Advice-Giving ... Thank You
The U.S. State department, speaking of the new Obama administration's mood and priorities, through spokesman Robert Wood, insists that Israel and Syria must 'resolve their differences'. What 'differences'? Israel has no objection to the existence of Syria, has no plans to train, fund and encourage for example, disgruntled Lebanese patriots to launch a guerrilla war against Syria.Nor has Israel ever thought it would be interesting to launch its own surprise attack on Syria, without provocation.
On the other hand, Syria, allied with others of its neighbours planned to execute a defining assault on Israel for the purpose of removing that despised irritant from the neighbourhood. The Golan Heights, while in Syria's possession, was used as a launching area for fusillades of gunfire against Israel, along with bombing the areas within Israel so nicely located within easy target distance.
Informing Israel fully of the contempt in which its presence was held.
Syria has never stopped fuming at the ingratitude of Israel for the entertainment value its assaults provided the Jewish State, evidenced by its taking possession of the Golan Heights to prevent further such assaults. And has vowed that there is no potential for peace between the two countries as long as Israel continues to retain control of that coveted parcel of land; the heights and the fertile valleys below.
If there never was any prospect for mutual peace to begin with, how might it be enhanced with the return of the Golan Heights to enable Syria to once again launch missiles at Israel? Who will ensure that Syria keeps the peace? Why would Israel have even a modicum of trust in a country allied with another country that avidly seeks Israel's destruction and makes no secret of it?
Syria's undeniable role in training and funding a proxy army in Lebanon intent on destroying Israel another case in point. Syria makes no secret of its violent and vicious antipathy toward Israel, handily bringing up its concerns about the oppressed Palestinians, threatened by those dastardly, bloody-hungry Jews with genocide.
"[Arabs] ...should not be turned into victims of a Holocaust which they did not commit. It should not serve as a pretext for the Israelis to commit a Holocaust in Palestine, Gaza, or Lebanon." Once more, the embattled sole non-Arab Middle East state turned into the oppressor.
"A large proportion of public opinion in the Arab world supports the words of the Iranian president", Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem claimed with obvious satisfaction, as he praised Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's outpouring of anti-Semitic venom at Durban II. It is Israel described as "the most cruel and repressive racist regime" ... Israel a "totally racist government". Labelled so by racist governments.
Experience and hard-headed intelligence leads Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman to declare that he would impose no pre-conditions on talks between Israel and Syria, while yet acknowledging rejection of Syria's precondition that Israel retreat from the Golan Heights. Syria's demand, he points out, is an ultimatum.
More, he's having difficulty recognizing Syria's legitimacy as an authentic partner-for-peace, in recognition of its active support for terrorism, and Iran's nuclear weapons program. He might have added Syria's own flirtation with nuclear development, thanks to North Korea, but which Israel speedily dispatched; another irritant between the countries.
Of course it isn't just the United States leaning on Israel with its concerned advice, but markedly so the European Union as well, with which Israel would like to form a political-economic bond. The EU prefers to keep Israel at arms-length, basing the level and depth of its warmth and welcome on the progress of the peace process.
For the time being, Israel can have confidence in the current revolving EU presidency, held by Czech Prime Minister Mirel Topolanek who plans to oppose a movement within the EU to suspend warmer relations with Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced his judgement that Israel's relationship with the European Union should not be dependent on Israel's relations with the Palestinian Authority.
"Don't set conditions for us. Peace is in Israel's interest no less than it is in Europe's interest, and there's no need to make the upgrade in relations with Israel conditional on progress on the peace process." And it appears that Mr. Topolanek agrees, emphasizing his own personal opinion that the European Union "underestimates the Iranian threat".
Having, obviously, no real appreciation of the stresses Israel suffers, with assaults, rhetorical and physical, implied and real from sources such as Syria and Iran.
Terror groups, extensions by proxy of both countries operate with impunity in Lebanon and in Gaza. The advice that is so thoughtfully rendered from sources with no real and immediate stake; risk of their very existence gives due pause to diplomatic thanks, and filing in that bottomless drawer of 'some-time-soon'.
Labels: European Union, Israel, United States
posted by Pieface @ Sunday, April 26, 2009
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