cannot but feel elated and empowered by their determination to reclaim freedom from the monstrous regime.

September 1st, 2011, 4:30 pm

N.Z.

You are confusing a bunch of people dancing dabkeh in the street for Islamist Terrorists!!

Cheer up 😀

September 1st, 2011, 4:41 pm

Thanks to NK for finding the original full video of the “burned soldiers” video clearly showing the context of it.

To the person who sent me a “memo”:

Scholars do a little background checking before selling fake, shoddy videos as “provocative” – equating it to the same level as the Hama AG’s resignation.

September 1st, 2011, 4:58 pm

Habib Ignores the monopoly practiced by rami, the horrifying violations of human rights committed by the regime and the whole oligarchy. Habib it’s سلمية ! Not سلفية

September 1st, 2011, 4:59 pm

Adviser & Commentator

Hysterian @ 102

How thick, so you attach the same weight to a senior adviser to your x-box besho and a commentator on Syria Comment. Now who is holding your regime in low ethteem. Better be careful, Amal will tell on you.

DUH

September 1st, 2011, 5:02 pm

#106 Hope,

These are the creative men the shabiha are killing. How come your master sees Not what you see?

September 1st, 2011, 5:03 pm

oh come on now N.Z. my boy!

You must have seen people dance the dabkeh in Israel! 😉

Right my boy? 😀

September 1st, 2011, 5:08 pm

Votre mère, votre mère

September 1st, 2011, 5:18 pm

Amal, êtes-vous Libanais chi’ite? Juste attendre, nous vous jeter dans la mer Méditerranée, mais avant cela, nous allons laisser les Palestiniens et les druzes PSP perdre et sauvages sur vous! Trou de cul !!

September 1st, 2011, 5:31 pm

Regarding Tara’s question abt the relationship between Mousa Sadr and Yasser Arafat, it was not friendly to say the least. Both were cunning and contriving hypocrites to say the least, but ‘Arafat and the Palestinians had the moral high ground. Moussa Sadr never wanted to fight the Israelsi, all he wanted was to topple the Maronite power structure and get more power and influence for Lebanese Shi’ites. Moussa Sadr was a great friend of Assad Sr. and her gave the Ftawa that the ‘Alawis are Muslims.

September 1st, 2011, 5:41 pm

So where is Spann ( Spammy Ann ) ? Mjabali ? Afram ? JAD ?

I didn’t know Menhebaks celebrate Eid !!!

September 1st, 2011, 5:42 pm

Ali said:

Sheila,

Why do you keep targeting the regime supporters claiming that the only bad language is coming from them? Do you not read what Khalid Tlass writes? Do you not see the brutality in your(plural) comments? Habib only stated the truth of the events that TOOK PLACE. How do you expect him to write “politely” or respond in a “nice” manner when your comments are igniting the fire?

NZ. What the hell is that? Looks like a party to me.
How brave!

September 1st, 2011, 5:45 pm

‎’Antisemitism’ is an easy cheap-shot remark to make. I deliberately refer to Jews instead of ‘Israel, because this is an issue that reflects upon all Jews.

It’s no coincidence that states that oppose or obstruct Israel get singled out for horrific treatment by the West – the USA in particular – and Israel herself is allowed to bomb innocent neighbours and abuse human rights to a degree the most aggressive tyrants would envy. It’s because Israel is a Jewish state, and Jews around the world – in the US most obviously, but not exclusively – use their immense influence to make this possible.

So yes, ‘I blame the Jews’. Get used to it, it isn’t racism, thoughtful Jews should blame themselves, too.

It’s repulsive what Israel does – the recent assault on Lebanon and this current plot to throw Syria into anarchy were and are utterly disgusting. And if you cry antisemitism to distract from that, you’re part of the problem, but obviously the Jews, Israelis, American-hawks-in-love-with-Israel and American-hawks-in-love-with-Israel-pretending-to-be-Syrians on this forum are not just ‘part’ of the problem, but part of the very core of the problem.

September 1st, 2011, 5:54 pm

Moussa El-Sadr was/is a very charismatic Shiite leader. All those who knew him, thinks of him highly.

September 1st, 2011, 5:56 pm

Hi. Tell us more. I want to know.

September 1st, 2011, 6:02 pm

NORMAN
I really do not want to cut and past a full article, but here is the full text of Michele Kilo’s interview you have kindly reported syrianews summary of. Just tell me after reading it if you get the same impression you got from syrianews butcher job. Different tone, really really different tone.

ميشيل كيلو: سورية على اعتاب تدخل غربي من الناتو وتركيا
بواسطة ADMIN – 2011/09/01
نشر فى: مقالات وتحليلات

روسيا اليوم :

هناك العديد من أطياف المعارضة السورية فبالإضافة للمتظاهرين هناك معارضة هنا وهناك في الداخل وفي الخارج، مالذي يمكن أن تقوله حول المعارضة واختلافاتها، وما هو موقع المعارضة في سوريا الآن؟

سورية فيها نظام صعب جداً، بكل بساطة. نظام شديد يسمى مركزي الناس تعيش في ظله بجو لا يوجد فيه حرية وهناك وضع اجتماعي سيئ. وباعتبار أن هناك تغيير عام في العالم فالناس هنا يجربون حظهم. هناك معارضة في الخارج، جزء كبير منهم نحن لا نعرفهم، وهناك معارضة نعرفها ولنا صلات معها وعلاقات، مع هذه المعارضة نحن موحدون، أما المعارضة الخارجية التي كانت غائبة عن السياسة الداخلية والتي عادت لتقول بأنها معارضة فنحن لا نعرف قسماً كبيراً منها، ولهم مواقف هم لا يعرفون ماذا يريدون ولهم مواقف مرتبطة… نحن نعرف برهان غليون وبرهان دياب وهيثم مناع … هؤلاء نعرفهم ومواقفهم مثل مواقفنا، لكن هناك أناس نراهم على التلفزيون لم نرهم في عمرنا.

هل هناك علاقات بين المعارضة في الداخل والناس التي تتظاهر وكيف يتم الاتصال معهم لجمعهم؟

طبعاً هناك علاقات، نحن لنا نفوذ كبير في سورية كأشخاص وتنظيمات سياسية وقوى، وعندما نتحدث الناس تسمع، طبعاً هناك علاقات. فنحن من يقوم بالثورة ونحن من بدأها ونحن نقف معها بشكل يومي ونشرف على عملها، وبالطبع هناك علاقات سياسية فنحن آباء هذه الثورة ونحن من حدد مبادئها ولكن لسنا من يقودها، والمعارضون في الداخل نعرفهم كلهم، فنحن نعمل مع بعض ولنا مواقف موحدة والخلافات التي يتم الحديث عنها غير صحيحة هناك اختلافات ولكن المواقف موحدة.

هل ستتحاورون مع السلطة؟

كان بيننا حوار لفترة طويلة شاركنا بكل أنواع الحوار باستثناء لقاء التشاور، لأننا اقترحنا على الحكومة أن توقف الحل الأمني على الأقل خلال فترة الحوار، أن توقف الاعتقالات وتطلق سراح المعتقلين على الأقل خلال فترة الحوار كي يكون عندنا غطاء لموقفنا فنحن سنحاور أمام الناس… وهم لم يقبلوا، رفضوا فلم نذهب إلى حوار التشاور… هم لديهم قرار باعتماد الحل الأمني، ولن يغيروه إن حاورنا ام لم نحاور ويستمرون في تنفيذه. فعلى ماذا سنحاور؟ على الحل الأمني؟ لا نريد الحوار حول الحل الأمني. يريدون أن نقدم لهم غطاءً للحل الأمني؟ لن نقدم لهم هذا الغطاء… فهموا هذا الأمر فبدأوا الحوار مع المحافظات، أين الحوار؟ لا يوجد حوار. كيف يمكن حل المشكلة في البلد؟ يتم ذلك إن وافق النظام أن هناك مشكلة يجب حلها، ويجب أن يتم العمل على تبديل البرنامج السياسي والسعي للتغيير.

المواطن في الخارج يرى العديد من التحركات التي يقوم بها المعارضون من استخدام للسلاح والمظاهرات السلمية والاحتجاجات والمطالبة باسقاط النظام… هل لهذا برنامج معين؟

اليوم لكل القوى هدفين، الاول الحرية والثاني إعادة توزيع الدخل الوطني، كل العالم تعرف ان الأهداف هي تغيير النظام. إذا حقق هذا الشيء يبقى النظام، إن لم يحقق ذلك فليأت نظام مختلف، الناس تريد الحرية وتريد حقوقها. وهذا ما نحن متفقون عليه… لو أن هناك تفكير بالحل، حل جدي، فسيعطي الناس حقوقها في البلد ويمكن أن يتم ذلك بدون إسقاط النظام. ونحن جاهزون للبحث في هذا الحل… ويوقف النظام حربه ضد الناس ويبدأ بإعطائهم حقوقهم.

هناك أناس يقولون نريد السلاح، هؤلاء بدأوا بالظهور في الفترة الأخيرة. أما الحركة التي نقوم بها غير مسلحة ولغاية اليوم ليست مسلحة، ويمكن أن تتسلح في المستقبل، إذا استمر ضغط النظام علينا، إن استمرت أعماله التعسفية ضد المتظاهرين… إن استمر الحل الأمني واستمر الضغط على الناس سيظهر من يطالب بالسلاح.

أنا أعيش حياة صعبة جداً، لا وجود للمعارضة في سوريا، أي معارضة النظام، أنا 10 سنوات وهناك اثنين من الامن وعشرات السيارات تتبدل ليلاً نهاراً. أحيا تحت تهديد الاعتقال تحت تهديد السجن… فالحياة صعبة، اليوم هناك امل لتحقيق الأشياء التي لم أكن أحلم بتحقيقها. أن يكون هناك حرية وعدالة ومساواة بين الناس، فإذا قرر النظام تحقيق هذه الأشياء فأنا أمد يدي له، وإن لم يفعل فسيخسر، سيخسر النظام. أما قانون الأحزاب فهو شكلي… فتحديد الأحزاب بقوانين واشتراط الحصول على موافقة من وزارة الداخلية فهذا لن يكون، فالسلطة ستتحكم بالاحزاب… حتى إيران أرسلت رسالة قبل أيام تؤكد فيها ضرورة قيام النظام بإصلاح جدي وعميق…

مالأشياء الهامة التي يجب تامينها للمعارضة وما هي الأشياء الهامة بالنسبة لكم في المعارضة؟

ما يعيب العارضة هو ضعف التنظيم، فهناك حراك من الخارج نحن لا نعرف من يقوم به، أما نحن فلنا وضع وكلمة مسموعة بين الناس ويحترمونها… المشكلة أن في سورية نظاما قويا يحل المشاكل أمنياً، وفيها معارضة ضعيفة وفيها شارع متداخل. فالصعوبة هي في التحرك في الطريق الصحيح. نريد للمعارضة أن تنجح وأن تكون لها علاقة متينة مع الشعب وأن يكون لها كلمة نافذة عند الناس…

ما رأيك في الموقف الروسي وموقف المجتمع الدولي من الاوضاع في سورية؟

روسيا شيء والمجتمع الدولي شيء آخر، المجتمع الدولي فهم مالذي يحدث في المنطقة، روسيا لم تفهم بعد. فلافروف يتحدث عن معارضة مسلحة… ليس هناك معارضة مسلحة في سورية، بإمكانك تفتيش منزلي في أي وقت، أنا ليس لدي سلاح والمعارضة ليس لديها سلاح. المعارضة ليس لديها سلاح إلا الكلمة… فالأحرار الذين قاموا بثورة تونس ومصر قاموا بها ليس بقوة السلاح، ودوما ودرعا وحمص وحماة ليس فيها سلاح، الآن يوجد سلاح لاستمرار العنف… روسيا يجب أن تفهم أن للشعب مطالب محقة، الرئيس نفسه قال ان للشعب مطالب محقة، الرئيس بشار الأسد… وقد كتبت أقول أننا لو أعطينا الشعب حقوقه وأجرينا الإصلاح فسنكون جميعاً ضد الفتنة نحن كمعارضة وأنتم كدولة، المشكلة أن تاخذ الناس حقوقها، وأنتم تجرون الإصلاح في الدولة ومن يريد عمل الفتنة سنكسر رأسه، فهذا وطننا. روسيا يجب أن تغير موقفها، لأن موقفها في سوريا يضر بها في العالم العربي كله… انا مستغرب يبدو أن النظام الشيوعي تغير في روسيا لكن العقلية السوفييتية لم تتغير. تتحدث الآن عن الواقع بمنظور السلطة وليس عن الواقع بمنظور الناس والشعوب والبشر… ليس هناك مؤامرة، فهل يعقل أن ينزل هذا الإنسان للموت من أجل الامريكان من اجل مؤامرة امريكية… يجب ان تغير روسيا موقفها… وأنا اتحدث عن نفسي… انا أرثوذوكسي، كان أبي عندما كنت صغيراً يقول روسيا هي وطن الأرثوذوكسية والمسيحية… ثم أصبحت شيوعية فأخذنا نقول أن روسيا هي قائدة التقدمية والحرية والمثالية، يجب أن تحافظ روسيا على هذه القناعات… حتى العاهل السعودي عندما زار الاتحاد السوفييتي كان خاطرنا في زوال الاتحاد السوفييتي… اليوم أنا شخصياً لا أفهم موقف روسيا، ولا أعرف كيف سأفهمه، هذا ليس موقف دولة كبرى مسؤولة، فلا يجوز أن نقول ان الحرية هنا حسنة وجيدة والحرية هناك مؤامرة أمريكية. في سورية لا يوجد مؤامرة أمريكية…

وماذا عن وجود العصابات المسلحة التي يتم الحديث عنها؟

وجود العصابات المسلحة أو عدم وجودها لا يغير شيئاً… فما يجري في سورية ليست ثورة مسلحة، هي مطالبة شرعية بالحرية والعدالة. بسبب الضغط العسكري والامني وكثرة الاعتقالات والمعتقلين وكثرة القتلى بدا ظهور أشخاص مسلحين… يمكن أن يظهر تيار مسلح في الحركة الشعبية، لكن الحركة الشعبية لم تبدأ مسلحة، وليست حتى الآن مسلحة. أما عن وجود بعض المسلحين فهذا واصح، يوجد في جسر الشغور مسلحين، هذا اكيد. يوجد في حمص بعض المسلحين، هذا أكيد… يوجد في ادلب ودرعا بعض المسلحين، هذا أكيد. أما القول ان 50 الفاً أو 100 الف من المتظاهرين هم من المسلحين فهذا لا… في حمص لها صفة خاصة تنفرد بها عن بقية المدن، في حمص قرروا ان يحموا المظاهرات، فسلحوا بعض الاشخاص في كل حي كي يحموا المظاهرات وليس كي يدعموا الثورة في سورية، وأرسلوا للأمن رسالة إن أطلقتم النار علينا فسنطلق النار عليكم… فعندما يطلق الأمن النار على الناس، فهناك من سيطلق النار على الأمن… خاصة مع وجود إشارة الى وجود 3 قبائل بدوية وهذه القبائل وتعرفون البدوي عندما يقتل بعيره فسيطلق النار. فجزء كبير من العمليات المسلحة في حمص وراءها البدو الموجودون خارج المدينة، وليسوا بداخل المدينة. الحركة في سورية ليست مسلحة بعد، يخرج فيها صوت يتزايد ويقول يجب أن نكون مسلحين لأننا نموت. نحن نموت يجب أن نتسلح، لكنها ليست مسلحة بعد.

العديد من المسيحيين والأقليات الأخرى يقولون بانهم خائفون من الحرب الطائفية …

طبعاً خائفون، أنا نفسي خائف. لأننا في بلد فيه أزمة كبيرة لا تحل… إلا بالعنف. ولا نعرف إلى أين نسير، المستقبل مجهول. فحتى اليوم هناك مطالبة عامة بالحرية، وبالعدالة الاجتماعية. بعد أن ينتهي هذا الوضع ربما يقول الناس أننا لا نريد ذلك، نريد دولة إسلامية، وهذا وارد… فكنت أتمنى أنه ومنذ بدء المشاكل، عمد النظام إلى تقديم رؤية معقولة للحل بما فيها التشاور مع بعضنا البعض فلا مشكلة… اما أن هناك قلق، نعم دون أدنى شك. فمن رئيس الجمهورية وحتى آخر مواطن كلنا قلقون.

بعد كل ثورة هناك فوضى، فما تعليقكم؟

أنا أستبعد أن تحصل هناك فوضى في سورية، إلا إذا قامت المجموعات المسلحة التي تتبع للنظام ـ من شبيحة وغيرهم ـ بالقرار إذا سقط النظام أن يقوموا بعمليات فوضى وترويع. أن الناس التي خرجت إلى الشارع وتطالب بحقوقها، فإذا ذهب النظام فلماذا ستقوم بالفوضى؟ تكون الفوضى في حالة واحدة، إن كان هناك انقسام سياسي كبير، وكان هناك كم كبير من الأسلحة. وكان هناك تدخل خارجي كبير من قوى معادية، إسرائيل أو تركيا او إيران، أو أن إيران وإسرائيل بدأوا بالصدام حول سورية، هذا يمكن أن يحدث فوضى. يبقى هذا الاحتمال قائماً وهناك احتمال أن ننجح ودون فوضى.

الوضع على الأرض يدل على وجود مبالغات كبيرة من قبل بعض الأقنية التي تنقل المعلومات حول سورية، فماذا تقولون؟

… بالطبع هناك مبالغات الجزيرة تبالغ قليلاً، وهناك مبالغات هذا امر لا شك فيه، هناك مبالغات كما هو الحال في قناة الدنيا، ففي الدنيا يقولون بأننا كلنا مسلحون وعصابات، لو نزلت سابقاً إلى شوارع سورية ورأيت مسلحاً واحداً لأخذوك إلى المخابرات، فسورية لا يوجد فيها مسلحون. أما الآن إن قلت بأن سوريا لا يوجد فيها مسلحون سيأخذونك إلى السجن…. شيء غريب.

الاشخاص الذين ماتوا خسارة للبلد، من عسكريين وغيرهم. من يريد أن يموت مواطن في بلده؟ أو أن يكون هناك عنف يؤدي إلى مقتل مواطن؟ نحن نأسف لموته وندين الذي قتله والعنف الذي أدى لقتله مثلما ندين العنف الذي أدى لقتل غيره من المدنيين والأبرياء. نتمنى أن يقف العنف لكي يتوقف موت الناس، وان نبدأ بالحديث كأناس عاقلين كيف يمكننا حل مشاكلنا. نحن نأسف لكل انسان يموت، فالناس لها أسر ولها اولاد ولها حياتها ونحن نعتبرهم كلهم شهداء. وفي يوم من الأيام يجب أن يعاملوا كشهداء بأن يكرموا وتعطى أسرهم تعويضات، وانا أتحدث عن الجيش والامن والجميع. وبرأيي وقعت حوادث كثيرة، الكثير منها وقع في إطار ملابسات غير مفهومة، وقسم كبير من حالات القتل بدأ مع بدايات التدخل العسكري، هناك العديد من الشهادات التي تقول بان العديد منهم قتلوا على يد “الشبيحة”، وبما لأنهم رفضوا إطلاق النار أو لم يستطيعوا الدخول إلى البيوت، ويمكن أن يكون قد قتل عدد منهم على يد مسلحين منظمين، وهذا عمل مدان. نحن نقول بمظاهرة سلمية أي أن من يحمل السلاح ليس منا، ويكون مجرماً، مجرماً بحق البلد وبحق نفسه.

الناس الذين خرجوا بالثورة لم يقولوا إسلام ولم يقولوا محمد، بل قالوا حرية. لديهم رغبة بالخروج من عالم الاستبداد الذي لا يشكل عالمأ سياسياً وحسب بل وفكريا واجتماعياً وتاريخياً موروثاً، الشرق شرقنا نحن لا يعرف مفهوم المجتمع ولا مفهوم الفرد ولا مفهوم الدولة وبالتالي ولا مفهوم الحرية. هؤلاء الناس القادمون من مجتمع الشرق يقولون لأول مرة “الحرية” يرفعون قيماً هي من صنع المجتمع الحديث في العالم الحديث. وإذا كان لديهم فرصة لتطبيق هذه القيم فهذا سيؤدي لتحقيق مصالحة تاريخية كبرى بين الشرق وبين العالم، سننتهي من العداء بين الإسلام والمسيحية، والاستبداد والحرية، سندخل في تاريخ جديد، نحن وأنتم، نحن والعالم كله. وسنكون جزءاً من العالم الحديث فعلياً، على الأقل قطاعات واسعة من مجتمعاتنا، لتبني فكرة الدولة المدنية وفكرة المواطنة وفكرة الحرية وهذا ما يشتهيه الناس. وهذه فرصة لمساعدتهم للخلاص من استبداد الشرق الذي عمره 2000 سنة، من الاستبداد الديني، والمجتمع المغلق، هذه فرصة كبيرة لكم ولنا ويجب أن تستغلوها، فلا تنظروا إليها من منظور بأننا اليوم نبيع هنا الأسلحة، فغداً سنشتري السلاح من روسيا فلا تخافوا، سورية ستشتري السلاح من روسيا…

رأينا تطور الأحداث في مناطق أخرى مثل تونس وليبيا… مالضمان بأن سوريا ستستفيد حقاً؟ فهذه ثورة مصر حققت الفائدة للبعض الذين استغلوا جهود الشباب ومن ثم اتخذوا منحى آخر، وفي تونس نرى نفس الشيء؟

لا ضمان، لا أحد يملك الضمان، لا هنا ولا في مصر ولا في أي مكان. ما يجري هو التالي، أنت موجود في عالم تنفك عنه، وانفكاكك عنه يفتح أمامك طرقاً، فأي طريق ستسلك؟ هذا يتوقف على نضجك وعلى وعيك وقدرتك على التحكم وحشد القوى وتعبئة البشر… لا يوجد شيء مضمون، لكنك بدأت عملية المضمون الوحيد فيها انك لم تعد تحيا في نفس الوضع، المجتمع المغلق والنظام المغلق… فتحت أمامك طرق الحرية. فإن اخذت الثورة الفرنسية التي بدأت عام 1789 وانتصرت 1848، في هذه الأثناء عاد الملك وصار هناك حكم امبراطوري. نحن بدأنا عملية ثورية تاريخية كبرى فعلياً بمفاهيم الغرب الحديث، هذا سيفتح أمامنا طرقاً هائلة كانت مفتوحة لعام 1958 ثم أغلقتها الوحدة ومن ثم حزب البعث والنظام القومي الاشتراكي الشمولي. الآن نعود لفكرة الحرية والمواطنة والدولة المدنية أفكار عصر النهضة. والفكرة التقدمية تاتي لرصد العدالة الاجتماعية والمساواة بين الناس وعدم التفريق بين البشر والمساواة باعتبار الانسان كائنا حراً بغض النظر عن المذهب أو الدين أي المساواة الكاملة بحكم القانون. هذا يفتح أمامك طريقاً واسعاً وطويلاً، ولأول مرة تفتح امامك طريقاً واحداً من الحملات ضد المجتمع بالاعتماد على قطاعات واسعة من المجتمع، فهذا نوع من الضمانة تقريباً، ولكن لا أحد يستطيع ضمان إلى أين نسير، ستكون هناك مشاكل ولكننا بدأنا مساراً تاريخياً جديداً أملنا الوحيد أن ندخل فيه… والآن تصور سورية، إن سكت هذا وسكت العالم فماذا ستكون النتيجة. بلد حكامه ملاحقون واقتصاده محاصر، الآن يحاولون فتح حساب في اي من بنوك العالم ولا من مجيب خلال الفترة الأخيرة. أتمنى أن يقول النظام مرة اخرى أننا نحن حزب البعث بدأنا بالحرية فشعاره وحدة حرية اشتراكية… وأن هذه مناسبة لإعادة إنتاج النظام على أرضية اجتماعية جديدة، فنحن أصحاب الفكرة الصحافة الحرة والاحزاب… فالحزب خلال الخمسينات تحدث عن صحافة حرة وعن احزاب حرة وهناك نقابات حرة، وهناك ملكية مباشرة للمنتجين لوسائل الانتاج الخاصة بهم دون مشاركة الدولة وهذا كان النظام البعثي. فيجب أن تكون هناك قناعة لدى هذا الطرف وذاك، وبأن الحل سياسي بيننا فنحن خلال شهر من مشارف الضغط الدولي، التدخل الغربي من حلف الاطلسي ومن تركيا، ولكن في كل الأحوال سنكون نحن الخاسرين كشعب سوري لأنهم سيأتون بنظام أمريكي بعدها… النظام الحالي هو المسؤول عن مصير البلد… فمجلس الامن سيعترف بالمجلس الانتقالي بعد تكوينه بأنه هو المجلس الشرعي… فعلى ماذا يعتمد النظام لا ادري فهل سيضرب بالصواريخ.

And thank you Norman for reading.

Aboud, any confirmation of Kilo’s story about Bedwins?

September 1st, 2011, 6:09 pm

Tara,

I wish I know more about him. I do not. From what I heard, he worked tirelessly to bring equality and social justice to the marginalized, the Shiites in Lebanon. To them he was a great loss.

September 1st, 2011, 6:13 pm

Thanks. We need unbiased third party encyclopedia to provide us with non- bised info about Moussa al Sadr.

September 1st, 2011, 6:23 pm

Amir in Tel Aviv said:

Chris W. #117,

I absolutely agree with you. This is a Jewish thing, not Israeli. Most Jew, in Israel and abroad, are Zionists who want Israel to exist and to thrive. This is a Jewish state, not a Zionist state. I feel no shame nor blame, and have nothing to apologize for.

And I agree with your claim that you’re not a racist. Jew isn’t a race, but a nationality. We have Jews from different races and colors. Blacks, white and even yellow. You’re an anti-Israel, and it’s fine with me.
.

September 1st, 2011, 6:26 pm

How Iran Keeps Assad in Power in Syria
August 25, 2011
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/print/68150?page=show
The Weapons, Technology, and Expertise Tehran Sends Damascus
Geneive Abdo
GENEIVE ABDO is the director of the Iran program at the Century Foundation and the National Security Network and the co-author of Answering Only to God: Faith and Freedom in Twenty-First-Century Iran.

The Iranian regime is one of the few remaining allies of the embattled Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad. For years, the United States has tried to sever the ties between the two countries, but the current crisis has only pushed them closer together.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, has made it clear that Tehran sees the uprising in Syria as a U.S. ploy: “In Syria, the hand of America and Israel is evident,” he said on June 30. Meanwhile, he affirmed Iran’s support for Assad, noting, “Wherever a movement is Islamic, populist, and anti-American, we support it.”

Despite disagreements on other matters, the rest of the Iranian regime seems to concur with Khamenei about Syria. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps have characterized the Syrian uprising as a foreign conspiracy. And the parliament, which in recent years has competed for power with the guards, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and the supreme leader, is also in lockstep. On August 8, after a trip to Cairo, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the chairman of the Iranian parliament’s Foreign Policy and National Security Committee, reiterated Khamenei’s stand. “Having lost Egypt,” he said, “the U.S. has targeted Syria.”

For Iran, Assad’s Syria is the front line of defense against the United States and Israel. Without his guaranteed loyalty, the second line of defense — Hezbollah and Hamas — would crumble. According to U.S. estimates, Hezbollah receives $100 million in supplies and weaponry per year from Tehran, which is transported through Syria. It would become all the more difficult to use Iran as a proxy against Israel if the Syrian borders were suddenly closed.

Moreover, the Iranian regime is particularly sympathetic because it views the Syrian uprising as similar in kind to the waves of protest that swept Iran in 2009 and 2010. Those protests, they have claimed, were a U.S.-backed attempt at regime change. The Syrian ones, the thinking goes, are a U.S. maneuver to destroy the Iran-Syria-Hezbollah axis — the bedrock of Iran’s power in the region. Speaking this spring, Ahmad Mousavi, Iran’s former ambassador in Damascus, made this explicit: “Current events in Syria are designed by the foreign enemies and mark the second version of the sedition which took place in 2009 in Iran,” he said. “The enemy is targeting the security and safety of Syria … [The protestors] are foreign mercenaries, who get their message from the enemy and the Zionists.”

It should not be surprising, then, that Iran has taken significant measures to keep Assad in power. According to U.S. officials, as of April Iran was providing [1] the Syrian security services with weapons, surveillance equipment, and training. Earlier this month, Ankara intercepted an arms shipment headed from Tehran to Damascus — the second such shipment it caught this summer.

The Iranian regime has also provided Assad with technology to monitor e-mail, cell phones, and social media. Iran developed these capabilities in the wake of the 2009 protests and spent millions of dollars establishing a “cyber army” to track down dissidents online. Iran’s monitoring technology is believed to be among the most sophisticated in the world — second, perhaps, only to China. Shortly after Iran shared its know-how with Syria this summer, Assad lifted restrictions on social networking Web sties, presumably to lure dissents out into the open.

In addition to sharing weapons and surveillance tools credible reports [2]from Syrian refugees indicate that Tehran sent its own forces to Syria to quash the protests. A number of revolutionary guards from the elite Quds Force are also reported to be there, presumably to train Syrian forces. On May 18, the U.S. Treasury Department mentioned the role of the Quds Force directly, asserting that Mohsen Chizari, the Quds Force’s third-in-command, was training the security services to fight against the protestors.

So far only one major Iranian voice has dared to question the Iranian regime’s support of Assad. Grand Ayatollah Dastgheib, a member of the Assembly of Experts and a spiritual guide for Shiite Muslims, questioned Tehran’s strategy during his weekly Koran interpretation session at the Qoba mosque in Shiraz on June 23. He emphasized that Iran’s resources should be saved for Iranians and asked, “Where should the public wealth that could make this country one of the best in the world be spent? Should it be sent to Syria, so they can oppress the people?”

Iran’s other major regional allies — Turkey and Hamas — have also been hesitant to follow Iran’s lead. Iran values the improvement in its ties with Turkey that came with Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rise to power and wants Ankara to serve as a buttress to Iran’s regional strategy, and even as an interlocutor with the United States. But as Erdogan became more critical of Assad this summer, Tehran soured on the relationship. Iranian officials even openly blamed Erdogan for the unrest, and promised consequences should he not recant. Similarly, over the last two months, Hamas officials refused to hold rallies in the Gaza Strip in support of Assad. According to officials, Tehran has since cut off funding [3] to Hamas.

Assad’s chances of staying in power are greater than were those of Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi. He may be forced to make some concessions to the protestors, but he still wields too much power to be removed from office completely. To date, there have been no significant defections within the Alawite-controlled military, which is key to his survival, and the Iranian-trained and supplied security forces have prevented the protests from reaching the levels of those in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya. In Iran’s view, much like the Tehran spring, the struggle for Syria is one of regime survival. Even if Assad should eventually fall, Iran will not stand idly by; Tehran will surely try to influence any successive government.

September 1st, 2011, 6:28 pm

Our Ambassador In Syria Attacked By Thugs, But Obama Says Nothing
By Christian Whiton
Published September 01, 2011
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/09/01/our-ambassador-in-syria-attacked-by-thugs-but-obama-says-nothing/
Pro-regime thugs in Syria harassed and set upon the U.S. ambassador just over a week ago. The event was not publicly reported in Washington until Tuesday, when a journalist discovered a propaganda video exploiting the attack.

The episode reveals an American diplomat with more fortitude and canny than his boss in the White House.

U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford has distinguished himself by symbolically standing with the brutalized people of Syria as they seek freedom from the dictator Assad. Ford has done so through a radical and seldom-used diplomatic technique in the annals of the U.S. Foreign Service: showing up and talking to ordinary people.

Ford’s July visit to the city of Hama, where two generations of Assads have filled the streets with the blood of dissenters, won him the ire of the regime.

His welcome there was perhaps the most heartfelt and significant for a U.S. ambassador since Mark Palmer joined anti-communist protestors in the streets in Hungary as they brought down that regime in 1989.

Ford has since calmly defied regime orders to stay put.

On August 23, Ford was observing a peaceful sit-in by Syrian lawyers opposed to Assad and waiting to see if regime supporters would attack them. Thugs swarmed him and tried to envelope him a in banner with a pro-regime slogan. He was ushered away by U.S. Diplomatic Security personnel who performed admirably.

The event is outrageous because it amounts to a regime-condoned attack on the U.S. president’s envoy to Damascus. Syria is a police state and U.S. officials, especially the top one, are closely monitored by Assad’s men. It is difficult to believe that an attack on the U.S. ambassador would occur without at least a nod from them.

Even more suspect, the attack was filmed and rapidly worked into a pro-Assad propaganda piece. It was released through media controlled by a regime crony. Assad maintains total control over Syria’s press. So one can conclude this was a regime performance through and through.
more…

September 1st, 2011, 6:34 pm

When Mr. Ford returns to the US, I will send him another bouquet of flowers…roses this time.

September 1st, 2011, 6:39 pm

Syria rues journalist ban as it loses media war
Published: 1 September, 2011, 10:10
http://rt.com/news/syria-media-war-latakia-581/print/
Syria is fighting a desperate media war, fruitlessly trying to prove that anti-government protesters are, in reality, armed hit men from outside the country, and that the demonstrations shown in video footage were actually all staged.

The crackdown on anti-government protesters is reportedly continuing in Syria but with most foreign media expelled from the country, and the correspondents who remain under tight control, a true picture of the situation is hard to establish.

Mass murder, humanitarian catastrophe – a country on the brink of a revolution – this is what you see every time Syria pops up in the headlines.

But what is really happening in this country where hardly any foreign journalists are present?

“There have even been implications that some of the images shown have been digitally manipulated and there have been reports about it available online,” claims James Corbett, the editor of news website corbettreport.com

“You can watch footage that was taken in Bahrain and said to be [taken] in [Syria’s] Hama. You can see the same footage on different stations with different backgrounds digitally dropped in. So there are some very strange things that are going on right now,” Corbett adds.

An example of such manipulation is the case of Palestinian refugees in the coastal city of Latakia.

The stadium in Latakia became the center of controversy when, according to various reports, anywhere from several hundred to several thousands people gathered there, most of them Palestinian refugees from camps in the Sunni quarter of Latakia. According to some opposition forces, including Palestinian, those people were brought to the stadium by the authorities and forced to give up their cell phones and ID’s. The scene was reminiscent of Saddam Hussein’s mass stadium executions, so when they were brought there, no-one knew what to expect.

RT went into the part of the city which had allegedly come under fire from Syrian Air Force fighter jets and Navy ships, and spoke to the refugees to find out what had really happened.

Palestinian refugee Akhed Khubun Abu Jamal recalled how “some people were walking around the neighborhood, yelling there will be shelling from the sea soon, and everyone has to get out. I didn’t go anywhere, just stayed in my house. I can see the bay from my window, And there was nothing there aside from the usual patrol boats.”

Still, gunfire did break out between the army and unknown gunmen.

So, some 5,000 Palestinians left their homes, fearing for their lives…

“We wanted to leave so that our kids wouldn’t hear the gunshots. We hid in our house, and when there was a break in the fighting, we went to the stadium. We stayed there for three days and then came back,” Mohammed Fallakha, a Palestinian refugee, told RT.

So did some 2,000 other refugees – only to discover that no air and navy attack had ever taken place.

“We felt like we were lied to!” said another outraged Palestinian.

The Syrian authorities have long insisted rogue armed groups are behind the unrest in Syria and it is they who fired the first shots when protests swept the country, prompting the cycle of bloodshed.

Those statements were all but ignored by the international media.

As Latakia governor Mohammad Al Sheikh acknowledged, “Syria is fighting a media war, and it’s losing it”.

The Syrian government might have realized its mistake in banishing foreign journalists from the country. A new media law has overturned that ban. But it could well be too late to alter the image of Syria being portrayed to a global audience on the world’s major networks.

September 1st, 2011, 6:45 pm

“ndeed! What would we do without him? He’s the key to the solution, the missing piece of the puzzle, the sine qua non, the indispensable component, ”

>_<

"May be, one day, he will have the honour of being quoted by Josh "

In all honesty, it's not something I exactly strive for, not after being interviewed and quoted by the BBC and AP. Angry Arab has been receptive as well.

Oh and HSyrian, that was Dale Andersen who predicted that Besho would be history by August 10th. But DA never specified *which* August 10th hehehehehe. Is Buthaina your auntie or something?

September 1st, 2011, 6:49 pm

Some guy in Damascus said:

@Annie
Were are not after the honor of being quoted by professor.landis. We’re after a different honor. One that consists of dignity, equality and freedom.

September 1st, 2011, 7:07 pm

Latakia

“Palestinian refugee Akhed Khubun Abu Jamal recalled how “some people were walking around the neighborhood, yelling there will be shelling from the sea soon, and everyone has to get out. I didn’t go anywhere, just stayed in my house. I can see the bay from my window, And there was nothing there aside from the usual patrol boats.”

September 1st, 2011, 7:12 pm

rt.com reminds me with press.tv. No substace whatsoever. Pure propaganda. Even the alleged interview above with the Palestinian refugee does not make sense. The author says free press is not allowed yet he tries to convince us with the plausibility of the Palestinian’s story who is probably standing next to a security thug. Reading rt.com is complete waste if time. The author should occupy himself with coloring a Cindrella book instead.

At UN on Syria, China Says BRICS United, Points to Bahrain, India on Tripoli

http://www.innercitypress.com/syr3rusres090111.html

UNITED NATIONS, September 1 — With two different Syria draft resolutions pending in the UN Security Council, the “UK is trying to appease some members into their draft,” South Africa’s Permanent Representative Baso Sangqu told Inner City Press on Thursday, adding, “I don’t know if it will work.”

Russian Permanent Representative Vitaly Churkin told Inner City Press on September 1 that the two drafts represent “two different philosophies,” particularly with regard to imposing sanctions.

For now not only Russia and China, but also the so called IBSA of India, Brazil and South Africa, are dubious about sanctions. Together the five are known as BRICSA or BRICS.

Also on September 1, China’s Permanent Representative Li Baodong told Inner City Press that “on Syria, the BRICS have their own common position. This is the new development, the new phenonment after Libya. That really helped the BRICS to strengthen their position. We believe it is very important to have a common position.” He added, “Now there’s a problem in Bahrain.”

Indian Permanent Representative Hardeep Singh Puri said that “the Libyan experience has made people extra cautious… You see what’s happening in Tripoli — the guys who were in the lead looked like nationalities other than Libyan. That’s the discussion that’s going to take place. People are going to agonize about it then decide.”

The UK called for another meeting Tuesday at 2 at its Mission on the modified draft it has sponsored with the Council’s three other European members and the US.

Afterward a representative of one of the BRICS laughingly told Inner City Press that the UK had purposely limited the discussion to the “non-sanctions” portions of their draft. That’s putting off the “agonizing” referred to by Hardeep Singh Puri for another day.

Speaking of agony, Li Baodong’s reference to Bahrain included the killing of a 14 year old boy Ali Jawad Ahmad by the government.

Inner City Press on September 1 asked Ban’s new Deputy Spokesman Eduardo del Buey if Ban had seen the YouTube video entitled “Ban Ki-moon, Do you see?” (click here to view the video, being warned that is graphic, autopsy, photo here).

The Deputy Spokesman repeated previous urgings to act in accordance with relevant law and said that since Ban is traveling, he could not confirm or deny that Ban has watched the video.

As Inner City Press exclusively reported, Ban had told Bahrain he would send as his envoy UN political official Oscar Fernandez Taranco — then when Ban got an angry call from Saudi Arabia, Taranco’s mission was scrapped. Ban Ki-moon, do you see?
* * *

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

Inner City Press asked August’s Council president, Indian Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri on August 30, “Which went into blue first?” He replied that it remains to be seen.

Puri’s India mission, in asking to hear both sides’ arguments, summarized that on August 26 the Russian text was distributed to the Council members in Consultations and Russian Permanent Representative Vitaly Churkin asked for it to be put in blue at 12:50 pm.

An e-mail from the UK delegation, on this issue, was received in the UN Secretariat at 12:59 pm. It stated

“Please put attached Syria text in blue now. Needless to say if you have not received text from another delegation, the UK text is in blue first.”

The Indian summary said that the drafts will only be numbered sequentially after the Security Council takes a final decision on the sequence of the submissions of the requests by Russia and UK.

The UK Mission to the UN sent out its response after 10 pm on August 26, explicitly on behalf of itself France, Germany, Portugal and US:

We circulated our draft resolution via the Secretariat during consultations in the Security Council Consultations Room on Tuesday 23 August. It was then the subject of negotiations at expert and PR level. On 26 August at 1259, we sent a written request to the Secretariat asking for the text to be put into blue. At this point, Russia had, neither in writing nor orally, submitted a request to put the text into blue.

You state that the “Russian text was distributed to the Council members in Consultations today, and the Russian PR asked for it to be put in blue at 12:50 hours.” In fact, the Russian Permanent Representative did not ask for the Russian draft resolution to be put into blue. He told Council colleagues that he had instructions to put the draft resolution into blue. This did not constitute a request to put the resolution into blue. Rather, it constituted a statement of intention to put the resolution into blue. In short, the Russian Permanent Representative during the informal consultations did not ask the Secretariat that the draft resolution be put into blue.

By contrast, and in accordance with usual practice, the UK did ask that the UK/France/US/Portugal/Germany resolution be put into blue, by sending a formal email to the Secretariat asking that it be put into blue.

Rule 32 of the Provisional Rules of Procedure provides: “Principal motions and draft resolutions shall have precedence in the order of their submission.” Because our draft resolution was formally submitted first, it clearly has precedence over the Russian draft resolution.

The key point now, however, is that the vast majority of the Council agrees that a resolution on Syria is necessary. We should work rapidly on the basis of our text to come up with effective collective action to tackle the deteriorating crisis in Syria. We have arranged negotiations at PR level on Monday 29 August at 1545 for that purpose.

After that meeting, on Tuesday morning UK Permanent Representative Mark Lyall Grant told the Press on his way into the Security Council that the UK was first into blue.

Later on Tuesday, when asked whose was first into blue, Russia’s Permanent Representative Vitaly Churkin said, “ours.” And President Hardeep Singh Puri said it is still not decided.

On the substance, a Chinese diplomat told Inner City Press on Tuesday that, not surprisingly, China supports the Russian draft. With two Permanent Five members, and IBSA too, what could go wrong? Watch this site.

September 1st, 2011, 7:13 pm

I was discussing things with a homsi guy and asking him about the allegiance of a mutual friend( who I believed was against besho). مع او ضد ( with or Against) I asked him.
He replied مع( with) to my surprised expression…then he said things only homsis can say: مع الثورة ( with the revolution) . Here in Damascus مع was reserved for the majority which was for bashar….the homsis changed all of that. It’s simple change of terminology that gives you an idea about reality.

September 1st, 2011, 7:16 pm

A U.S. diplomatic cable made public by WikiLeaks provides evidence that U.S. troops executed at least 10 Iraqi civilians, including a woman in her 70s and a 5-month-old infant, then called in an airstrike to destroy the evidence, during a controversial 2006 incident in the central Iraqi town of Ishaqi.

September 1st, 2011, 7:17 pm

the killing of a 14 year old martyr boy Ali Jawad Ahmad by the government of Bahrain.

http://yfrog.com/18hhrnj

http://www.youtube.com/verify_age?next_url=http%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DiXS4hHE601M%26feature%3Dyoutu.be

September 1st, 2011, 7:18 pm

“Ban Ki-moon, Do you see?”

September 1st, 2011, 7:29 pm

True said:

Wazup Menhebeks?

There will be a new immigration cubicle at the Damascus airport specifically for “Menehbeks” no passports required just have Betho’s face tattooed on your butts and flash it upon arrival.

September 1st, 2011, 7:37 pm

Before we take down Assad

The Syrian regime has to be given an opportunity to make changes within a finite period, and with agreed-upon benchmarks.

Latest update 02:22 02.09.11

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/before-we-take-down-assad-1.382095

Is Syria burning? Most emphatically not. This was the overwhelming impression after a visit there late last month. Nor does it look as if the regime is on the verge of collapse. As an international group of journalists invited by the Syrian government, we visited, in addition to Damascus, Hama and locales near Homs. From the many Syrians we met, the common refrain was, “We do not want to become the next Libya” – referring to the total disarray there months after NATO intervention. Given its pivotal position in the eastern Mediterranean, any precipitate international action to provoke change in Syria would affect the entire region, including Israel.

Media reports clearly biased against the Syrian regime make reality appear far worse than what we encountered on the streets of Damascus. Yet under an overlay of calm, the tension was palpable, especially in Hama.

There is much that is wrong in Syria, and much that has to be fixed, if the Syrian people are to enjoy their democratic political, economic and social rights. But, the reprehensible brutality reportedly employed against the protesters still does not justify armed groups’ violence against the state. The reform plan offered by President Bashar Assad on August 22 – local and parliamentary elections within six months and an end to the predominance of the Arab Baath party – though a first step, is the last chance for the regime’s survival.

Escalating with each passing Friday, the protests have themselves changed in character. All the centers of protest have been Sunni-majority cities – Daraa, Jisr-al-Shughour, Deir Ezzor and Homs – bordering each of Syria’s fractious neighbors. Cross-border smuggling of arms and funds to the protesters was repeatedly mentioned by local observers. Hama, in the center of the agricultural heartland, is a case in itself, with a long history of antipathy to the regime among its Sunni business- and land-owning classes. In 1982, this led to the infamous military operation against the city.

The escalating anti-regime sentiment has at least five distinct causes: First, 40 years of a heavy-handed security system that has quelled dissent; soaring real-estate and rental costs in the major cities that has placed a heavy burden on a population already living at the margin; widespread corruption and capitalism dictated by cronyism; neglect of agricultural and rural infrastructure; and finally, a lack of jobs and educational opportunities for a growing proportion of youth.

In considering Syria’s future, many factors need to be weighed. First, is regional stability. Under the Assad regime, the border with the Golan Heights has been kept quiet for decades, unlike Israel’s borders with Gaza and Lebanon. An abrupt disruption of the regime could open all options, as with the new dispensation in Egypt.

Ever since the assassination of Rafik Hariri in 2005, relations with Lebanon remain a continuing problem, given Syria’s salience in that country. Relations with Turkey, too, have grown distant, given that country’s unsuccessful attempts to get Damascus to legitimize the banned Muslim Brotherhood, as well as to succor Syrian opposition groups. Turkey’s aim is to assert its own position in the region in contraposition to Iran, and to convince Syria to cut its link with Iran. The fact that it is widely perceived that even the United States is complicit in these plans does harm to America’s image in the region in the post-bin-Laden period. Excessive U.S. reliance on Syrian exiles in determining policy is also being compared among international observers to Washington’s dependence on Ahmed Chalabi in the initial years of the Iraq war.

Second, the regime has studiously avoided giving the protests a sectarian color, just as targeting of Alawites by the protesters has not been reported. The Baath ideology that separates church and state is still deeply ingrained among the majority. Syria is today a secular island amid the raging tide of Islamism in the region. The fracturing of this ethos will have profound negative consequences for the diverse populations of the region.

The third concern to keep in mind is the state structure. Bashar Assad, as primus inter pares within his immediate and extended family, can count on the loyalty of three interlinked groups: the Baath party, with about 3 million members, which wields overarching power across the state; the trade unions, with a membership of 2.5 to 3 million, especially as the state is Syria’s largest employer; and, the army, about 400,000-strong, which has mainly been used to protect the nomenklatura and keep a lid on Lebanon. The three groups account for 6 million out of a population of 22 million.

The fourth major factor is the economy. Despite a growth rate of 3.2 percent in 2010, down from 9 percent a year earlier, the economy is moribund. Agricultural growth is nonexistent and industrial growth is still almost exclusively in the state sector. Privatized industries have gone to cronies of the leadership, as happened in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco.

Fifth, oil and gas are drivers here too. The recent discovery of up to 30 trillion cubic meters of natural gas in the offshore Levant Basin Province, encompassing Israel, Lebanon, Syria and Cyprus, has introduced a new reason for stability and not conflict. Syria, like Israel and Lebanon, is looking to exploit its share. Only a new peace initiative that leverages this factor will enable its exploitation by all.

These factors strengthen the belief that dislodging the regime by external action, as in Libya, is unlikely to succeed. Rather, the Syrian regime has to be given an opportunity to make changes within a finite period, and with agreed-upon benchmarks, for implementing political and economic reforms. Given Syria’s crucial position in all issues besetting the region, trying to precipitately dislodge them may open the entire front. It is essential to consider what is in the best interest of the Syrian people and the region as a whole.

September 1st, 2011, 7:46 pm

@ 103. amal

“Might he be that boiler room Israeli impersonating a Syrian character on this blog”

A blogger on a forum or thugs and sectarian shabiha killing innocent people on street?

Don’t tell me ALL these people on streets are remotely navigated to receive bullets on their heads by this “imaginary” charachter from this “fantasy” boiler room of yours!!

And yeah would you remind me who was begging and sucking for the Israelis few months ago? Mmmm right Rami Makhlouf, Betho’s cousin!!

Nuff said!

September 1st, 2011, 7:49 pm

They’re Coming out of the Woodwork NewZ

117. Chris W said:

Chris W.,

Antisemitism is only a “cheap shot” if it is used inaccurately. Antisemitism is anti-jewish racism, pure and simple. Are you saying there is no such thing as antisemitism? If you are, you’re pretty stupid.

If you routinely and “deliberately refer to Jews” negatively, then, by definition, you are an antisemite. On this website, this would not be a surprise.

Self-proclaimed Islamic states like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have never been attacked by Israel, because these states do not threaten Israel. That also includes several other Arab and Muslim states, including states that have signed peace agreements with Israel, namely, Egypt and Jordan.

Usually, states that are attacked by Israel are states that are still at war with Israel and threaten her security, and what anti-semites such as yourself are unwilling to fathom is that some of Israel’s neighbours aren’t so “innocent”.

It’s because Israel is a Jewish state, and Jews around the world – in the US most obviously, but not exclusively – use their immense influence to make this possible.

Yes, Israel is a Jewish state, until Israelis deem otherwise. There are Christian states and Muslims states also, but I’m willing to bet that doesn’t bother you. “Influence” from a mere 14 million people shouldn’t bother you either. I’m certainly not bothered by the influence of 1 billion muslims.

Wow. You’ve shown us the antisemite’s Utopia: “I blame the Jews”. Get used to it, it isn’t racism.”

Anti-semites want us to believe they aren’t antisemitic. You won’t have your cake and eat it as long as I’m on this website.

It’s repulsive what Israel does – the recent assault on Lebanon and this current plot to throw Syria into anarchy were and are utterly disgusting.

What “current plot”> Please provide a link from a “reputable” website.

And if you cry antisemitism to distract from that, you’re part of the problem…

Again, this whole notion that one cannot be an anti-semite is “remarkable”. Personally, I do not use the word unless I have undisputed proof.

… but obviously the Jews, Israelis, American-hawks-in-love-with-Israel and American-hawks-in-love-with-Israel-pretending-to-be-Syrians on this forum are not just ‘part’ of the problem, but part of the very core of the problem.

Whose “crying” now?

September 1st, 2011, 7:50 pm

SGID @ 133
Yours, sir, was one of the smartest and most sophisticated comments I have seen on this site in a while. I am really happy that the bozos have no clue how smart and intelligent the people they are trying to subdue with tools like blathering Amal.

September 1st, 2011, 8:02 pm

@ Menhebkes

Stop playing the résistance (momana3a) broken melody, Betho and his cronies have contentedly bent down and turned it into (modaja3a) instead!!

September 1st, 2011, 8:07 pm

@138 is by Rajendra Abhyankar, a former Indian ambassador to Syria. His conclusion that 6 million people out of 22 support Besho is the most simplistic analysis I’ve ever seen written on the topic.

Not all Baathists joined the party out of strong ideological conviction, and not all members of the 400,000 strong army can be depended on…else why arm the shabiha? And to think that the trade unions all move as a monolithic block…well, that may be the case in India, but it isn’t in Syria. Not when you see lawyer, doctor and engineer strikes in Aleppo.

Frankly, a simplistic analysis by someone who appears pressured to sound knowledgeable on Syria due to his stint there in the mid 90s.

September 1st, 2011, 8:08 pm

Syrian opposition provoked into dialogue boycott – Lavrov
© AFP/ Louai Bashara
MOSCOW, September 1 (RIA Novosti)
http://en.rian.ru/world/20110901/166348810.html
A group of states is provoking the Syrian opposition into boycotting discussions on “quite realistic” reforms proposed by President Bashar Assad, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.

“Why is it that in Yemen, where a serious armed conflict is taking place, all the members of the international community are reasonably trying to encourage dialogue between the authorities and the opposition, while in Syria a number of influential states are persistently provoking the opposition to boycott national dialogue proposals and to inflate confrontation?” Lavrov said at a meeting with students and professors at Moscow State University for International Relations.

He said that international partners refuse to even discuss the reforms proposed by Assad, which are “belated, but yet quite realistic.”

He reiterated that though Russia condemns violence in the country, it considers any interference into Syria’s domestic affairs inadmissible.

“We clearly stated this position, including during the UN Security Council vote on a special statement on the Syrian issue,” Lavrov said.

More than 2,200 people have been killed in the crackdown on anti-government protests in Syria since the uprising against Assad broke out in March.

September 1st, 2011, 8:24 pm

Norman

I googled Cannes film festival and found no Syrian documentaries to have received an award. Are you sure of what you said yesterday? You don’t sound correct on this one.

September 1st, 2011, 8:34 pm

@True# 142

I hope you will not find this offensive

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=279324072094773&set=a.214995605194287.66984.208686202491894&type=1

September 1st, 2011, 8:57 pm

@Hytham:

Thank you for putting a smile on my face this evening. Sure fire in the arse.

September 1st, 2011, 9:05 pm

Norman said:

I was recalling from memory from the seventies, i might be wrong my recollection is unfortunately not specific,

September 1st, 2011, 9:12 pm

@ Off the Wall #122

I found Killo’s interview is very good. Except the connection between the political opposition and the demonstrators.

I agree that the political opposition fought (and many of its members) went to prison for the same claims that the people is fighting now, however the political opposition has no control on the street. If Killo and his friends ask the people in the streets to stop demonstrating, nobody will listen to them.

September 1st, 2011, 9:20 pm

OTW,

He is repeating the same thing, the uprising is peaceful, he is still saying that the opposition outside the country are not well known to the people inside the country,

What the opposition need to do is not to appoint people to lead but to set a vision of the system they want for the country to elect people that represent the people.

Are you a pure hematologist or Hematology/ oncology and from what i understand you live in Canada, can you work in the US .

No, I can’t. Canada has special laws the permit to people with foreign training to work in its academic hospitals.

September 1st, 2011, 9:23 pm

Talking about movies, have you seen a movie called ” The Syrian Bride”? Lots of my “educated clientele” who know I am Syrian, ask me about this particular movie.

September 1st, 2011, 9:25 pm

Dear Haytham #149,
I think Killo meant exactly what you are saying. He is claiming that he and others, have influenced the uprising, but are not the leaders of the uprising, thus, they have no control over the people. فنحن آباء هذه الثورة ونحن من حدد مبادئها ولكن لسنا من يقودها، You are coming to the same conclusion.

September 1st, 2011, 9:31 pm

Tara,
No , is that movie available in the US ,

Haytham, do care to tell where you did your traning ?

September 1st, 2011, 9:34 pm

don’t you think that he is saying so he can not be held responsible?

September 1st, 2011, 9:36 pm

Dear Off The Wall and N.Z.,
Would you please tell me more about you. Obviously in general terms as not to be identified. Where do you live, educational level, age group, are you Syrian? if so, from what area.
i admire both of you and would love to know more.
I would also love to know more about SGID and Aboud, but i am afraid to ask for fear of exposing them. I always worry about them.

September 1st, 2011, 9:38 pm

@ Norman #150 and 154.

I am pure hematologist. I was trained in France. In France, Hematology and Medical Oncology are separate. In Canada, they are theoretically separate. However, there are many clinical oncologists who do fellowships in Lymphoma (or CLL) and then they work in these particular fields.

#154 Norman, The Syrian Bride is available on netflix. I’ve seen it, it’s good.

September 1st, 2011, 9:41 pm

I watched it in Manhattan several years ago, was playing in a repertory theatre in the village but I believe it is available on the Internet too.

September 1st, 2011, 9:47 pm

some guy in damascus said:

@shiela
there are triggers and there are fuels for this uprising. i will try to list and label them
fuel:
-vast corruption, that no one tried to hide
-horrific violations of human rights
-mismanagement
-the sight of a bleak, sad future
triggers
– the first one: the widely reported arab spring
-the second one: the mushrooming of opposition groups
-third one: atef najib dealing with der3a
-fourth one: besho’s horrific historical( since it was so bad) first speech
personally i think if one of those triggers never set, this would have never happened. facebook takes credit but it wasn’t the one that set this thing to fire, the protests would have never spread to banias if it wasn’t for the facebook and the media, and finally you have besho’s first speech, a jumble of words that was out of touch with reality, full of hypocrisy and arrogant, that enraged people holding out for some miracle.

September 1st, 2011, 9:49 pm

Hey Tara,
I think I have seen this movie: the Syrian Bride. If I am not mistaken, it is about this girl from the Golan Heights who is going to marry this guy who lives in Damascus. They were all Druze and I think they were related somehow. It has been a long time since I have seen this movie, but I remember that it was pretty good. There is Arabic, Hebrew, English and French in it. The part that stuck in my memory was the depiction of the Syrian border agents incompetence. It was so real.
The whole idea of the movie is about the fact that when this girl is going to cross the border to Syria, she will never be able to visit her family or friends again ever. The tragedy of families torn apart. Her wedding day becomes more of a sad day than the happiest day of her life.

Sheila, I’m just some guy in Homs.

September 1st, 2011, 9:50 pm

Lymphoma and CLL are considered Hematologic malignancies and are treated by Hematologist and oncologists in the US , most training programs in the US are combined of 3 years and will be able to sit for both boards, you can do 2 years of combined program and sit for one board, that was what i did ( Oncology) as i needed to take care of my family in the US and Syria so i had to get out to the real world, i am satisfied with my decision,

September 1st, 2011, 9:54 pm

Dear #155. Norman,
I think it is very plausible that he is saying this so that he would not be held responsible, however, there is also the fact that communication between these groups is a very difficult task. These groups have become so decentralized due to the Mukhabarat state that they live in. This also makes it possible that he is telling the truth and he ultimately has no direct control over the demonstrators in the streets.
What is your take? Does this make sense to you?

September 1st, 2011, 9:55 pm

Tara, Evan,

Thank you, i will try to watch it,

September 1st, 2011, 10:00 pm

Dear SGID #160,
You post makes a whole lot of sense. I did not think or could have imagined that a speech would carry this kind of weight, but I heard a first hand account from a person in Syria about the complete and utter shock and disappointment from that speech.

September 1st, 2011, 10:02 pm

At these times moderate opposition leaders like Killo, i believe, have no power on the street, and any moderate view will be marginalized, and be swept away. Dark days are ahead for Syria,

And that is my take.

September 1st, 2011, 10:08 pm

@ 146. Haytham Khoury, 147. Husam

Love it 🙂

September 1st, 2011, 10:11 pm

@Norman
I admit it, the way things are going. The demonstrators want the worst for the regime and are not correctly pursuing what’s best for the country. You can’t blame . If anyone was treated like them he would think with his emotions rather than his brain.
@ Aboud
“….some guy in homs” . Copy infringement much??? 🙂

September 1st, 2011, 10:20 pm

Hey Aboud,
Very informative!!! And I am Some Gal in America. Sorry SGID.

September 1st, 2011, 10:25 pm

SGID,

I do not even think that they are pursuing what is best for themselves,

Dear Norman,
I totally agree and I also think that there are dark days ahead, but this is going to happen no matter who takes over after this regime. The country is in shambles. Putting it back together again is not going to be pretty.

September 1st, 2011, 10:26 pm

@Norman #167, Sheila# 164

The people who have control on the Street are not currently living in Syria. Some of them left Syria few weeks before the events started. Further, they are not Islamists. Fidaa al-Saed is just a facade. The people who are in control are moderate (in their social views), but not when it comes to the fate of the regime.

September 1st, 2011, 10:31 pm

I think that they are approaching the problem the wrong way, they are choosing a transitional council that nobody knows well, they need to set a political system to elect representative of the people ,

the problem with the government that they are very slow, they seem paralyzed,

September 1st, 2011, 10:35 pm

Why do you think so norman?

September 1st, 2011, 10:38 pm

Because with the way things are going, there will be no Syria to manage ,

September 1st, 2011, 10:42 pm

Turkey to Station U.S. Radar to Counter Iranian Rockets

SEPTEMBER 2, 2011

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904716604576545210817356164.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

WASHINGTON—Turkey has agreed to station a high-powered U.S. radar on its territory as part of a missile defense system to protect NATO allies from the threat of long-range Iranian rockets.

The deal for Turkey to host the so-called X-Band radar at one of its military bases accelerates deployment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization-backed early warning system.

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A 2008 file photo shows a U.S. X-Band radar installation in Israel used to thwart Iranian missile threats.

The deal could also ratchet up tensions between Turkey and Iran, which sees the system as a threat.

Relations between Ankara and Tehran have deteriorated in recent months, particularly over differences over how to respond to Syria’s violent crackdown on antiregime demonstrations. Turkey has condemned the violence and appears to be moving increasingly toward breaking with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Iran is supporting Mr. Assad, providing him with equipment and know-how to put down the demonstrations, U.S. officials say.

A senior U.S. defense official said the goal was to have the AN/TPY-2 radar in place in Turkey before the end of this year.

A site has already been identified for the radar at a Turkish military installation. The senior defense official declined to identify its location.

Negotiations with Turkey over hosting the radar started earlier this year and picked up pace in June.

Turkey was concerned that data collected at the radar site could be shared real time with Israel.

U.S. officials told Turks that the United States has a “separate and robust” missile defense relationship with Israel, where the United States based a high-powered X-Band radar in 2008 to bolster Israel’s missile defenses. The system is identical to the radar going to Turkey.

That radar can track any Iranian missile aimed at Israel.

But the U.S. made clear that data from any U.S. radars around the world may be fused with other data to maximize the effectiveness of its missile defenses.

The sharing of data with Israel was a sensitive political issue for Turkey. Relations between the two states have frayed over Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The senior defense official attributed Turkey’s decision to host the radar to stepped up efforts by Ankara to close ranks with NATO and improve relations with the U.S.

The official playing down the impact of Syria tensions on Turkey’s decision. “I don’t think recent events played a role. They were heading in this direction,” the official said.

Turkey was one of several NATO states in talks to host the advanced X-Band radar as part of the NATO missile shield.

Several Republican senators have voiced reservations with Turkey hosting the radar because of the government’s refusal to share the data collected with Israel.

Though the radar systems in Turkey and Israel will operate separately, the senior U.S. defense official made clear the U.S. could integrate the data.

“Any U.S. radars around the world may be fused with other data to maximize the effectiveness of our missile defenses,” the official said.

President Barack Obama announced plans in September 2009 to integrate sea- and land-based missile defenses in and around its NATO allies in Europe in a system referred to as the “phased adaptive approach.”

The system slated for Turkey to protect NATO states is similar to the AN/TPY-2 radar deployed in Japan to help protect against the North Korean threat.

Under the European system, data from the new radar site in Turkey will be integrated with U.S. Navy cruisers and destroyers equipped with the Aegis ballistic missile defense system in offshore waters.

Built by Raytheon Co, the system locks on to targets in their boost, midcourse and terminal phases. U.S. officials say the AN/TPY-2 system works best when the installations are arrayed along an arc around the perceived threat area.

U.S. intelligence agencies have long warned about Iran’s growing missile threat and officials say antiballistic missile systems should cover all of Europe by 2018.

September 1st, 2011, 11:38 pm

The Palmer/Uribe Report: Another Attempt by Israel to Whitewash Murder

Sep-01-2011 18:46

Israel refused to cooperate with this UN panel even though the United Nations and governments all around the world called for just such an independent investigation of the events.

http://www.salem-news.com/articles/september012011/israel-flotilla-un.php

(NEW YORK) – On May 31, 2010, Israeli commandos brutally attacked Freedom Flotilla 1, killing eight Turkish and one American passenger on board the Mavi Marmara, most having been killed at close range, execution style.

They injured more than 50 other passengers, both on the Mavi Marmara and on the other four boats sailing to the embattled territory of Gaza to bring the attention of the world to Israel’s illegal blockade of 1.6 million Palestinians. Not only were our passengers murdered and maimed, but the Israeli government has refused to return over $1 million in money and equipment, including cameras and videos which are of evidential value.

In the 15 months since Israel’s unwarranted attack on five boats carrying human rights watchers, Israel has been trying to spin the story that their well-armed soldiers were the victims and we were the aggressors. Several reports have already been written, most squarely blaming Israel for its attack on unarmed civilians.

The UN Human Rights Council Fact-Finding Mission took evidence from 112 eyewitnesses, reviewed forensic evidence, including autopsy reports and inspected the Mavi. It found that, because a humanitarian crisis exists in Gaza, Israel’s blockade is ulawful and ‘cannot be sustained in law…regardless of the grounds” used as justification. Israel’s blockade is collective punishment and in violation of article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, inflicting civilian damage disproportionate to any military advantage. Therefore, since Freedom Flotilla 1 neither presented an imminent threat to Israel nor was designed to contribute to any war effort against Israel, intercepting the flotilla was ‘clearly unlawful’ andcould not be justified as self-defense.

Instead, the Israeli government set up its own investigatory panel, The Turkel Commission, led by Israeli retired Supreme Court Judge Jacob Turkel and three other Israelis issued a report on January 23, 2011 exonerating the commandos, then saying the blockade was legal. The commission did not interview a single passenger or crew member from any of the boats but only received testimony from the Israeli military.

On January 28, 2011, Amnesty International condemned the Turkel findings as no more than a whitewash. “Despite being nearly 300 pages long, the report crucially fails to explain how the activists died and what conclusions the Commission reached regarding the IDF’s specific actions in each case.” http://amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE15/013/2011/en/96e848bd-56ee-4e6e-a817-17e07c3d5192/mde150132011en.html

Free Gaza shares Amnesty International’s analysis that the conflict between the Israeli armed forces and unarmed civilians was NOT armed conflict, making international humanitarian law (IHL) the wrong framework; international human rights law and law enforcement norms should have been applied, which would have made the use of force – and especially lethal force –an act of last resort.

Now there is the Palmer/Uribe report due to be released tomorrow, which apparently adopts the same faulty IHL framework.

According to Audrey Bomse, Board member and Legal Adviser to Free Gaza : “If the leaks we’ve heard from Israeli officials are correct, the holes in this report are big enough to sail a flotilla of ships through. There are serious problems with the Panel’s composition, mandate and legal analysis. But most disturbing of all is the fact that the Secretary General’s Panel apparently condones Israel’s gross violations of the human and national rights of the Palestinian people and the rights of those in solidarity with them.”

The Panel has 4 members, one from Israel and one from Turkey, plus Geoffrey Palmer, former prime minister of New Zealand and ex-president of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe. The choice of Uribe as vice-chairman is suspect, given his intimate association with the military and paramilitary practice of murdering civilians in Colombia. The Panel, was only tasked to review the reports of the national investigations by Turkey and Israel (the Turkel Committee), not to conduct an in-depth objective investigation. Its ultimate goal, was to “positively affect the relationship between Turkey and Israel.”

International humanitarian law (IHL, the law of armed conflict) is the wrong legal framework to be used as the basis for judging the lawfulness of the actions taken by Israel both against the civilian population of Gaza (the blockade) and against those resisting the boarding of the MM. The conflict between the Israeli navy and unarmed civilians on the Mavi Marmara was not armed conflict. International human rights law and law enforcement norms should have been applied, which would have made the use of force – and especially lethal force –an act of last resort. Nor should the legality of the blockade of occupied Gaza be analyzed in the framework of the law of armed conflict.

If indeed the Uribe Rport has concluded that the Israeli naval blockade on Gaza – a serious measure of war – is legal and in accordance with international law, then this Report will contradict numerous other UN reports and resolutions, most recently that of the Human Rights Council Fact-Finding Mission, on the issue of the legality of the Gaza siege.

As the Human Rights Council Fact‐Finding Mission observed, “public confidence in any investigative process … is not enhanced when the subject of the investigation either investigates himself or plays a pivotal role in the process.”

September 1st, 2011, 11:44 pm

@ Tara

I say, Arafat-Alsadr relation was a stark paradigm of common hatred, suspicion and benefit affairs between the lords of war during the Lebanese civil war.

While it’s hard to conduct a comparison between the two characters it’s reasonable to try casting some light on an era in which both were main players.

Yaser Arafat and his alliance with Sunnis, Druz, communists, Lebanese National Movement (LNM) and left wing fighters in general were purely aiming to serve the core case of liberating Palestine starting from Southern Lebanon and at the same time to defeat the extremists of the Christian right wing and their alliance with Israel along with their agenda of stripping Lebanon away from its Arabism legacy. Arafat could not perceive Alsadr but being a follower for his core opponent “Hafiz Assad”, to him Alsadr was a source of threat to the Palestinian existence in Lebanon.

Musa al-Sadr,a Persian/Lebanese religious leader (was born in Iran to a Lebanese dad Tyre, spoke Arabic with Persian accent) who was aiming to build a legacy for shi’a in Lebanon to serve as a Persian outpost in the heart of the Levant in addition to cease control of Lebanon to their benefit. He did oppose the full control of Maronite Christians and demanded to put the Shi’a back on the Lebanese map and give them their fair-share of the pie. He invented the principle of (1/3 Christians, 1/3 Shi’a and 1/3 Sunnis) instead of (1/2 Christians and 1/2 Muslims [including both Sunnis and Shi’a]). He founded the Movement of the Disinherited and developed an armed wing known as “Amal”.

Both Araft and Sadr never enjoyed a good relation and suspected each other. Although Araft was providing Amal with all needed weaponry AlSadr was fully objecting the armed presence of Palestinians in Lebanon, his anxieties were caused by a worry that Palestinian militarism would hinder the balance between Shi’a and Sunnis and his sect would be endangered by the Sunni Palestinians.

AlSadr and Hafiz (who shared the hatred towards Arafat) struck a strategic deal, consequently AlSadar defected on LNM and stood to Hafiz’s side in terms of supporting the Syrian invasion to Lebanon and recognizing Alawis as Shi’a coreligionists, while Hafiz himself in return sought to control the PLO in Lebanon and promised to kick the common enemy “Arafat” out of Lebanon.

In 1978 Alsadr disappeared but his influence was still the drive in 1948 when the Palestinian refugee camps were besieged by the Shi’a Amal militia and Nabih Berri used Alsadr’s fatwa to justify the partaking in killing. The fatwa was (Tha2ro Allah Li Maqtal Al-Hussien) which means (Killing Palestinians is the Lord’s avenge to the killing of Al-Hussien)

September 1st, 2011, 11:48 pm

Turkey Reportedly Sets Deadline for Israel Apology for Deadly Attack

September 01, 2011

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/09/01/turkey-reportedly-sets-deadline-for-israel-apology-for-deadly-attack/

Turkey’s foreign minister has set this week’s expected release of a U.N. report on Israel’s raid of a Gaza-bound flotilla as a deadline for Israel to apologize for the deadly attack, two Turkish newspapers reported Thursday.

The May 2010 raid by Israeli commandos killed nine pro-Palestinian activists and severely strained Israeli-Turkish relations. Turkey has warned ties could deteriorate further if Israel does not apologize, but Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has ruled out the idea.

“The date the United Nations is expected to release the report is the deadline. If there is no apology until that date we will put our Plan B into motion,” Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in accounts printed in Turkey’s Hurriyet and Zaman newspapers.

At U.N. headquarters in New York, deputy spokesman Eduardo del Buey said Thursday that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon “has not yet received the report himself.”

“We understand that the report will be submitted to the secretary-general in the next few days,” del Buey said. “We will seek confirmation.”

Davutoglu did not elaborate on what measures Turkey would take against Israel, but Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested last month that Turkey could back possible court action by victims’ families against Israel.

Turkish newspaper reports have said Turkey also is considering downgrading diplomatic ties, cutting off economic ties and military cooperation, and giving Turkey’s full backing to the Palestinian quest for state recognition.

In addition to an apology, Turkey also is demanding compensation for the victims’ families and an end to Israel’s blockade on the Gaza Strip, imposed since 2007. The nine people who died included eight Turkish citizens and one Turkish-American.

September 1st, 2011, 11:52 pm

Pro-Kurdish rally turns violent is Istanbul

Thu Sep 1, 2011 7:16PM GMT

What started out as a peaceful pro-Kurdish rally in central Istanbul spiraled into chaos after police used tear gas to disperse demonstrators.

http://presstv.com/detail/196957.html

Emotions began to flare earlier, when protestors were prevented from marching, because of pan cards deemed illegal by the security forces. Within thirty minutes, anger boiled over as young protesters damaged public property, later throwing stones at the police.

These tensions follow a month of fierce fighting between the outlawed PKK group and the Turkish military. Up to 45 soldiers have died in the past four weeks. Cross-border military strikes against PKK camps in Northern Iraq, last week reportedly killed up to 160 militants.

Here, young Kurdish men throw stones at public property, while their elders try to stop them, unsuccessfully. And it’s this image that has enraged the Kurdish community, a child who lost her mother in the cross-border strikes. According to Kurdish news agencies, seven civilians were killed.

This happy EID billboard message has now been changed. It says the Arab spring is coming to Turkey and you will be judged.

However, the majority of Kurds in Turkey don’t want to replicate the uprisings taking place across the region, they say, they simply want more cultural freedoms.

In response, AKP have launched a Kurdish language channel, and allowed Kurdish studies in universities. Prime Minister Erdogan has promised to rewrite the 1980 military constitution to recognise Kurdish identity, but whether this will end the war remains to be seen. Most people we spoke to here say the only way to peace is direct negotiations with the imprisoned leader of the PKK, Abdullah Ocalan.

According to Turkish media reports the state has been talking to Ocalan for some time now. For the government however, it’s a sensitive topic in a country where nationalist rhetoric is still very much part of the culture.

September 2nd, 2011, 12:21 am

*** ARAB SPRING ***

Kurdish activists clash with police in Istanbul

September 1, 2011 4:27 p.m. EDT

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/09/01/turkey.kurds.clashes/

Istanbul (CNN) — Mounting tensions between the government and members of Turkey’s Kurdish ethnic minority erupted on the streets of the country’s largest city Thursday, after Kurdish activists clashed with riot police at a protest organized by the main Kurdish nationalist political party.

Scores of Kurdish youths, many of them covering their face with bandannas, hurled stones and petrol bombs as security forces fired tear gas to try to disperse the crowds in Istanbul.

Amid the chaos near the banks of the Marmara Sea, a CNN producer witnessed a man collapse, apparently overwhelmed by the clouds of noxious tear gas. Nearby, flowers littered the pavement where a women’s flower stand had been overturned.

The Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), Turkey’s main Kurdish political party, organized rallies in Istanbul and other Turkish cities Thursday to mark “World Peace Day.”

But the rallies come within weeks of a fresh Turkish military bombing campaign of Kurdish separatist rebels who have long operated out of camps and bases across the border in Northern Iraq.

Tensions escalated after a BDP official, Yildirim Ayhan, was killed Sunday during clashes with security forces on the Turkish side of the border. Ayhan was reportedly part of a group of Kurdish activists marching toward Iraq to serve as human shields against the Turkish aerial and artillery bombardment.

The protest in Istanbul Thursday began fairly peacefully. Women in traditional Kurdish costumes led a column of thousands of people, many of them waving BDP flags and carrying banners that said “peace now immediately” and “long live the brotherhood of people.”

Since 1984, fighters from the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, have waged a bloody guerrilla war against the Turkish state that has claimed more than 30,000 lives.

For decades, Kurds were the target of repressive government policies, implemented by officials who sometimes referred to members of Turkey’s largest ethnic minority as “mountain Turks.” Until just a few years ago, it was illegal to speak Kurdish on radio and television in Turkey. The government of prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has tried to improve relations by launching a state Kurdish language TV station in 2009.

Despite these steps, some of the demonstrators on Thursday chanted “Erdogan murderer” and chanted “Kurdistan will be the graveyard for fascism.”

At one point in the march, BDP parliament member Sebahat Tuncel successfully negotiated with police officers who had objected to some of the political banners. The signs were taken down, and the march proceeded. But then CNN journalists witnessed dozens of young masked men emerge and begin hurling stones at bus stops.

Then chaos broke out.

As Kurdish youths hurled stones, police officers took cover behind fences firing round after round of tear gas into Kadikoy’s main square. Frightened bystanders fled the scene choking. Meanwhile, protesters also lobbed Molotov cocktails into the melee.

At one point, CNN cameraman Joe Duran witnessed a mob of Kurdish activists viciously beating a man. Duran left the scene of the violence after members of the crowd turned on him and told him to turn off his camera.

A Turkish police commander told CNN there were approximately 3,000 protesters participating in the rally. The officer, who did not volunteer his name or rank, estimated only a minority of the demonstrators, some 150 people, participated in the violence.

But some Kurdish activists blamed the government for the clashes.

“Look, we are struggling for peace and Erdogan attacks us using tear gas,” said Sabiha Sayan, a female demonstrator, dressed in the white hooded veil traditionally worn by many Kurdish women.

After a melee that lasted nearly two hours, demonstrators fled the scene. The ground was littered with shards glass from dozens of shattered bus stops and newspaper kiosques. Billboards advertising the face of Turkey’s prime minister had been defaced with graphiti saying “the Arab Spring will come to Turkey and you will be on trial.”

Commuters began gingerly stepping through debris and past overturned police barriers, some of them wincing at the tear gas still lingering in one of Istanbul’s busiest transit hubs. A pair of tourists from Italy wandered through the gas-canister strewn square pulling their suitcases, looking in vain for a shuttlebus to the airport.

Other protests were scheduled to be held in other Turkish cities on Thursday, including the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, the unofficial capital of Turkey’s Kurdish minority.

September 2nd, 2011, 12:33 am

Kurdish people rally against intimidation

Friday, September 2, 2011
By Chris Peterson, Melbourne

http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/48689

On September 1, about 100 people rallied in Melbourne in defence of the Victorian Kurdish Association after a series of violent attacks.

The Kurdish community has received numerous death threats. There have been many attempts to put the building of the Kurdish Association of Victoria on fire, ending on April 14 this year when the building was burnt down by arsonists and rendered non-functional.

Just a few weeks ago, eight bullets were fired at the remains of the building of the Kurdish Association of Victoria. Fortunately, no one was inside at the time.

The Turkish state, since its foundation in 1923, has denied the very existence of the 20 million Kurdish people living in Turkey. Any manifestation of the Kurdish identity and culture is brutally suppressed through its security agencies, military apparatus and state controlled courts.

There have been more than 4,000 state sanctioned, extra-judicial killings in Turkey with majority of the victims being Kurdish.

Presently, there are over 3,000 Kurdish politicians and thousands of Kurdish children in Turkish jails, many of them without charge or with sentences that defy common understandings of justice.

In a September 1 statement, the Kurdish Association said: “Oppression of the Kurdish people, coupled with extra judicial arrests, imprisonments, torture, killings and denial of basic human rights has forced many Kurds to seek refuge in Western countries, including Australia.”

“For many years now, the Kurdish community in Victoria has been subject to harassment, intimidation and acts of terror culminating in a sense of fear in the general community from acts believed to be perpetrated by the ultra-nationalists who are bent on extending the Turkish state’s policy of annihilation, oppression fear and intimidation to Australia’s shores.”

September 2nd, 2011, 12:39 am

Bahrain: Anger as security forces kill teen protester

Sep 01, 2011

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/10223211-bahrain-anger-as-security-forces-kill-teen-protester

The Bahraini monarch continues his crackdown on protest even as he claims to have forgiven earlier protesters. Of course he cracked down hard on them with the help of Saudi and other forces. Fewer protests take place now as protest leaders warn of the dangers.

A small protest in the town of Sitra was attacked by police, who fired tear-gas canisters into the crowd and killed a 14 year old.Although this level of violenc is tame compared to the earlier crackdowns it is sparking a new surge of anger against the regime among the nation’s Shi’ite majority.

What particularly annoys the Shia is that the Bahraini government denied police were even there.,Despite dozens of witnesses who put police at the scene and a confirmation that he died when they shot a canister at him, Bahrain’s Interior Ministry insists no police were present. The Ministry is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of “those responsible. Those witnesses had better beware since they may be arrested for spreading false informantion.

September 2nd, 2011, 12:53 am

After Gaddafi, a nightmare for NATO

Friday, 02 September 2011

http://print.dailymirror.lk/opinion1/54995.html

Signs of cracks within the alliance that ousted Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, the fugitive Libyan strongman, are emerging while the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) countries, which have invested billions of dollars in their effort to help the rebels capture Libya and end four decades of dictatorship, are in a quandary.

It appears that after all that NATO investment Libya may see the emergence of an anti-West Islamic state. Western nations which gathered in Paris yesterday for an international conference to discuss Libya, incidentally on the 42nd anniversary of the coup that brought Gaddafi to power, are now trying to work out a formula to accommodate the Islamists’ aspirations so that they could gobble up the war-ravaged nation’s oil wealth. But this may not work, given the Islamists’ anti-West stance.

NATO or the West was not unaware that a large segment of the anti-Gaddafi alliance consisted of Islamists or jihadists. NATO leaders knew they were taking a risk by arming and training the Islamists, but they felt that the profit to be made in post-Gaddafi Libya was worth it.

The Western nations want to see the emergence of a secular, democratic, liberal, pro-western and pro-business regime in post-Gaddafi Libya so that they could rake in the profits of the multi-billion dollar investment or intervention. The Islamists, on the other hand, saw the alliance with NATO as a necessary evil in their jihad to set up an Islamic state though they opposed the US occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Given these conflicting agendas, the allies — NATO and the Libyan Islamists — are more likely to become enemies than friends in post-Gaddafi Libya. The emerging picture was vividly explained by US Congressman and Republican Party presidential prospect Ron Paul last week. “We face a situation where a rebel element we have been assisting may very well be radical jihadists, bent on our destruction, and placed in positions of power in a new government,” he warned adding “worse still, Gaddafi’s successor is likely to be just as bad, or worse, than Gaddafi himself.”

Although pro-NATO elements also exist within the rebel ranks and the Transitional National Council leaders Mustafa Abdel Jalil and his cronies bend backwards to please their NATO masters, the bulk of the fighting was done by the Islamists and those who joined the battle to settle old scores stemming from tribal rivalry.

The Islamists now appear to be taking the upper hand, as lawlessness and mayhem continue in Libya two weeks after Gaddafi and his family together with their loyal troops went into hiding in the face of the NATO-backed rebel attack on Tripoli.

The power and influence of the Islamists are already evident. They have succeeded in including Shariah law into Libya’s post-Gaddafi constitution while Tripoli has been put under the military command of Abdelhakim Belhaj, founder of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, a banned terrorist organization on the US State Department list. Belhaj fought against the US-led NATO troops in Afghanistan and was captured. He was taken to the US and was to be sent to the notorious Gulag prisons in Guantanamo Bay in 2004, but instead he was handed over to the Gaddafi regime which by this time had become a good buddy of the George Bush administration. After six years in a Libyan prison, Gaddafi released him under a general amnesty.

With Belhaj and his LIFG now firmly in the saddle, their al-Qaeda links and Islamic fervour, which NATO sought to ignore during the campaign to oust Gaddafi, have now become a major problem to the West. Adding to the problem is Gaddafi’s huge arsenal. Missing from Libya’s arms dumps following the capture of Tripoli are not only light weapons such as automatic rifles, but also shoulder-fired missiles and deadly mustard gas.

It is naïve to assume that NATO was unprepared to deal with the threat posed by the Islamists. It had implemented countermeasures to check the threat from the Islamists in the rebel ranks.

During the war quite a number of anti-Gaddafi rebels were killed in one-too-many NATO air attacks, giving rise to suspicions that the Jihadi leadership was being eliminated with inside help. It is no secret that Khalifa Hifter, the defence minister of the Benghazi-based rebel administration, is a CIA-backed operative. Hifter, a former Libyan army officer, was captured in Chad some 20 years ago and transported to Virginia where he led a life of luxury until he was brought to Benghazi and installed as the rebels’ defence minister a few months ago. Obviously, Hifter’s primary task was to serve his masters in Washington and he was being blamed for the recent killing of a top rebel military commander Abdel Fatah Younis.

Then there is among the rebels a group backed by the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia. Israeli investigative journalist Joel Bainerman wrote in his book ‘Inside the Covert Operations of the CIA & Israel’s Mossad (New York: S.P.I. Books, 1994) that, Israel and the US trained anti-Gaddafi rebels in a number of West and Central African countries. The book claims that funding for the Chad-based the National Front for the Salvation of Libya came from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Israel and Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. The NFSL is a main member of the National Conference for the Libyan Opposition, which was largely responsible for the Benghazi uprising that eventually led to the ouster of Gaddafi.

Against this backdrop where the rebel ranks are divided on the basis of their Islamic, tribal or pro-western affiliations, Libya is plunging deeper into chaos. Add to this mess, the threat posed by pro-Gaddafi tribes and loyal forces who are now offering pockets of resistance and lying low or have gone into hiding with their weapons. A nightmare scenario is not far away.

September 2nd, 2011, 1:09 am

129. Some guy in Damascus said:

@Annie
Were are not after the honor of being quoted by professor.landis.

Sure, I should have written “honor” but I could not help noticing that he has his favourites here and misses some great quotes from good people here.

About being accused of anti-Semitism, I know who I am and that is good enough for me.

September 2nd, 2011, 2:08 am

Bahrain: Protestors Clash With Security Forces In Manama

Updated: 9/2/11 02:20 AM ET

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/01/bahrain-protestors-manama_n_944589.html

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — It’s become a nightly duel in Bahrain: Security forces and anti-government protesters waging hit-and-run clashes in one of the simmering conflicts of the Arab Spring.

So far, the skirmishes have failed to gel into another serious challenge to the Gulf nation’s Western-backed monarchy after crushing a reform rebellion months ago. But there are sudden signs that Shiite-led demonstrators could be poised to raise the stakes again on the strategic island, which is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.

SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTOS FROM BAHRAIN

Hundreds of demonstrators Wednesday made their boldest attempt in months to reclaim control of a central square in the capital Manama, which was the symbolic hub of the protest movement after it began in February. Riot police used buses to block roads and flooded streets with tear gas to drive back the marchers before dawn.

Hours later, mourners gathered in a Shiite village in another part of Bahrain for a 14-year-old boy they claim was killed by security forces. Clashes flared until early Thursday across the oil hub area of Sitra before the boy’s burial.

“Down with the regime,” chanted some of hundreds of people in the funeral procession. “More protests.”

Some waved the flag of the Libyan rebels, who are closing in on the remnants of Moammar Gadhafi’s government.

Bahrain remains the outlier of the Arab revolts.

Its Sunni rulers have managed to hold their ground – and even tighten their grip with military help from neighboring Saudi Arabia – against majority Shiites demanding a greater political voice. Washington and Western allies have denounced the punishing crackdowns, but been mild when it comes to Bahrain’s ruling dynasty. The possible risks from a harder line appear too great. They include jeopardizing key Arab military relationships on Iran’s doorstep.

Washington’s Gulf Arab allies argue any gains for Bahrain’s Shiites could open the door for influence by Iran’s Shiite regime.

Bahrain’s Shiite leaders strongly deny any links to Iran. They note that their fight for greater rights goes back decades – and is now re-energized by the pro-democracy wave across the Arab world.

In July, the Shiite political bloc walked out of government-led reconciliation talks, claiming they failed to address key demands such as ending the monarchy’s ability to hand-pick the government. Shiites also appear ready to boycott parliament elections on Sept. 24 – an act that state media has called treason.

Shiites account for about 70 percent of Bahrain’s 525,000 citizens, but claim they face systematic discrimination such as being barred from top political and security posts. Last week, Bahrain’s most senior Shiite cleric, Sheik Isa Qassim, told worshippers that the country’s rulers can either embrace reforms or risk the same fate as Libya’s Gadhafi.

“Can’t they learn from the fall of dictatorships and see what happens to those who denied their people basic rights?” Qassim said as police helicopters patrolled over his mosque. “We now see what happens to the Libyan dictator, just as what happened to Tunisian and Egyptian despots.”

At least 32 people have been killed since the protests began more than six months ago. Activists claim Ali Jawad Ahmad, the 14-year-old buried Wednesday, should be added to the tally.

Opposition groups, including the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights, cited witnesses saying the boy died after being hit by a tear gas canister fired at close range by police during the demonstration in the oil hub of Sitra, which has been a hotbed of Shiite protests.

A statement by the Interior Ministry said an investigation was ordered and officials posted a 10,000 dinar ($26,600) reward for information leading to a definitive finding on the death.

The official Bahrain News Agency said an autopsy showed a “neck injury” was the cause of death, and “fractures in that area causing bleeding around the spinal cord.” The report added that the boy had bruises on his chin, face, right hand, pelvic area and knees.

Isa Hassan, an uncle of the dead teen, claimed police overreacted when confronted by a small group of protesters after morning prayers marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Hassan said the tear gas was fired from about 21 feet (seven meters) away directly at the protesters.

“They are supposed to lob the canisters of gas, not shoot them at people,” he said at a memorial gathering for the boy. “Police used it as a weapon.”

The death is almost certain to bring more protesters onto the streets.

Until nearly sunrise Wednesday, groups of demonstrators tried to break through police lines to reclaim control of Pearl Square, a main crossroads that was once a protest encampment modeled after Cairo’s Tahrir Square. Some streets in Manama were scenes of running battles.

Police unleashed huge clouds of tear gas to drive back protesters, who in turn created large oil slicks and left makeshift traps such as nail-studded boards to try to slow the riot units. Some protesters manned ambush points to pelt police with stones.

In Geneva, the spokesman for U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights urged Bahraini authorities to account for all those arrested since temporary martial law-style rule was imposed March 15. It was lifted June 1.

“We are concerned that most of the defendants in these cases may be prisoners of conscience, detained only for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and association,” Rupert Colville said. “All such detainees must be released.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12755852

September 2nd, 2011, 2:31 am

For the facebookers here
“Syrian Facebookers targeted

For months, the Syrian regime and its supporters have been devising and implementing new ways of targeting social media users who express favour toward the opposition, from flooding Twitter hashtags with unrelated links to hacking and defacing opposition sites. While various incidences of Facebook manipulation have been reported, none have been confirmed.

Today, the Information Warfare Monitor reports on a new attempt to mount an attack on pro-opposition Syrians. Though the perpetrators remain unknown, the attacks were launched on Twitter, targeting users of Facebook. According to the report, the culprits tweeted a link in an attempt to lure followers to a video posted to Facebook, whereupon those clicking on the link would be redirected to a fake Facebook page. Then, if the user then logged in, their credentials would be captured and their account information compromised.

This type of attack, whether launched by the regime or third-party actors, is basic in scope but can be devastating to a user who hasn’t backed up his or her Facebook data (a feature made available in the Account Settings), and outright dangerous to an activist whose account contains private information or sensitive contacts. Still, this type of attack pales in comparison to one discovered this week in neighbouring Iran.”

http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/08/201183171859264925.html

Officer AbdulAziz Tlas defects along with three soldiers.

أوغاريت الملازم أول محمد عبد العزيز طلاس يعلن انشقاقه1 9 2011

September 2nd, 2011, 2:50 am

Poem by Ahmad Matar: a genius summary of the 10 fundamentals of Asad State
أحمد مطر يصف سورية الحديثة بكلمات قليلة
http://the-syrian.com/archives/34394

Personal attempt of translation:

End of project

Bring a basket
Put in four nines (for 99.99 presidential referendum voting result)

Put in shut down news papers,
Put in a radio,
a trumpet,
a drum!

Put in red tape,
a rope,
a knife,
and a baby and remember to kill that!

Put in a rabid dog,
that outruns its shadow,
that even notices the nothingness,
and hears the giggle of the ant!

Mix it all,
make sure the cap is secure,
Then pull out a chair and take a seat,
and you’ve got your self a state.

September 2nd, 2011, 3:35 am

The extent of damage to daraa city residential areas has not been yet verified.
The following video, apparently released by same unit that shot the footage in return for some money, provides glimpse of its devastation.

26 – 04-2011 Daraa
أوغاريت , درعا البلد , مقطع مسرب , يظهر لاول مرة حجم الدمار في درعا اثناء دخول الجيش وتمركز القناصة على احد المباني

September 2nd, 2011, 5:22 am

Please stop worrying about the health of some Brotherly commentators on this blog claiming to be in Syria.

You can always reach them on their untraceable satellite phone.

There are holding US passports and under the effective protection of US Ambassador Ford and the WHO you know.

Furthermore, they must be clever enough not to drink tap water infected with germs but to imbibe the best of Champagne wines in five star hotels where they can tell their tale to the gullible free press.

Disclaimer
WHO : World Health Organization under UN auspices
imbibe : paint the town green
gullible: the only word not in the Syrian American opposition dictionary

September 2nd, 2011, 5:45 am

The scoop of the year in Syria:

1) The armed gangs are burning tires.

2) The Syrian Army entered Daraa and put some sentinels on the roof of a building.

Syrian soldiers are only authorized by the opposition to be ducks in a row walking in the streets and to get killed by the armed gangs.

September 2nd, 2011, 6:01 am

Husam, please ban SPANN (ANN) as clearly she’s spamming.

September 2nd, 2011, 6:05 am

Aboud, any news from Walid Jumblatt ? Are the rumours abt him defecting to March 14 true ?

Also, pls be careful abt a possible military assault with artillery on Homs from tomorrow onwards. Syrian Commando a.k.a Schrodinger on http://www.ShiaChat.com has leaked the plan inadvertently to his Iranian friends.

September 2nd, 2011, 6:08 am

Guys, get a load of this photo and tell me how Rafiq Hariri was not a Menhebak :

http://216.40.235.202/~syria/view-photo/1370/At+the+residence+of+Prime+Minister+Rafiq+al-Hariri+in+Beirut+in+2002/firas+tlass

You can see Hariri joking ansd chatting with none other than Ghazi Kenaan, who was the notorious Mukhabarat chief in charge of Lebanese operations; and Mustafa Tlass the Defence Minister.

September 2nd, 2011, 6:23 am

Talking about Syriancommando ( a not very PR designed pseudo ), you can follow him on Twitter
https://twitter.com/#!/syriancommando

He has always interesting news about Syria and
today’s is :

Yesterday a Freedom-RPG was launched at an army checkpoint in Homs, an officer was martyred, others injured.

Disclaimer
News that could be reported by an official which unfortunately can no longer be my biological “Auntie” and I would have very much liked her to be only my “Niece”.

September 2nd, 2011, 7:02 am

What on earth is the problem you guys have with Ann…??

While you spend your time cracking wise and stroking each others egos, she actually tracks down and posts reports from many angles relating to goings on in and around Syria. Her posts are VERY INTERESTING.

Spam?? Arrogant idiots!

September 2nd, 2011, 7:13 am

Pirouz said:

RE: 191. REVLON

That’s the extent of devastation? You’re kidding, right? All that video depicted was a half-squad position, with smoke visible in the background. The smoke could have been from burning tires, for all we know.

Waiting for this Friday’s protest videos.

September 2nd, 2011, 7:23 am

Spann On

Hi guys. I think I’m going to help Spann out by finding more interesting articles to fill Syria Comment’s hard drive. I won’t offer any opinion because I have little to say (a few kilobytes), and anyway, enough of these articles can have you guys scrolling for hours!

I can’t help myself, so here are my 2 kbytes of comment:

Where is the Palmer Report for:

– Syria (against her own people)?

– Turkey (against her own Kurdish population)?

– Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain (did I miss any)?

Turkey expels Israeli ambassador

Ankara follows through on threat to impose independent sanctions on Jerusalem following its refusal to apologize for deadly Marmara raid: Top-level diplomatic staff expelled, key military contracts suspended. Turkish FM: Time for Israel to pay the price

Israel-Turkey relations sink to a new low: Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu announced Friday that following Jerusalem’s adamant refusal to apologize over the 2010 Gaza flotilla raid, Ankara will be downgrading its diplomatic relations with Israel and suspending key commercial and military agreements.

In a dramatic turn of events, Turkey announced that it was expelling Israeli Ambassador Gabby Levy from Ankara. Davutoglu said Turkey’s diplomatic representation in Israel would be further reduced to second-secretary level. In accordance, all lower Israeli diplomatic personnel above the second-secretary level have also been expelled.

Israel defiant: No apology to Turkey
Palmer Report fails main objective?
UN report: Israel should compensate Turkey
Turkish ultimatum to Israel: Apologize or face ‘Plan B’
Turkey rebuffs Palmer findings

The announcement followed a press conference, in which Davutoglu said that some of the UN’s Palmer Report findings on the raid were “unacceptable,” adding that it was “time for Israel to pay the price… The highest price it can pay is losing our friendship.”

“Israel, in fact, has misused many of the chances that were given to them and the Israeli government, on the other hand, see themselves (as being) above international laws and human conscience,” the Turkish FM said.

Turkey withdrew its own ambassador to Israel immediately after the raid.

Davutoğlu’s stated that Ankara views the Israeli government as responsible for the situation, and that Turkey will not revise its position on the matter until Israel reconsiders its stand on the flotilla incident. Davutoğlu added that despite the Palmer Report findings, Turkey does not recognise the legality of the Israeli blockade on Gaza.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul reportedly said Friday that as far as Turkey was concerned, the Palmer Report was “null and void.” Ankara is also said to be exploring its options against Israel with the International Court of Justice.

Earlier Friday, Turkey vowed that its demand for an apology from Israel would remain unchanged, stating that it is powerful enough to protect the rights of its citizen. The statement was made in Ankara’s first official reaction to a leaked United Nations panel report on Mavi Marmara incident.

Israel remains adamant over its decision not to offer Turkey an official apology. A senior official told Ynet that while Israel is aware of the implications of its decision to refrain from issuing an apology, “we cannot conduct ourselves based on ultimatums.”

The Palmer Report does not demand an Israeli apology, establishing instead that Israel should express regret and pay reparations, the official said, adding that Jerusalem still hoped that the two countries could “return to the cooperation that was a cornerstone of regional stability.” Another senior official added that “the severing of ties goes against Turkey’s strategic interests.”

Meanwhile, Turkey’s Zaman news site reported Friday that Davutoğlu had spoken with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and that he raised The New York Times issue with him. Davutoğlu added that UN’s Ban was also surprised to hear about the publication of the leaked report.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4117001,00.html

Palmer Report:

http://go.ynet.co.il/pic/news/Palmer-Committee-Final-report.pdf

September 2nd, 2011, 7:34 am

Facts, Circumstances and Context of the Incident

The Panel finds:

i. The events of 31 May 2010 should never have taken place as they did and strenuous efforts should be made to prevent the occurrence of such incidents in the future.
Strictly Confidential

ii. The fundamental principle of the freedom of navigation on the high seas is subject to only certain limited exceptions under international law. Israel faces a real threat to its security from militant groups in Gaza. The naval blockade was imposed as a legitimate security measure in order to prevent weapons from entering Gaza by sea and its implementation complied with the requirements of international law.

iii. The flotilla was a non-governmental endeavour, involving vessels and participants from a number of countries.

iv. Although people are entitled to express their political views, the flotilla acted recklessly in attempting to breach the naval blockade. The majority of the flotilla participants had no violent intentions, but there exist serious questions about the conduct, true nature and objectives of the flotilla organizers, particularly IHH. The actions of the flotilla needlessly carried the potential for escalation.

v. The incident and its outcomes were not intended by either Turkey or Israel. Both States took steps in an attempt to ensure that events did not occur in a manner that endangered individuals’ lives and international peace and security. Turkish officials also approached the organizers of the flotilla with the intention of persuading them to change course if necessary and avoid an encounter with Israeli forces. But more could have been done to warn the flotilla participants of the potential risks involved and to dissuade them from their actions.

vi. Israel’s decision to board the vessels with such substantial force at a great distance from the blockade zone and with no final warning immediately prior to the boarding was excessive and unreasonable:

a. Non-violent options should have been used in the first instance. In particular, clear prior warning that the vessels were to be boarded and a demonstration of dissuading force should have been given to avoid the type of confrontation that occurred;
b. The operation should have reassessed its options when the resistance to the initial boarding attempt became apparent.

vii. Israeli Defense Forces personnel faced significant, organized and violent resistance from a group of passengers when they boarded the Mavi Marmara requiring them to use force for their own protection. Three soldiers were captured, mistreated, and placed at risk by those passengers. Several others were wounded.

viii. The loss of life and injuries resulting from the use of force by Israeli forces during the take-over of the Mavi Marmara was unacceptable. Nine passengers were killed and many others seriously wounded by Israeli forces. No satisfactory explanation has been provided to the Panel by Israel for any of the nine deaths. Forensic evidence showing that most of the deceased were shot multiple times, including in the back, or at close range has not been adequately accounted for in the material presented by Israel.

ix. There was significant mistreatment of passengers by Israeli authorities after the take-over of the vessels had been completed through until their deportation. This included physical mistreatment, harassment and intimidation, unjustified confiscation of belongings and the denial of timely consular assistance.

My Conclusion: The IDF should have used proportional force to protect their lives and should not have “mistreated” the passengers. In fact, they should have offered turkish coffee and baklawah.

September 2nd, 2011, 7:46 am

“Also, pls be careful abt a possible military assault with artillery on Homs from tomorrow onwards.”

Khaled, do you have so much free time that you’d pay attention to the same menhebak who spent two months screaming and pissing his pants about a Turkish invasion that never came? Or the same guy who swore to heaven and down that Besho would launch a war of “liberation” on the Golan in June? If I had a dollar for every wrong prediction that guy made, I’d be able to buy out Rami Makhlouf.

Syrian Commando does not have access to privileged information, he’s a nobody who’d like people to think he does. When his credibility is shot to hell like it was on Syria Comment, he’ll move on to another menhebak friendly website. Meantime, he scrambles for attention on shiachat by claiming to have knowledge of an impending military operation *which he clearly does not have and has proven time and again never to have had*. Every single time, his “predictions” have turned out to have been pulled out from his ass.

An RPG was fired at a checkpoint? What, is that supposed to be news? SANA is claiming such things every other day. It’s propaganda, not news.

September 2nd, 2011, 8:07 am

198. Dear Chris W,
You said:
“What on earth is the problem you guys have with Ann…??
While you spend your time cracking wise and stroking each others egos, she actually tracks down and posts reports from many angles relating to goings on in and around Syria.
Her posts are VERY INTERESTING”

First, I would agree that someone may have found ANN posts in the previous page very interesting; You did!

Second, based on a survey of all of ANN posts in that particular page, I note the following:
– None of ANN posts had anything to do with current or past events in Syria
– 3/8 covered Turkish relations with other Middle eastern countries (177, 178, and 180).
– 2 out of 8 covered the same event; a Kurdish demonstration in Istanbul (181 and 182).
– 2 out of 8 also covered same event; security forces clash with demonstrators in Manama (184 and 187)
– 1/8 covered NATO-Libyan relations.

Posting reports with tangential relevance to current events in Syria, might still be useful.
Providing a title and a link would be sufficient to draw the needed attention.
Posting the entirety of such marginally irrelevant articles would raise questions about the poster’s real motives.

September 2nd, 2011, 8:31 am

http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/09/02/367067.htm

GOVERNORATES, (SANA) – Lt. Col. Fidaa al-Sheikh was martyred by an RPG hit by an armed terrorist gang in Talkalakh, Homs on Thursday.

Three martyrs from the army and police personnel were escorted to their final resting place in their home cities and towns.

Second Lieutenant Dr. Khaled Taher al-Sheikh, Policeman Hassan Mahmoud Hamdan and conscript Akeel Hussein Nasir were killed at the hands of armed terrorist groups in Idleb, Deir Ezzor and Homs.

Solemn processions were held for the martyrs, as they were covered with the Syrian flag and held up on shoulders while the Military Band played the music of the “Martyr” and “Farewell”.

Families and relatives of the martyrs expressed their pride in the martyrdom of their sons, emphasizing that Syria will overcome the crisis thanks to the unity and solidarity of its people and their readiness to provide more sacrifices.

Disclaimers
This is consistent with a report from a foreign free press journalist that I read on Internet:

In Homs , the protesters are directed by a Muslim Brother sheikh well versed in media propaganda
they are in contact with the Damascus Brothers
The protesters are armed
Some protesters assaulted and killed security personnel ouside demonstrations

Large amount of heavy arms like RPG are stored in the Homs neighborhood

September 2nd, 2011, 8:35 am

برهان غليون يكشف عن رغبته في تحويل المجلس الوطني الانتقالي لجبهة معارضة حقيقية ضد نظام حزب البعث

http://www.alquds.co.uk/index.asp?fname=data\201199-011qpt956.htm

September 2nd, 2011, 8:38 am

I agree Ann’ posts are spam and make the site unattractive especially to people who browse SC occasionally and do not actually participate. It distracts attention and confuses people in regard to the main issue by overwhelming the site with irrelevant topics.

Ann, please stop.

September 2nd, 2011, 8:43 am

Beaware, sorry but I wanted to beat you to this news and link it first. Had my Coffee and enjoying watching the demonstrations

EU imposes Syrian oil import ban

By the CNN Wire Staff
September 2, 2011 — Updated 1225 GMT (2025 HKT)

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/09/02/syria.unrest/

(CNN) — The European Union imposed a ban Friday on the import of Syrian oil, the latest diplomatic move against the Bashar al-Assad regime.
“The prohibition concerns purchase, import and transport of oil and other petroleum products from Syria. No financial or insurance services may be provided for such transactions,” the European Council said in a statement issued in Brussels, Belgium.
The action was expected. The EU has been a top market for Syrian oil, and the group said it intended to make the move which will have a detrimental impact on the Syrian government’s oil revenues.

more…

September 2nd, 2011, 9:02 am

Revlon
Well done, nice translation.

of Quixotic Guy
Aboud

Remember Commando’s warning about WW-III if protest did not stop in Syria.

But the poor fellow can still do some minor damage by inciting another crazy Quark or Bozo-n of the electronic army to issue a death threat or two as we sow here on Syria Comment. Like i said before, and ~~physicists~~ physicians at the University of Oklahoma would agree, these guys are nothing more than spontaneous mass-less excitations .

September 2nd, 2011, 9:11 am

Syrialover said:

Yes, Ann (and other offenders) please stop the data dumps.

It is irritating and time-wasting to have to scroll through acres of readily available news stories in a comments section.

Just keep it to a link and quick note on what the story’s about – if it interests us we can choose to follow it up while appreciating you drawing it to our attention.

September 2nd, 2011, 9:41 am

More huge demonstrations in Syria
From: AFP
September 02, 2011 10:25PM
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/more-huge-demonstrations-in-syria/story-e6frf7jx-1226128479660

HUGE demonstrations have rocked Syria, including a rally urging Russia to stop arms sales to the regime and another in support of an official who resigned in protest at the government’s brutal crackdown, activists say.

The protests came as the European Union adopted a ban on crude oil imports from Syria to punish President Bashar al-Assad’s regime for its brutal repression of protesters, diplomats told AFP.

The embargo will take effect on November 15 for existing supply contracts, after Italy demanded a delay, the diplomats said.

The protesters across Syria were responding to calls posted on the internet for nationwide anti-regime demonstrations after the weekly Friday prayers under the banner of “death rather than humiliation.”

The Local Coordination Committees (LCC) said demonstrators rallied outside the home of the attorney general of the flashpoint rebellious province of Hama in support of his reported decision to resign.
more..

September 2nd, 2011, 9:45 am

Well, frankly, Tara and others, you would think Ann’s posts are spam; because you seem to think this site is a private chatroom.

September 2nd, 2011, 9:49 am

Akbar Palace, beavering away there, earning his commission.

OK, yawn, you’ve done your job, let’s get back to the main subject of this discussion group.

September 2nd, 2011, 9:51 am

Oil firms bet on survival of Syria’s Assad
Thu Sep 1, 2011 7:52am EDT
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/01/syria-oil-idUSL5E7JV2QY20110901
…..
By Jessica Donati and Dmitry Zhdannikov

LONDON, Sept 1 (Reuters) – Oil companies in Europe are betting on the survival of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, in sharp contrast to their support for Libya’s opposition six months ago, even while the European Union is expected to soon slap oil sanctions on Damascus.

Several tankers are sailing to Syria this week to either deliver fuel or pick up crude, which may suggest that oil companies believe the rebellion in Syria will fail to overthrow Assad’s government.

The same companies, including Swiss-based trader Vitol, made the opposite bet when it came to trade in Libya. They agreed to supply opponents of Muammar Gaddafi with fuel in the hope their support would be rewarded at the end of the war.

“What oil firms are currently doing does really look like they believe Assad will win, and they will have to deal with him again,” said a Western diplomatic source.

“The big difference that they all see with Libya is that in Syria you don’t even have a location where the opposition can get together like Benghazi,” he added.

Royal Dutch/Shell (RDSa.L) is expected to load its Neverland Star tanker with crude oil cargo in the port of Banias over the weekend. The tanker was in Alexandria in Egypt on Thursday, just a day away from the Syrian port.

The company operates a joint venture with Syria’s state oil company and a Chinese-Indian firm to produce Syrian Light. Traders said the tanker was likely to load oil from Shell’s ownership share.

Industry sources say that even if oil exports from Syria are banned by the EU this week , Shell plans to continue operating within the country’s borders. It would keep that up until the EU imposes sanctions on cooperation with Syrian firms, which so far appears less likely.

Swiss-based trader Vitol, which played a central role in the war effort in Libya, was due to deliver 70,000 tonnes of gasoil to Banias on Thursday, indicating it has a different game plan in Syria.

And a third tanker, the Altesse, was headed for the Syrian port from Naples and was expected to arrive this week, satellite tracking information showed.

It was not clear whether the 70,000 tonne tanker was due to deliver or load at Banias, but at least two cargoes of gasoline are expected to be delivered to Syria in early September by trading houses Trafigura and Vitol.

Denmark’s A.P. Moller-Maersk (MAERSKb.CO) said last week it had canceled a deal to load naphtha in Syria due to U.S. sanctions.

Looming sanctions on Syria have had a very limited market on oil markets so far as the country’s exports of 150,000 barrels per day and imports of products are only a fraction of Libya’s pre-war shipments, the loss of which six month ago rocked the oil markets.

SAFE BET?

Five months of protests have failed to unseat al-Assad, who inherited power from his father and retains the loyalty of the core of his armed forces comprised mostly of members of the Alawite minority, the same sect as the president.

Analysts say that even a wider EU embargo on trade will not necessarily fully squeeze the economy.

“The sanctions are definitely important but won’t bankrupt the regime,” said Eurasia Group analyst Ayham Kamel, adding that an EU embargo was likely to be part of a first round, which could be expanded if violence in Syria escalated.

“The sanctions are just on oil imports (into the EU) and do not target companies operating in Syria … The EU is wary of one package and likely to take an incremental approach to match the rise in violence in Syria.”

But even if the prospect of wider-reaching sanctions on Syria’s oil business looms, the EU is not expected to rush in with very severe measures.

“With the regime so entrenched, tougher sanctions will soon start hitting the population too broadly, starting to look like Iraq in the ’90s, and memories of that mistake are still too strong,” said analyst Samuel Ciszuk of IHS Global Insight, adding it was likely Assad’s regime would hang on to power for some time yet.

For a FACTBOX on Syria’s energy sector (additional reporting by Ikuko Kurahone, editing by Jane Baird)

September 2nd, 2011, 9:53 am

More demonstrations

Love it!

September 2nd, 2011, 9:54 am

The Turkish move to sever military ties with Israel, and to expel the ambassador, looks as something bigger than simply that. Now when Turkey bashed Israel (To the cheers of Muslims), it has the legitimacy, and is ready to bash one of them. Meaning, Syria.
.

September 2nd, 2011, 10:08 am

Akbar Palace, beavering away there, earning his commission.
OK, yawn, you’ve done your job, let’s get back to the main subject of this discussion group.

Syrialover,

OK;)

How do you feel about the EU sanctions, etc. Positive, Neutral, Negative?

Just my observation, but the mood here is a bit negative. I do not think Syria is comparable to Libya and Iraq. There are a lot of highly educated Syrians, and I think the opposition can form political parties and call for an election. There is relatively little outside interference inside of Syria to muck things up worse than they are.

The question is: what will it take to bring down the regime and get the army to support the opposition so that peaceful elections can be held.

Amir,

If Turkey “bashes” anyone, it will be defenseless Kurds.

September 2nd, 2011, 10:09 am

you are starting ti think like me.

September 2nd, 2011, 10:12 am

Chris,

Nothing wrong in having small cultural conversations about Syria and SC personalities as it makes it more interesting to be part of it. Ann however is overwhelming the site to create a background noise and diffuse the issues at hand.

September 2nd, 2011, 10:15 am

“Lt. Col. Fidaa al-Sheikh was martyred by an RPG hit by an armed terrorist gang in Talkalakh, Homs on Thursday.”

Tell me something, how long has your pathetic army and the shabiha turds been in Telkelakh? Since early May. And yet someone can apparently waltz right in, and kill a senior officer *sarcastic clap* Bravo, Besho brigades. What an efficient fighting force junior has created.

In a bold move, Officer Tlass, who newly defected and joined the FOM appears in public and in the middle of the day to salute and cheer a massive crowd of demonstrators in Rastan today.

Die or stand tall Friday
02-09-2011 Ar Rastan, Homs.
أوغاريت الرستن حمص , تحية الملازم أول محمد طلاس إلى الجماهير , مظاهرات جمعة الموت ولا المذلة

September 2nd, 2011, 10:34 am

Mina said:

Watched the Emir of Qatar unable to articulate proper classical Arabic yesterday in Paris (where he has bought a huge house on Ile Saint-Louis with a little few corrupt officials helping in making it ‘constructible and extendable’ while it was officially part of the historical monuments and not constructible anymore for this reason).
Well, I wonder why anyone would hope that what the US-UN-NATO have failed in Iraq, they would succeed in Lybia.
Also, could anyone here with an experience in the Gulf tell me the difference between Qaddafi’s Lybia and the Gulf states? They all have personality cult and use foreign workers as slaves with no rights whatsoever, no?
Disclaimer: to those who think this is not related to Syria, just admit we are still taking abuot reshaping the Middle East, making a model democracy somewhere in it (not Iraq, why not Jordan? why then Lybia?)

September 2nd, 2011, 10:37 am

Syria witnesses new protests amid mounting int’l pressure.
2011-09-02
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-09/02/c_131094792.htm

DAMASCUS, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) — Hundreds of Syrians took to the streets in a new weekly episode of protests titled “death rather than humiliation” as the European Union approved Friday an embargo on oil imports from Syria as part of sweeping new economic sanctions against the Syrian leadership.

Syria’s state TV said armed groups attacked Friday a law- enforcement checkpoint in the town of Talbiseh near central Homs province, injuring a number of its members. It said around 50 people in al-Hasan mosque in al-Midan neighborhood in the capital of Damascus, tried to ignite protests but dispersed quickly because their attempt wasn’t heeded by the worshipers.

The private Sham FM radio station said limited gatherings were seen in the northern province of Idlib and dispersed peacefully.

Meanwhile, the Doha-based al-Jazeera TV, airing live footage of what it claimed as large protests in several Syrian cities calling for the downfall of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, citing activists as saying six people were killed in several areas, including eastern Deir al-Zour province, the Damascus suburb of Arbeen and Hammorieh.

The video picturing large crowds chanting a rhyming phrase ” death rather than humiliation.”

The contents of al-Jazeera videos or the activists’ accounts couldn’t be verified as journalists are banned from heading to the restive areas.

Syria accuses al-Jazeera and other media of ignoring the facts on the ground as well as incitement and fabricating events in their coverage of the protests.

September 2nd, 2011, 10:54 am

EHSANI2 said:

MINA,

Gulf Monarchs are friendly with the U.S. Both parties benefit from this arrangement. This is neither charity nor love from first sight.

Countries that take it upon themselves to take on the U.S. and oppose her interests and hegemony are certainly free to do so. Those that do so will have to live with the consequences. It’s a risk-reward calculation that countries make. The Gulf monarchs made their choice long ago and stuck with it.

Since the union with Egypt and then the Baath takeover, Syria decided that it was not in her national interests to align herself with the U.S. Again, it’s a risk-reward calculation that the country’s leadership has made and stuck to for nearly 5 decades. Syrians have been programmed to carry on this distrust of the U.S. It is part of the national psyche.

September 2nd, 2011, 11:00 am

Syrians of all faiths meet to express fear of sectarian violence
Agence France-Presse
Sep 1, 2011
http://www.thenational.ae/news/worldwide/middle-east/syrians-of-all-faiths-meet-to-express-fear-of-sectarian-violence
DAMASCUS // A group of Syrians from different faiths and different political leanings have met every Sunday since anti-regime protests erupted in March to exorcise the fear that haunts them all.

“The paradox is, everyone is scared in Syria,” says Rafa Nashed, a psychoanalyst and one of the organisers of the gatherings at a Jesuit home in the centre of Damascus.

“Why does the regime use violence and repression? Because it is scared of losing power. And the people who protest, do you think they are not scared? They are very scared, but they are still going.”

The meetings always begin the same way: six of the 50 participants sit in the middle of a room to start off the debate.

This week, the topic would be religious fear.

“After the attack against the Rifai mosque, I began to fear for me and my children,” says Fadi, who shifts uncomfortably in his chair, referring to when club-wielding security forces attacked a group of people leaving prayers at the Sunni mosque in west Damascus on August 27, according to a rights group.

One demonstrator was killed and 10 were wounded, including the imam of the mosque, Osama Al Rifai.

“Me, as an Alawite, I am scared of what might happen. There are many dangerous events that have a sectarian dimension in Syria,” he adds.

“I was also scared that people with strong views would escalate the situation, but luckily that did not happen.”

Syria is a multi-confessional country with a Sunni majority, a substantial Christian minority and Alawite Shiites, who rule the country.

September 2nd, 2011, 11:02 am

Turkey expels Israel ambassador over flotilla raid – 46 mins ago

http://news.yahoo.com/turkey-expels-israel-ambassador-over-flotilla-raid-122327948.html

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey expelled Israel’s ambassador and said Friday it is cutting military ties with the country over its refusal to apologize for last year’s raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla that killed nine people.

Turkey’s move came before the anticipated publication Friday of a U.N. report on violence aboard a Gaza-bound protest flotilla, further straining a relationship that had been a cornerstone of regional stability.

The report, obtained by The New York Times and posted on its website, said Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza is a “legitimate security measure.” But it also said Israel’s use of force against the flotilla was “excessive and unreasonable,” according to the newspaper.

An Israeli official said the report showed Israel’s naval blockade was in keeping with international law. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the report had yet to be officially released. He said Israel expected it to be made public by the U.N. later Friday.

Turkey has made an Israeli apology a condition of improving diplomatic ties. Israeli officials say the report does not demand an Israeli apology, establishing instead that Israel should express regret and pay reparations.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the government was downgrading diplomatic ties with Israel to the level of second secretary and that the ambassador and other high-level diplomats would the country by Wednesday.

He said all military agreements signed between the former allies were also being suspended. In other measures, Davutoglu said Turkey would back flotilla victims families’ court actions against Israel and take steps to ensure “free navigation” in the eastern Mediterranean. He did not elaborate but some analysts suggested Turkey could send navy vessels to escort aid ships in international waters in the future.

“The time has come for Israel to pay for its stance that sees it above international laws and disregards human conscience,” Davutoglu said. “The first and foremost result is that Israel is going to be devoid of Turkey’s friendship.”

“As long as the Israeli government does not take the necessary steps, there will be no turning back,” the minister said.

Asked to comment on the fact that the U.N. report does not recommend an Israeli apology, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said: “To be frank, the report is null and void for us.”

Davutoglu said the report “displayed the violence committed by the Israeli soldiers,” but also criticized it for describing Israel’s naval blockade as a legitimate security measure and in line with international law.

“Turkey does not recognize the Israel’s embargo on Gaza,” Davutoglu said, adding that Turkey would take steps to have the International Court of Justice and the United Nations to look into its legality.

Relations between Turkey and Israel, once close, have soured in recent years as Turkey has tilted away from the West. They deteriorated sharply after the flotilla bloodshed.

The U.N. report says “Turkey and Israel should resume full diplomatic relations, repairing their relationship in the interests of stability in the Middle East and international peace and security,” according to the copy obtained by The New York Times.

Turkey announced the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador and suspension of military cooperation hours before the report was to be published, the most significant downgrading in ties between the two countries since the bloody flotilla attack last year.

The Turkish decision increases Israel’s isolation at a sensitive time.

The collapse of Israel’s relationship with Turkey comes as it faces turmoil in ties with another longtime regional ally, Egypt, where longtime leader Hosni Mubarak was deposed earlier this year and where there have been growing calls to revoke the three-decade-old Egypt-Israel peace agreement.

It also comes as Israel seeks to muster international support against an attempt by the Palestinians to have their state recognized at the U.N. later this month.

Israeli officials would not immediately comment on the Turkish decision.

In Gaza, Hamas applauded the Turkish move.

“This is a natural response to the Israeli crime against the freedom flotilla” and to the continuation of the naval blockade, spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said.

There had been debate in Israel’s government over an apology that would placate Turkey and salvage ties, but the final decision was not to apologize.

A senior Israeli government official who had seen the report told the AP earlier this week that Israel has come to believe that Turkey is intent on worsening ties with Israel in order to bolster its own position in the Arab and Islamic world. While Israel does not rule out quiet talks with Turkey on an expression of regret and reparations to families of the dead activists, the report does not ask for an Israeli apology and there will not be one, he said.

He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Nine pro-Palestinian activists were killed aboard the Turkish-flagged ship Mavi Marmara on May 31, 2010, after passengers resisted a takeover by Israeli naval commandos. The flotilla was en route to Gaza in an attempt to bring international attention to Israel’s blockade of the Palestinian territory. Each side blamed the other, claiming self-defense.

The fatalities included eight Turkish nationals and one Turkish-American activist.

After the violence triggered an international outcry, Israel eased restrictions on goods moving into Gaza overland but left the naval blockade in place.

The activists charge the blockade constitutes collective punishment and is illegal. Israel asserts that it is necessary to prevent weapons from reaching the militants who regularly bombard Israeli towns with rockets from Gaza, which is ruled by the Islamist Hamas.

The U.N. committee established in the aftermath of the incident was made up of two international diplomats — former leaders of New Zealand and Colombia — one representative from Israel and one from Turkey.

Participants in the flotilla, the committee wrote, “acted recklessly in attempting to breach the naval blockade.” Most passengers were peaceful, according to the report, but a small group was prepared for organized resistance. These passengers were “armed with iron bars, staves, chains, and slingshots, and there is some indication that they also used knives.”

After soldiers rappelled onto the deck from helicopters, according to the report, “three soldiers were captured, mistreated, and placed at risk by those passengers. Several others were wounded.”

“No satisfactory explanation has been provided to the Panel by Israel for any of the nine deaths,” according to the report as quoted by the paper.

The committee noted “forensic evidence showing that most of the deceased were shot multiple times, including in the back, or at close range.”

The senior Israeli government official said those hit in the back were attacking soldiers when they were shot from behind by other soldiers acting to save their comrades.

Mango said:

221. MINA
يحب يتعلى حتى و لو كان على خازوق !!!

September 2nd, 2011, 11:36 am

Ambassador Ford is praised by the French media for his support to the Syrian revolution.

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/chroniqueurs/agnes-gruda/201109/02/01-4430931-les-bouchers-de-damas.php

September 2nd, 2011, 11:37 am

There is more… to Beaware’s article in post 224 that I like to highlight which I believe is the most importanr part of the story. Here it is:

“Alaa, also Christian, recounts his own experience as the room listens patiently.

“I was prejudiced through my education against Muslims, because my family had always said that we should not receive them at home,” he tells the group.

“I used to support the regime, but after all these deaths, I have gone to protest.”

The 20-something continues, speaking quickly, that he took to the streets in Duma, a suburb of Damascus, “and these men, who have been presented as scum, they helped me hide from the security forces. I was afraid to fall into their hands”.

Tara’s opinion: The destiny of Assad’ s reign of terror has been sealed. It my take time but nothing can be done to resurrect it from death. Minorities need to cure themselves from “minorities”s complex disorder” and stand by their fellow Syrians to shape the new Syria as secular free society. Minorities should “cut their loss”, and voice support of the revolution so they can actively participate in making the drawing of new Syria.

September 2nd, 2011, 11:39 am

طالب الموت يجده، و طالب الحياة يجدها !
The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, by Dr. Joseph Murphy
http://www.remoteviewinglight.com/html/murphy-subconscious-mind.html

September 2nd, 2011, 11:44 am

Syria’s surge of deaths in detention revealed
by Amnesty International

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/report/syria%E2%80%99s-surge-deaths-detention-revealed-2011-08-30

@228

” Minorities need to cure themselves from “minorities”s complex disorder” and stand by their fellow Syrians to shape the new Syria as secular free society. Minorities should “cut their loss”, and voice support of the revolution so they can actively participate in making the drawing of new Syria”

Fully agree. Most of the Syrian political opposition have no sectarian sensitivity, although a small percentage still have. Among the population, the situation is a little bit different. While the young people are easy to handle regarding overcoming the sectarian sensitivity. The older ones are much harder, but we will work on that. It is part of our plan to promote the social cohesiveness in Syria.

September 2nd, 2011, 11:55 am

” 179. True said:

I think you got the date wrong. Is it true that Israel supported Amal in the War of the Camps? Do you have any source for the fatwa? Are there any books which talk about the Palestinian-Amal conflict?

September 2nd, 2011, 12:07 pm

No, Abu Umar, I don’t think Israel supported Amal in the War of the Camps. But Israel sure wasn’t going to cry salt tears for the Palestinians, either, I’m sure Israel was pretty happy to see ‘Arafat’s back.

In the War of the Camps, only 2 groups stood with the Palestinains – Al-Murabitoun which was a secular Nasserist organization of Beirut Sunnis; and strangely enough, Hezbollah.

September 2nd, 2011, 3:37 pm

Norman and Haytham
Kilo is a politician, he is the type of person whose skills will be essential during the rebuilding of Syria. At this point in time, with a conference being planned in Damascus for the opposition, Kilo and his colleagues must claim some relevance to the street, which is rather evident in his interview. However, even when he advocates dialog he is not talking about a power sharing with the regime, but rather a dialog leading to complete abdication of the Assads, but with with the least possible blood being shed and with preempting chances for military interference from any side.

Today was a bloody day. Protests have spread further, more deaths (22+) and many many wounded. Bashar continues to follow his plotted path to a miserable, well deserved end.

September 2nd, 2011, 4:16 pm

MNA said:

I find your contribution to this form to be very valuable!
Please continue to post.

September 2nd, 2011, 7:20 pm