While welcoming the ouster of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad one needs to be extremely cautious of the Western design because in 1916 many Arabs celebrated the rebellion of the Sharif of Makkah, Husain bin Ali, against the Ottoman Empire. The argument put forward then was almost the same as now against the outgoing despot of Syria.
The Arabs then got so blinded against the Turks that they got trapped in the well-laid and meticulously executed plan of the British. Lawrence of Arabia, an Arabic-speaking British spy, played a pivotal role in fomenting and leading the rebellion. The Arab population from Hejaz to Syria and Palestine supported the invading British and French armies in their occupation of the entire region. Some of the Arabs—not all–woke up when on November 2, 1917, the Balfour Declaration called for the creation of a Jewish state, which ultimately became a reality on May 14, 1948.
The Turk soldiers were either killed or handed over to the Allied army, who in the initial phase of World War I (1914-18) suffered defeat on several fronts in Europe. The Arabs had their point of view as
they were no longer prepared to accept the subjugation of non-Arab Ottomans. Like now once again the very timing of this revolt was intriguing as it took place just after the humiliating rout of the British-
led the Allied army at the hands of Turks in Gallipoli in late 1915. That was the turning point of history.
Ever since then the Palestinians and many other Arabs have been paying the price of this act of Husain bin Ali.
Zionists are more powerful now
Rubbishing away this comparison with the latest development which took place 108 years ago would amount to the over-simplification of history. There is reason to celebrate the downfall of 54 years (just half of 108) of Assads. But one needs to be more cautious as the Zionists have got well entrenched not only in Israel but in almost the entire Arabian Peninsula, where the rulers were more busy in musical concerts while grisly massacres of children, women, and men were going on in Gaza and later in Lebanon.
While Bashar was bailed out by Russia as a compromise with other players, it is the people of Syria who may have to face more difficult times in the days ahead. Israel with the open backing of the lame-duck Biden administration virtually decimated the entire Syrian army, air force, and navy. The Zionist forces are in the vicinity of Damascus, but the Western media is underplaying the havoc they have wreaked. At the
same time, one can not overlook the fact that hundreds of people have lost their lives since December 8 in a fierce battle going on in north Syria between the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army and US-supported Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish outfit. All this is happening in the name of bringing in democracy and freedom, ironically exported by tyrants of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar.
Now, it is a fact that no Syrian government would be independent of Israel and the United States. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was recently flexing muscle, would be compelled to dance to the tune of the United States or face destabilization.
The West may now go all out against Houthis (actually Ansarallah) in Yemen and regime change in Iran.
Criticism of cease-fire
Ironically, this sudden development had taken place within days of the Jewish Power Party, a prominent coalition partner in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government strongly criticizing the cease-fire. Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir voted against it and said it was not a victory for Israel. His cabinet colleague of the same Jewish Power Party Amihai Eliyhu (Heritage Minister) said that the cease-fire was agreed upon by Benjamin Netanyahu “under duress” following the country’s failure to defeat Hezbollah.
According to the Times of Israel, a survey done in Israel immediately after the fighting ended on the Lebanese front 19 percent of Israelis believe that Hezbollah had won the war while only 20 percent feel that Israel had won 50 percent are of the view that there was no clear victor. Eleven percent did not respond.
Besides, only 20 percent of voters of the ruling Likud Party-led coalition approved the cease-fire. Netanyahu conceded that his army badly needed a breather and attributed the delay in the supply of weapons and ammunition as another reason. He also said that the most important reason for accepting the cease-fire is that now he wants to concentrate against Iran.
Many in Israel believed that this temporary cease-fire would not work as soon after the 2006 cease-fire Hezbollah once again regrouped on the Lebanon border.
Against this acceptance in Israel of the ground reality, in the Muslim world after December 8 a new narrative is being propagated; that is, Hezbollah got badly defeated in the battle and that is why it
has betrayed Hamas. What is overlooked is that in November 2023 Hamas too went for a temporary cease-fire with Israel and released several hostages in return for its prisoners.
Repeat of history
Thus, after the Arab revolt following the victory of Turkey in Gallipoli in late 1915, it was now the rebels who backstabbed the Palestinian cause after Hamas and Hezbollah gave a bloody nose to Israel.
Never in its history had Israel faced so many threats about its existence than in the 14 months of this longest war fought with two non-state actors. The gravity of the situation can be measured by the fact that Israeli PM Netanyahu’s house was bombed twice within months.
Iran and Hezbollah may have committed strategic mistakes by going too far in support of Assad in the early years of the civil war yet there is no denying the fact that it was they and the Shia militant groups of Yemen and Iraq who came to the help of Sunni Hamas. The problem is that the Western media and TV channels in the Gulf countries are highlighting a one-sided picture.
True, the Bashar al-Assad regime indulged in all sorts of barbarity yet it is also a fact that all the parties involved in the 13-year conflict were equally responsible for the present condition of Syria.
Turks and Kurds
Turks and Kurds are still locked in blood-letting in the northern part of Syria. At the same time, how can one forget the mindless killing and cruelty committed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in both these countries? ISIS fighters not only fought with the Iraqi and Syrian regime but with other rebel groups too. It is a fact that initially, ISIS got the full backing of Saudis and Americans, but when
things went out of control in Iraq and Syria the United States rushed its forces into Syria, where it still has a base.
As ISIS was said to be extremist Salafis who initially enjoyed the backing of the US and out and out against Shias, it was natural for Iran and Hezbollah to fight it. Iran had invested heavily in Syria since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, not out of love for Assads as is being falsely propagated by the West and many Sunni public opinion-makers, but to fight the Israelis. It was in doing so that Tehran lost the balance and the message went out that it was supporting the Alawite dictator. The fact is that the Assad family was divided and engaged in fighting, first between President Hafez al Assad and his younger brother and deputy Rifaat and then after 2000 between Rifaat and his nephew, Bashar. The truth must be told loud and clear that many of those who are now in the opposition ranks and have now emerged as the champions of democracy and freedom were earlier with the Bashar regime and were responsible for the war crimes in the past.
Those who have been closely observing the civil war in Syria since 2011 are aware of the fact that the money power of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, etc., and manpower and technology of the West and Turkey played a very significant role in paralyzing Syria. The scorched earth policy adopted by all the parties opposed to Bashar al-Assad was one day bound to have its economic impact. So, the regime collapsed like a house of cards.
No champions of democracy
These oil-rich Gulf dictators are not at all champions of democracy. Who in the world is not aware that Saudi Arabia invaded Yemen for no reason whatsoever? Riyadh and UAE committed much bigger crimes in Yemen and Sudan. In Sudan, the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (earlier known as Jan Jawid) have been locked in a bloodbath since April 15, 2023 (Ramadan). Can anyone explain why and at whose behest Saudis are supporting the Sudanese army while the UAE the RSF? Surely, the death toll due to wars and subsequent famines in these two countries is larger than in Syria.
The need of the hour is not just to highlight the war crimes committed by Assads, but also to expose the sinister design of the Gulf protégés of the United States.
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