(Politics) Syria Gives Palestine the Green Light: Israel under Pressure

The tensions between Israel and Palestine over the past year have continually been heating up as disputes between borders have reached pinnacle marks –such as the controversy with the United Nations. Nevertheless, in recent months, with Syria and their constant threat of the use of dangerous chemical weapons, pressure in the Middle-East has been paramount. Although Syria –which is itself engaged in a civil war between the Assad regime and those loyal to his government vs. the Free Syrian Army and other confederate rebel groups –is a threat in and of itself, Bashar Al Assad has recently given the Palestinians the go ahead offering them his support given rising escalation.

Monday evening, two IDF mortar shells exploded in Israel in the Golan Heights area causing anxiety and much reaction out of the Israeli government. Although the two explosions have been written off as friendly fire spillover from the conflict in Syria, many others object to such a notion. Moreover, the Friday and Saturday previously, Israel sent air strikes over key target locations in order to try to diminish political pressure over Lebanon. Although the Israeli government has been pointed about staying out of Syrian air-space, the Syrian government has stated that it may increase the situation near Damascus, the capital of Syria.

Furthermore, notwithstanding all the aforesaid events, President Assad openly gave the Palestinians and the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) a fair card to retaliate against Israel if new increasing circumstances arise. This is a dangerously bold move by Syria which is already internally imploding. Moreover, such an attack could trigger a chain of events given the fact that new alliances have been formed, and old ones reinstated, concerning North Korea and China. Notwithstanding Russia’s alliance with Syria, a full fledged Palestinian attack against Israel could draw in the United States as well.

For instance, the Kuwaiti newspaper entitled the Al Rai, quoting sources near to President Bashar Al Assad, stated that “[the] Syrian leader had used Russian backchannels to tell the Israelis that Damascus would react if Israel struck Syria again. [The] Syrian leader had used Russian backchannels to tell the Israelis that Damascus would react if Israel struck Syria again.” Such statements intensify the rising escalation of the Israel/Palestinian situation concerning Syria –and even Russia.

Other sources have claimed that since the event, Syrian authorities have deployed missile batteries in Damascus aimed at Israel. Any future Israeli provocation could result in a serious reaction from Damascus and quickly ignite the powder keg that is lying so dormant in the Middle-East currently. Israeli ground troops, moreover, were caught operating in the Golan Heights area as well. Regardless of the future events, it can be stated with certainty that tensions in the Middle-East are high as everyone is expected every other country to cooperate with each others demands. Such a scenario brings back the M.A.D. of the Cold War and instills a sense of looming fear and ominous anxiety throughout citizens in Israel, Syria, and Palestine. One can only hope that such a situation, perchance, can be averted in the near future.

The Carnage Report // http://thecarnagereport.blogspot.com // 2013

Brent McCulley on Twitter // http://twitter.com/brentthewalrus

(Opinion) Palestinian UN statehood bid: Israeli reaction proves that it has no interest in peace

After decades of largely fruitless negotiations with Israel, Palestine decided take a new approach of advancing their cause through the UN and have successfully enhanced their status to a non-member observer state. The Palestinian have realized that the path to peace cannot be reached by negotiating with Israel, who have, for last 60 years, been the world’s leading practitioners of salami tactics from the growth of kibbutz’s in the early twentieth century, to the effective land grabs via the growth of settlements and the use of deadly force.

Palestine has always been at a disadvantage in negotiations due to the fact that Palestine is not a state and for the most part, doesn’t have anything that Israel wants, except land. Add into the mix the U.S. unwavering support of Israel despite this disparity; Palestinians have been trapped in a constant cycle of conflict (which favours the stronger and well-funded Israel) and peace talks that serve as the quintessential demonstrations of bad faith negotiations. Israel have proved time and again that it has no interest in peace or coming up with a logical solution to the conflict with its wickedly disproportionate responses to defeatist rocket attacks by Hamas and its constant expansion into the west bank via settlements.

If there was any need for proof of Israel’s lack of interest in peace or logical solution, we would only have to observe Israel’s reaction to Palestine’s enhanced status. In an act that can only be described as state retribution for the Palestinian Authority abandoning the negotiation table, Israel “seized more than $120m (£75m) in tax revenues it collects on the behalf of the Palestinian authority”[1]. 

While Israel’s finance minister regurgitated the official story that the money was taken to pay down a debt incurred by  the Palestinian authority owed to the Israel electric corporation, It was revealed by a ‘Israeli official’ that “the move was in response to the UN vote”[2]. This is nothing new as Israel have “frozen   the monthly revenues as sanction against the PA, resulting in the late payment of salaries of thousands of public servants in the West Bank and Gaza”[3].

However Israel saved its most pernicious announcement for last as it proposed it will “build 3,000 new homes in settlements across the pre – 1967 Green line” but more importantly, Israel plan to “push ahead with development  of an area known as E1” which will pretty much destroy the two state solution as the project  “ would close off  East Jerusalem – the intended future capital of Palestine”[4] .

Israel  plan to kill the two state solution through further encroachment into the West Bank is counterproductive and  even drew the ‘condemnation’ of its two foremost allies, the US and Britain[5]. 

The chances of their expansion plans bearing are almost certain to go ahead as both Europe and the United States have done nothing to stop similar encroachment into the West Bank.

 A prime example of  US impotence in stopping Israel settlement expansions  is the case of Har Homa when  “Condoleezza rice said in 2007 that Har Homa should not be built. Five years later it is a fact on the ground”[6].  Israel’s most recent slice into the west Bank will effectively kill peace as effectively there literally will be nothing to talk about as the plan favoured by just about everybody is under serious threat .

In sum, while it was a good move by the Palestinian authority to further their cause through the UN, Israel threatens to make their effort obsolete as they plan to effectively “concrete over the solution”[7].   

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[1] H. Sherwood, 2012, Israel seizes $120m in Palestinian tax revenue over UN statehood vote, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/02/israel-palestinian-tax-revenue-un-vote?intcmp=239

[2] Ibid

[3] Ibid                                                                                                                                       

[4] Ibid

[5] Ibid

[6] The Guardian, 2012, Israel-Palestine: concreting over the solution, http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/dec/03/israel-palestine-concreting-solution-editorial?intcmp=239

[7] Ibid

(Opinion) US Election 2012: Why Obama Is The Best Pick For The World

There are many reasons to elect both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney for the highest office in the land, but one firm reason to elect Obama for four more years as commander in chief is that as far as foreign policy is concerned, he has been close to flawless. While we haven’t seen much of mitt Romney abroad, however, the little cameo of his foreign policy tour gave pause for thought as he insulted allies by breaking “the golden rule of state visits and general etiquette when in home of others: do not, at all costs, insult the host” [1].

This is not to say that Mitt Romney is fit for office due to a couple of blunders in the press as many politicians have made the same mistakes, but in the international context defined by its quick pace and a perpetual state of flux, Mistakes like this among less friendly company can lead to international disputes.

Romney got a little taste of this when he  foolishly compared Israel’s economic development with Palestine’s and concluded that Israel economic dominance was down to ‘cultural’ superiority (completely overlooking decades of conflict) while controversially calling Jerusalem “the capital of Israel”, a major stick in the crawl of past negotiations  between Israel and Palestine leaders[2]. Palestinians response to Romney’s comments were scathing to say the least with a senior Palestinian official describing Romney’s comments as “a racist statement” and openly questioned Romney’s ‘knowledge’ of the “region and its people”[3].

While Romney was talking at a fundraising event, it reveals certain ignorance from Romney for not expecting the eventuality of his comments to reach the wider public as when a potential president speaks; the world pays attention due the United States having it fingers in so many pies. Mitt Romney doesn’t help own case as his views on  Russia threaten to set US-Russia relations back four years by recognising Russia as a major “geopolitical foe”[4].

The Obama administration have done some great work in thawing relations between the US and  Russia with regards to nuclear counter-proliferation  which, with a Romney presidency, would become frosty with some haste due to republicans favouring a missile defence shield in Europe, a policy  strongly opposed by former and current  Russian  president Vladimir Putin[5].

In sum, while Mitt Romney mistakes abroad are not going to harm him considering the bigger picture, it does reveals a truth that every country but the US is prepared to admit, a U.S. president amenable to negotiation is much better than a U.S president who isn’t.

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[1] The carnage report, 2012, Mitt Romney negative favourable: no surprise, http://thecarnagereport.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/opinion-mitt-romney-negative.html

[2] Quoted by H. Sherwood, 2012, Mitt Romney ‘providence’ comment in Israel outrage Palestinians, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/30/mitt-romney-israel-economic-success

[3] Ibid

[4] R. T. Buchanan, 2012, Mitt Romney issues ‘inadmissable’ threat to Russia, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/mitt-romney/9512295/Mitt-Romney-issues-inadmissible-threat-to-Russia.html

[5] J. Marson and L. I. Alpert, 2012, Putting on U.S. vote: Obama ‘Genuine’, Romney ‘Mistaken’, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443589304577635113013597198.html

(Video) Romney Brain fart: Why You Don't Compare The GDP Of Two Countries In 'Disagreement' While You're In One Of Them

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney cracks one off the top as he compares the GDP of Israel and the occupied territories and puts it down to 'culture'.