Syria Contracts with Radical Palestine

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright May 11, 2013
All Rights Reserved.                                         

                Looking for a lifesaver anywhere he can find it, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad looked to radical Palestinian terror groups to retaliate against Israel for its May 4 bombing of a Damascus arms’ research center.  Unable to respond to Israel’s last salvo, al-Assad seeks to exploit the same Palestinian groups that now try to topple him to fight his battle with the Jewish State.  Like so many other terror groups, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command found some new cash with al-Assad’s latest effort to divert attention away from his battle with various Wahhabi Sunni group—including Hamas—seeking his ouster.  “The leaders leadership of the PFLP-GC announces that it will form brigades to work on liberating all violated [Israeli-occupied] territories, first and foremost the occupied Golan,” read a written commnique, putting Tel Aviv on notice.

             Hiring a radical Palestinian group to fight a proxy war with Israel actually makes sense, though al-Assad can’t reconcile the fact that former ally Hamas-leader-in-exile Khalid Meshaal now works actively to topple his regime.  While soliciting involvement from Syrians, the PFLP hasn’t had much success recruiting more suicide bombers to defend al-Assad’s regime that hasn’t been too tolerant of Palestinians.  When al-Assad booted out Meshaal from Damascus nn 2011 for conspiring with other Wahhabi groups to topple this government, displaced Palestinians were barely tolerated by Syria.  Contracting with the PFLP will likely backfire for al-Assad, granting another insurgent group close access to his inner sanctum.  “The Popular Front’s leaders have opened the door to all Syrian citizens to volunteer in the formation of resistance,” a Palestinian euphemism for suicide bombers.

             Caught in a growing civil war since March 11, 2011, the Syrian army has killed over 70,000, prompting the Arab League July 23, 2012 to call for al-Assad to resign.  Whether it’s the U.S. and its Western allies or the Arab League, al-Assad has redoubled efforts to crush a growing insurgency fueled by various Sunni groups, including Palestinians, to topple his Alawite Shiite government.  Asking its Lebanon-based Hezbollah militia for help, al-Assad won’t turn away anyone to preserve his power.  Secretary of State John Kerry met with Russian President Vladimir Putin May 7 to revive the “Geneva Communique” to get al-Assad back to the bargaining table with opposition groups to hammer out a paeace deal.  Rebels groups have one bargaining position:  That al-Assad goes.  U.N. Security Council permanent members Russia and China oppose toppling al-Assad.

             Syrian and Iranian-backed Hezbollah vowed to get advanced Iranian-made guided missiles and anti-missile defense to help liberate the Golan Heights.   After battling Israel to loggerheads in 2006, Hezbollah’s 52-year-old leader Hassan Nasrallah has been chafing-at-the-bit to retaliate against Israel.  “We announce that we stand with the Syrian popular resistance and offer material and spiritual support as well as coordination in order to liberate the Syrian Golan,” said Nasrallah Thursday on State TV.  Nothing would make al-Assad happier than to re-ignite another Arab-Israeli war, diverting attention away from the current Wahhabi insurgency threatening his power.  There’s nothing that links Hezbollah and the PFLP other that their hatred of Israel.  Both Shiite and Sunni groups are technically at war with each other, currently joining forces with al-Qaeda and other radical groups to topple al-Assad.

             Playing all sides against the middle, al-Assad hopes to ignite a new Arab-Israeli war to take the heat off his own regime that has murdered over 70,000 Syrian civilians hanging onto power.  Exploiting various radical Islamic groups to hang onto power, al-Assad hopes to buy himself more time while the Syrian army—with the help of Iran and Hezbollah—attempts to crack down on a growing civil war that rejects his authority.  Russia and China oppose outside foreign intervention because they believe al-Assad’s regime is preferable to the extremist one likely to replace it.  Meeting with Putin behind closed doors, Kerry hoped to enlist Russian support for ousting al-Assad.  Kerry heard a mouthful about the very real possibility that ousting al-Assad would hand Syria over to Islamic extremists and destabilize the region, including threatening Russia’s Tartus navy base on the Syrian coast.

             Syria’s attempt to enlist Hezbollah and PFLP to re-start a war with Israel over the Golan Heights helps al-Assad buy time while he battles Wahhabi insurgents—including Hamas—hoping to topple his government.  Exploiting both Sunnis and Shiite to re-ignite a war with Israel shows al-Assad’s diabolical side, while he massacres Sunni insurgents trying to topple his regime.  Battling Israel only weakens al-Assad’s grip on power and hastens the end of his regime.  If Hezbollah or PFLP forces encroach on the Golan Heights, it won’t take Israel too long to neutralize the incursion.  Hezbollah’s Nasrallah has high hopes of getting his hands on advance Iranian-made missiles to re-start its battle with the Jewish State.  Holding out a carrot to the PFLP of liberating Palestinian lands perpetuates the same old Arab myth of fulfilling Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s wish of “wiping Israel off the map.”

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.