And next, Syria?

[PTK]

Netanyahu states that, in view of an increased threat from Syria, there must be more settlers in the Golan Heights. Another name for these people would be "human shields".

 

[zahir]

source

A group of Syrian Jewish friends is on their way to Damascus.

At the onset of the revolution, the Assad regime bombed the Jobar Synagogue in Damascus, one of the oldest Jewish temples in the world.

The Syrians managed to smuggle out and save some of the artifacts and books from the synagogue, which were sent to New York to be kept in the custody of the Syrian Jewish community.

Today, they seek to return these artifacts to their original location and restore the temple.

eta:

Syrian Jews in New York

Jobar Synagogue

 

[tim]

tbh the more the zionists deny palestinians not only self-determination but the right to their existence, to their very lives, the more they undermine any arguments for the existence of their own state

Morally, but the existence of the Israel for the forseeable future is guaranteed by their military power and the overt and covert support of major entities including the USA, France, Russia and the UK.

Given the collapse of Syria, the Turks will also be more interested in collaborating to establish their own zones of influence than in challenging the war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank.

 

[PTK]

Empires and states, even the most violent, can disappear in a very short time indeed leaving virtually no trace of their existence. 400 years of the Dutch East Indies has left what, just a very few loan words in the Indonesian language such as 'Bioskop' for 'Cinema'. Japanese presence in Taiwan and Korea gone without a trace. Both occupied, killed and exploited on a genocidal scale. Nothing suggests that the fate of the entity will be different and 'vaporising' millions as mentioned above certainly won't change that.

Indonesia is a product of Dutch imperialism The people who live there would not consider themselves to be part of one nation were it not for Dutch colonialism.

Malaysia is a creation of British imperialism.

Most of the states in Africa are products of imperialism, and all of the states of North and South America, including the island states of the Caribbean Sea, are products of imperialism.

 

[Spymaster]

Empires and states, even the most violent, can disappear in a very short time indeed leaving virtually no trace of their existence.

Not nuclear armed ones supported by the US.

 

[PTK]

The states of Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan are also the products of imperialism.

 

[ID47]

Indonesia is a product of Dutch imperialism The people who live there would not consider themselves to be part of one nation were it not for Dutch colonialism.

Malaysia is a creation of British imperialism.

Most of the states in Africa are products of imperialism, and all of the states of North and South America, including the island states of the Caribbean Sea, are products of imperialism.

So what, the UK itself is a product of English imperialism and we both know how Scottish, Irish and Welsh people feel about that.

Your point is discriminatory.

 

[maomao]

Not nuclear armed ones supported by the US.

Hubris.

 

[tim]

The states of Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan are also the products of imperialism.

And Iraq and the Gulf entities and all were created with ethnoreligious divisions that were exploited by the French and British mandate powers to ensure the continuity of colonial domination.

 

[PTK]

So what, the UK itself is a product of English imperialism and we both know how Scottish, Irish and Welsh people feel about that.

Your point is discriminatory.

Troll off.

 

[Spymaster]

Hubris.

Verity.

 

[Larry O'Hara]

I am highly critical of Israel, but I agree such language about Israel needing to go is unhelpful.

Even if you mean something more like transforming Israel into something different, a feeling of being besieged is definitely part of why Israel acts how it does.

If people mean an end to apartheid and a one state solution, or a two state solution, then they should say so instead of using language that makes Israelis think they will be driven violently out of the land.

Israel is a live settler colonial project in Gaza and West Bank. The rest of the place is already settled, we might not like how it was done but we can't and shouldn't really change it now anymore than we can undo what happened to the Australian aborigines.

At the risk of sounding like a woolly hippy, reconciliation is the only desirable way forward. The cards are all in Israeli hands, that's true, but the only hope for them doing anything is for them to be persuaded that reconciliation is possible, and giving them the impression that sympathy for Palestine is cloaking a desire to destroy Israel driven by anti-semitism makes that much harder.

I can just see it: bedraggled starving shell-shocked Palestinians joining hands with IDF troops to sing Kumbayah in the smouldering ruins of a former hospital/school…before the singing stops the IDF vanish and then all survivors are obliterated from the skies, as having been (unbeknown to them) key Hamas terrorist leaders: especially the children. Truly inspirational: reconciliation through genocide…

 

[maomao]

Verity.

Well the idea that they won't collapse because they are supported by the US or have nukes is a silly and dangerous one. The US is as close to collapse as it's ever been and the Iranians are pretty close to having their own nukes. It just means that it will end with a bang not a whimper.

 

[PTK]

I am highly critical of Israel, but I agree such language about Israel needing to go is unhelpful.

Even if you mean something more like transforming Israel into something different, a feeling of being besieged is definitely part of why Israel acts how it does.

If people mean an end to apartheid and a one state solution, or a two state solution, then they should say so instead of using language that makes Israelis think they will be driven violently out of the land.

Israel is a live settler colonial project in Gaza and West Bank. The rest of the place is already settled, we might not like how it was done but we can't and shouldn't really change it now anymore than we can undo what happened to the Australian aborigines.

At the risk of sounding like a woolly hippy, reconciliation is the only desirable way forward. The cards are all in Israeli hands, that's true, but the only hope for them doing anything is for them to be persuaded that reconciliation is possible, and giving them the impression that sympathy for Palestine is cloaking a desire to destroy Israel driven by anti-semitism makes that much harder.

So, what is the difference between the settlers on the West Bank, who have settled there since 1967, and the settlers on land within the State of Israel from which Palestinian Arabs were expelled in 1948?

 

[zahir]

Damascus Jewish community unharmed despite rebel overthrow, Syrian Jew tells KAN

The source said they were optimistic that the new government might move towards peace with Israel.

www.jpost.com

The Jewish community was not targeted during the overthrow of the Assad regime by rebel groups last week, a member of Damascus's tiny Jewish community told KAN news on Saturday.

The source told KAN that on the first day following the takeover, there was significant upheaval in the city, including the theft of cars and houses. However, despite this, there was no harm to the Jewish community, the source said.

"I am here in Damascus and no one entered the Jewish properties and synagogues," the source said.

According to the same individual, Damascus's Jews are not afraid of the new government despite their Islamist orientation.

"In recent days, I was walking down the street and one of the rebels said hello to me. Everything is business as usual. In fact, it might be better than it was before," the individual said.

The source, however, expressed no antipathy towards the Assad regime, telling KAN that they were "satisfied during both."

The source said they were optimistic that the new government might move towards peace with Israel.

EXCLUSIVE: Syrian sefer Torah to be returned to synagogue - Jewish News

High-level delegation of Syrian Jewish leaders and chief rabbi to visit Damascus after fall of Assad

www.jewishnews.co.uk

A delegation of Syrian Jewish business leaders and the Chief Rabbi of Syria are due to visit the country early next year, in a historic tour after the fall of Basha al-Assad.

Moti Kahana, the American-Israeli philanthropist and humanitarian activist, told Jewish News that the group would be bringing with them a number of sifrei Torah, which he rescued from synagogues after the start of Syria’s brutal civil war, which began in 2011.

In 2013, Kahana, who has maintained long and close contact with the Syrian opposition who have now overthrown Assad, went to the Jobar Synagogue in Damascus, and took out various artefacts, including an ancient Torah scroll, promising to hold them in safe-keeping. He left a note with his name on it inside the synagogue, dated December 2013.

He told the then rebels: “As soon as we win the revolution, everything goes back to Syria”. He promised the opposition that nothing would go to Israel, but would be held temporarily by the Syrian Jewish community in America. He also promised that as soon as he could, he would restore the Judaica to the Syrian synagogues.

The Jobar synagogue, one of the oldest in Syria, was widely — and wrongly — said to have been destroyed during the civil war, collateral damage between the Syrian army and the rebel groups.

In fact, it seems that contrary to many reports, the Jobar Synagogue was not destroyed and, indeed, was being protected by Syrian opposition forces, who were aware of the importance of the synagogue and who were in contact with Kahana — sending messages and photographs of the interior of the building.

Now, says Kahana, the plan is to visit Damascus, to return the Jobar’s sefer Torah and to re-open the synagogue, “putting its mezuzah back” and looking at what needs to be done to bring it back to life.

He is confident, he says, “that many Syrian Jews will want to return to the country”, so that even though there is only a handful of Jews still in Syria, it is important to restore synagogues for those who are going back.

Kahana said the delegation planned to visit around five synagogues in and around Damascus. The business leaders on his delegation will be looking at potential investment in the country, something he believes will be welcomed by the new government.

Kahana wrote on social media: “My name is inside the Jobar synagogue. I am coming back, old friends”.

Syria was once home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world, with a population of around 100,000 at the turn of the 20th century, with communities in Damascus, Aleppo, and other major cities. Thousands left for Israel in 1948 after anti-Jewish riots, and the numbers are now said to have shrunk to below nine people.

 

[zahir]

Someone posts about Israel needing to be “dismembered” is going to get a response.

Yes, but you could start a separate thread for it.

 

[Spymaster]

Well the idea that they won't collapse because they are supported by the US or have nukes is a silly and dangerous one. The US is as close to collapse as it's ever been and the Iranians are pretty close to having their own nukes. It just means that it will end with a bang not a whimper.

Which is precisely my point.

 

[Spymaster]

Yes, but you could start a separate thread for it.

No, that's ok thanks.

I'll call out anti semitism right where it happens.

 

[tim]

So, what is the difference between the settlers on the West Bank, who have settled there since 1967, and the settlers on land within the State of Israel from which Palestinian Arabs were expelled in 1948?

Many of the settlers in 1948 emigrated to escape persecution in Europe which culminated in those who stayed being gassed, being shot and pushed into mass graves or being used as human guinea pigs to advance Aryan scientific knowledge. Do you think they should have stayed in their shetls and accepted their fate with good grace?

 

[Larry O'Hara]

No, that's ok thanks.

I'll call out anti semitism right where it happens.

Dismembering Israel is not antisemitic: I also favour dismembering the UK and EU too if that helps?

 

[zahir]

SDF have blown up a bridge over the Euphrates near Deir Ezzor.

source

E. Syria: video showing the part of the bridge detonated yesterday by SDF in an attempt to isolate both sides of Euphrates. This bridge previously linked the city of DeirEzzor with the Khasham pocket (formerly under Assad/IRGC control).

 

[Spymaster]

Dismembering Israel is not antisemitic: I also favour dismembering the UK and EU too if that helps?

Oh, ok.

Explain how you would like to see Israel dismembered, that wouldn't result in the destruction of its people.

There are also people liking your posts (no names mentioned) who've been far less coy about their ill will toward the Israeli population in the past. .

 

[krtek a houby]

Where are the dispossessed of Gaza supposed to go?

 

[Spymaster]

Where are the dispossessed of Gaza supposed to go?

Please don't respond to my posts.

It is against the rules of mutual ignore, as you well know, and you are a revolting anti semitic bigot who I've no wish to further engage with.

 

[teqniq]

Well this guy looks to be a regular complete scumbag. Using a UK tax haven as well, quelle surprise:

Assad uncle used Guernsey adviser to secretly manage vast wealth

Rifaat al-Assad, the ‘Butcher of Hama’, identified as client of consultant who received ban and fine this year

www.theguardian.com

 

[zahir]

Translation: DAANES Initiative For Intra-Syrian Dialogue – Rojava Information Center

rojavainformationcenter.org

On December 16th, the DAANES announced an initiative for intra-Syrian dialogue and expressed readiness for cooperation with the transitional government in Damascus.

RIC’s full translation of the 10-point proposal:

With the fall of the tyrannical Baathist regime, Syria has entered a new phase. In order to successfully navigate this transitional period, we must join hands, unite, and draw a shared roadmap. The policy of exclusion and marginalization that destroyed Syria must end, and all political actors must participate in building the new Syria, including in its transitional period. We call on all Syrian parties to reconsider their approaches to each other and put common national interests above all else.

Based on this principle, we believe that cooperation between the Democratic Autonomous Administration and the political administration in Damascus will be in the favour of all Syrians and will contribute to facilitating a successful end to this difficult phase.

We in the Democratic Autonomous Administration of the North and East Syria Region are committed to our responsibility towards the Syrian people with all their diversity. For fulfilling the duties towards our people we propose this initiative for intra-Syrian dialogue to build a new Syria.

In the Democratic Autonomous Administration, we value the positive role of the Arab countries and friends who support all the peoples of Syria. This support should continue so that the rights of all peoples are guaranteed on a democratic basis in order to find a suitable foundation for starting comprehensive national Syrian dialogue within which everyone participates.

On this basis, we call on all Syrian forces to work together to achieve these steps, which we consider crucial at this phase, which are as follows:

1. Preserving the unity and sovereignty of Syrian territory and protecting it from attacks launched by the Turkish state and its mercenaries.

2. Ceasing military operations in all Syrian territories to start a comprehensive and constructive national dialogue.

3. Adopting an attitude of tolerance and refraining from hate speech among Syrians. Syria has a wealth of peoples and this richness and diversity must be preserved on a fair and democratic basis.

4. Holding an emergency meeting of all Syrian political actors in Damascus to unify visions on the transitional phase.

5. Active participation of women in the political process.

6. Fairly distributing wealth and economic resources among all Syrian regions, given that they belong to all Syrian people.

7. Guaranteeing the return of locals and forcibly displaced populations to their areas of origin. Protecting their cultural heritage and stopping politics of demographic change.

8. In light of the developments that have taken place in Syria, we reaffirm that we will continue to fight terrorism to ensure that the terrorist organization ISIS does not re-emerge. This is through cooperation between the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Global Coalition.

9. Bringing an end to the state of occupation, leaving the decision to the Syrian people to determine their future, and applying the principle of good neighbourliness.

10. We welcome the constructive role of the Arab countries, the United Nations, the forces of the Global Coalition, and all active international forces in Syria. We urge them all to play a positive and effective role in providing advice and support to the Syrian people, bringing together diverse views. This role should be to ensure stability and security, preventing external interventions in the Syrian matter.

Democratic Autonomous Administration of the North and East Syria Region.

16.12.2024

 

[Spymaster]

Well this guy look to be a regular complete scumbag. Using a UK tax haven as well, quelle surprise:

Assad uncle used Guernsey adviser to secretly manage vast wealth

Rifaat al-Assad, the ‘Butcher of Hama’, identified as client of consultant who received ban and fine this year

www.theguardian.com

Guernsey is not in the UK.

 

[tim]

Guernsey is not in the UK.

It's a semi -autonomous British territory. Ultimately, it is controlled by the UK but has enough autonomy to indulge in deniable dodgy shittery.

 

[zahir]

Joseph Daher on the economic problems facing the new government

Resuscitating Syria’s economy is crucial but will not be easy

Regime change brings an opportunity to raise living standards, which have collapsed along with the national currency and years of war. The transition of power will be key.

en.majalla.com

 

[Spymaster]

It's a semi -autonomous British territory. Ultimately, it is controlled by the UK but has enough autonomy to indulge in deniable dodgy shittery.

I repeat. Guernsey is not in the UK. It is a British Crown dependency. If it was part of the UK, it wouldn't be a tax haven.