The graveyard of US credibility
As President Obama's dear friend Reverend Jeremiah Wright might say, the chickens have come home to roost. Or at least one of them has. That chicken is the
feckless policy that Obama has pursued (or more correctly not pursued) in Syria for the last four years. This is the Washington Post's Michael Gerson with a scathing indictment of Obama's inaction.
At many points during the past four years, even relatively small
actions might have reduced the pace of civilian casualties in Syria. How
hard would it have been to destroy the helicopters dropping barrel
bombs on neighborhoods? A number of options well short of major
intervention might have reduced the regime’s destructive power and/or
strengthened the capabilities of more responsible forces. All were
untaken.
This was not some humanitarian
problem distant from the center of U.S. interests. It was a crisis at
the heart of the Middle East that produced a vacuum of sovereignty that
has attracted and empowered some of the worst people in the world.
Inaction was a conscious, determined choice on the part of the Obama
White House. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Leon
Panetta and CIA Director David Petraeus advocated arming favorable
proxies. Sunni friends and allies in the region asked, then begged, for
U.S. leadership. All were overruled or ignored.
In
the process, Syria has become the graveyard of U.S. credibility. The
chemical weapons “red line.” “The tide of war is receding.” “Don’t do
stupid [stuff].” These are global punch lines. “The analogy we use
around here sometimes,” said Obama of the Islamic State, “and I think is
accurate, is if a JV team puts on Lakers uniforms,
that doesn’t make them Kobe Bryant.” Now the goal to “degrade and
destroy” the Islamic State looks unachievable with the current strategy
and resources. “The time has come for President Assad to step aside,” said Obama in 2011. Yet Assad will likely outlast Obama in power.
What
explains Obama’s high tolerance for humiliation and mass atrocities in
Syria? The Syrian regime is Iran’s proxy, propped up by billions of
dollars each year. And Obama wanted nothing to interfere with the
prospects for a nuclear deal with Iran. He was, as Hof has said, “reluctant to offend
the Iranians at this critical juncture.” So the effective concession of
Syria as an Iranian zone of influence is just one more cost of the
president’s legacy nuclear agreement.
Never mind that Iran will
now have tens of billions of unfrozen assets to strengthen Assad’s
struggling military. And never mind that Assad’s atrocities are one of
the main recruiting tools for the Islamic State and other Sunni
radicals. All of which is likely to extend a war that no one can win,
which has incubated regional and global threats — and thrown a small
body in a red T-shirt against a distant shore.
I'm debating which is Obama's bigger obsession: empowering Iran or destroying Israel. Clearly, those have been the only foreign policy goals of this administration. Now, it seems that Obama is close to the first goal. In fact, he may already have 'achieved' it. It would be a crying shame if one of the two Secretaries of State who didn't stand up to those obsessions becomes the next President of the United States.
Read the whole thing.
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Bashar al-Assad, Iran Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Iran sanctions regime, Iranian nuclear threat, ISIS, Islamic State, real humanitarians, Syrian refugees, Syrian uprising
A selfless act of kindness
Anyone ever recall seeing a picture like this from anyplace else in the Middle East? I didn't think so.
Labels: IDF, real humanitarians
UN taking steps to preserve Assad regime
The United Nations has decided that one of the duties of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) on the Syrian-Israeli border is to
keep the Assad regime informed of Israeli humanitarian activities on the Golan Heights.
According to a report from December 3, 2013, a person wounded on
September 15 “was taken by armed members of the opposition across the
ceasefire line, where he was transferred to a civilian ambulance
escorted by an IDF vehicle." Moreover, from November 9 to 19 the “UNDOF
observed at least 10 wounded persons being transferred by armed members
of the opposition from the Bravo side across the ceasefire line to IDF."
Further reports indicated similar incidents. However, cooperation
between the IDF and Syrian rebels that was revealed in UN observer
reports does not just include transferring the wounded. Observers
remarked in the report distributed on June 10 that they identified IDF
soldiers on the Israeli side handing over two boxes to armed Syrian
opposition members on the Syrian side.
The last report distributed to Security Council members, on December 1,
described another meeting between IDF soldiers and Syrian opposition
members that two UN representatives witnessed on October 27 some three
kilometers east of Moshav Yonatan. The observers said they saw two IDF
soldiers on the eastern side of the border fence opening the gate and
letting two people enter Israel. The report, contrary to previous ones,
did not note that the two exiting Syria were injured or why they entered
Israel.
This specific event is of particular interest in light of what happened
on the Syrian side of the border in the exact same region. According to
the report, UN observers stated that tents were set up about 300 meters
from the Israeli position for some 70 families of Syrian deserters. The
Syrian army sent a letter of complaint to UNDOF in September, claiming
this tent camp was a base for “armed terrorists” crossing the border
into Israel. The Syrians also warned that if the UN would not evacuate
the tent camp, the Syrian army would view it as a legitimate target.
If Haaretz's Barak Ravid knows about these reports, so does Bashar al-Assad (and he probably has known for a long time). What could go wrong?
Labels: Golan Heights, humanitarian aid, IDF, real humanitarians, Syrian uprising, UNDOF, United Nations Security Council
This is what Turkey calls 'humanitarian aid'
Israel's Channel 2 reports that Israeli customs officials in the port of Ashdod have discovered that a Turkish shipment of 'humanitarian aid' to Gaza contained
hundreds of cement mixers (used to make terror tunnels) and ball bearings (used to spread destruction in rockets and suicide bombs).
The timing of those specific items of "humanitarian aid" is
particularly suspicious; Gaza's civilian population are hardly appealing
for fresh supplies of ball-bearings, and rebuilding targets struck by
the Israeli Air Force while it is still operating over Gaza's skies
seems a rather unfruitful endeavor.
The suspicious cargo had been handed over to security services for
inspection. Authorities are currently withholding the problematic cargo,
fearing it could be easily used by Hamas authorities to help replenish
dwindling rocket supplies and rebuild the network of "terror tunnels"
which has largely been destroyed by Israeli forces.
For their part, the owners of the seized container claim that
the mixers were not specifically meant for making cement, but for
other, unspecified, uses. They added that the ball-bearings were meant
for use in the mixers.
This isn't the first time the Turks have done this sort of thing.
Last December the Turkish foreign ministry admitted its government had given 47 tons of arms to Islamist rebels in Syria, even as it attempted to pass them off as "non-lethal" cargo.
Amusingly, the weaponry in question had been filed as "guns without military uses" - despite being shipped into a country gripped by a bloody civil war.
Hmmm.
Waiting for Erdogan to start whining in 4... 3... 2... 1...
Labels: Ashdod port, Gaza, Hamas, Hamas rockets, humanitarian aid, real humanitarians, terror tunnels, Turkey, Turkish obsession with Israel
Hamas asks for 'humanitarian' cease fire after Sheijaya 'massacre,' IDF reportedly rejects request - UPDATED
After what Hamas claims is a '
massacre' in Sheijaya, east of Gaza City, the terror organization has asked for a 'cease fire.' But the latest report indicates that the IDF has
rejected the request, because Hamas continued to shoot during a humanitarian 'cease fire' last week.
Over 30 IDF soldiers have reportedly been injured in Sheijaya, Walla! News reports Sunday, after the IDF carried out heavy shelling in the city east of Gaza City.
The strike reportedly involved huge forces in tanks and artillery.
...
Palestinian Arab networks claim that "dozens" have been killed
in the shelling, which extended from Saturday night to Sunday morning.
Among the dead are the family members of senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Haya, according to multiple sources, after their house was shelled in Gaza City itself.
According to Yediot Aharonot, Hamas has reportedly
submitted a request for another "humanitarian ceasefire" after the
shelling, handing the request through the International Red Crescent.
Reports from respectable sources have begun to surface as of
roughly 12:15 pm IST that Israel has rejected this request, however -
likely after Hamas continued to attack Israel during last week's attempt at such a move.
Exact information on Israel's response remains unconfirmed, however.
Hmmm.
UPDATE 1:09 PM
Al-Jazeera English just reported that the IDF said that there will be no cease fire before Eid-al-Fitr, which is July 29.
Labels: cease fire, Gaza, Hamas, IDF, Operation Protective Edge, real humanitarians
More Zionist cruelty
Hamas 'Prime Minister' Ismail Haniyeh is suffering once again from a cruel action of the '
Zionist entity.'
The granddaughter of Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh was transferred
on Sunday to Schneider Medical Center in Petah Tikva for treatment,
sources in the Gaza Strip confirmed. She returned to the Gaza Strip
after her condition worsened.
The sources said that the girl,
Amal, was in serious condition after being diagnosed with acute
infection in the digestive system.
Amal is the daughter of
Haniyeh’s oldest son, Abdel Salam, who confirmed on his Facebook account
that his one-year-old daughter had been transferred to Israel.
“Dear brothers, Amal has been transferred inside the Green line,” the father wrote. “I pray to Allah for her recovery.”
He
later posted another message saying that his daughter was expected back
in hospital in the Gaza Strip after undergoing medical check-ups in
Israel.
Here's betting that at some point in the future, Israel will be accused of poisoning this girl.
Labels: Gaza, Hamas, humanitarian aid, Ismail Haniyeh, real humanitarians
IDF sets up field hospital in the Philippines
The IDF has set up a field hospital on the typhoon-ravished island of Cebu in the Philippines. The field hospital will ultimately be capable of
treating 1,500 patients per day.
The IDF
delegation to the Philippines
landed Thursday morning in the island of Cebu, where the delegation
intends to form a field hospital that could tend to up to 1,500 patients
a day.
At the same time, the delegation will assist local medical services in resuming normalcy.
Head of the delegation,
Colonel Ramtin Sefati, said that "Local authorities have asked us to
assist with restoring the function of local schools since they, as many
facilities, were left without electricity or running water."
The UN reported Thursday the typhoon
that ravaged the Philippines has killed 4,460 people. The world body
said it received confirmation on the death toll from a government
agency.
...
The UN added that some 920,000 people were displaced by the storm and a total of 11.8 million people have been affected.
Rescue personnel with Israeli delegations said that work was conducted under challenging conditions, lacking security, food, supplies and communication. Within the next 24 hours an additional medical team is scheduled to leave Israel for the Philippines.
Just wondering... is anyone else there?
Labels: humanitarian aid, IDF, Philippines, real humanitarians
There is a humanitarian aid convoy to Daraa, but of course the Turks have nothing to do with it
There was supposed to be a humanitarian aid convoy leaving for Daraa from the Jordanian border crossing (Daraa is the
first town inside Syria) at 8:00 Monday morning. As of this writing, I have seen nothing about the
convoy's progress (Hat Tip:
Dvora W).
A convoy of humanitarian aid to Daraa, Syria will leave from the border with Jordan at 0800 local time on Monday 2nd May 2011. The residents there have been without electricity or communications since Monday 25 April, and are under bombardment from their own military forces, targeted by snipers and homes raided by police and state security.
The convoy has a FaceBook event here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=158742474188169
Sign the petition to support it here: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/roadflotilla/
You can watch a video about the convoy
here.
But no Turks and no 'humanitarians' from the IHH. Why am I not surprised?
Labels: Daraa, humanitarian aid, Jordan, real humanitarians, Syrian uprising
Irony alert: Red Cross founder was a Christian Zionist
It took from 1949 to 2006 for Israel's Magen David Adom to be
admitted to the International Red Cross, and then it was only admitted on condition that the red star of David be put in a crystal as is shown at the top of this post. Ironically, it turns out, that the founder of the International Red Cross, Henri Dunant, was a
Christian Zionist (for those without access to the Wall Street Journal, you can also find the full article
here). Would Henri Dunant be welcomed in the Red Cross today? Tomas Sandell, the founder of the European Coalition for Israel (another ECI?) doesn't believe Dunant would be welcomed.
What a paradox that Dunant's Red Cross would later develop cozy relationships with Israel's enemies. The Red Cross has hosted Hamas activists at their base in Jerusalem instead of clearly distancing itself from their murderous policies. Not until 2006 did Israel's Magen David Adom (Red Star of David) enjoy full membership, and that was only after the U.S. threatened to pull out of the world organization. Even now, Israeli rescue teams abroad would still need the host country's permission to wear the Red Star of David.
The Red Cross is thus dangerously close to those non-governmental organizations with little public accountability that wage a "soft war" against Israel. Nowhere is this battle to delegitimize the Jewish state more present than in Geneva, the city where Dunant founded the Red Cross.
At Geneva's United Nations Human Rights Council, Israel is being singled out for criticism by the world's worst human-rights violators, such as Sudan, Iran and Libya. These regimes are applauded and supported not only by dubious NGOs funded by Arab countries, but also by Western NGOs with seemingly impeccable reputations. One of these groups is the World Council of Churches, a bit further up the road from the U.N., which blames Israel alone for the conflict while playing down Palestinian terrorism. The organization founded as a reaction to the silence of the Protestant churches during the Holocaust seems to consider attacking the Jewish state one of its foremost moral obligation.
The story of Henri Dunant's Red Cross is not much different from that of another important humanitarian group—Human Rights Watch. Earlier this year Robert Bernstein criticized the organization he helped found for its biased criticism of Israel, saying HRW had lost "critical perspective" on the Arab-Israeli conflict. The organization spends a disproportional amount of its resources denouncing the Middle East's only true democracy. At the same time it neglects to highlight the human-rights violations and aggression of Israel's enemies, which would more properly correspond with its intended mission of prying open closed societies.
Perhaps the international class of humanitarians should pause for a moment and reflect on how they ever got to this Israel obsession. It's time to return to the values of people like Henri Dunant and Robert Bernstein.
Read the whole thing.
Labels: Henri Dunant, Human Rights Watch, real humanitarians, Red Cross, Robert Bernstein
