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Buds
In case Hamas can't seize enough American-made weapons from Fatah, they can always fall back on Iran. The pretext here is the Israel-Syria talks, which makes this even more of a cruel joke, since -- as always -- the only ones who will be called upon to make any significant concessions will be Israel.
"Arab paper: Iran to give Hamas more arms, funds," from the Jerusalem Post, May 25 (thanks to Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi):
Iran has promised Hamas new rockets and more funds, an expression of the Islamic Republic's displeasure with recent news of renewed Israeli-Syrian peace talks, the London-based newspaper, Asharq Alawsat reported on Sunday.According to the report, Syria-based Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal, who held a press conference in Teheran with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki Saturday, expressed his concern over statements issued simultaneously by Jerusalem, Damascus and Ankara last Wednesday in which a renewal of talks between Syria and Israel under Turkish mediation was declared.
Mashaal reportedly told his Iranian hosts that despite commitments he was given by Damascus that peace with Israel would not come at the expense of Syria's ties with Iran, Hizbullah and Hamas, he was still aware of the fact that Syria would have to make some concessions.
He emphasized that he understood that Syria could not sign a peace agreement with Israel, exchange ambassadors, end the state of war and make the Golan Heights demilitarized and at the same time continue to allow Iran to use its territory to transfer weapons to Hizbullah, train Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists and help in the financing of those groups....
Labeling Syria a strategic ally of Iran, Defense Minister Mustafa Mohammed Nejad called on "Islamic states to strengthen their relations in order to defend themselves against the dangers which threaten the region."
Posted by Robert at May 27, 2008 1:04 PM
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Israel stop the negotiating,stop the concessions, stop all appeasement.
As Winston Churchill once said of appeasement:
"Some people will try to feed the dragon in the hopes that it won't eat them."
Posted by: Mackie![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/nav-commenters.gif)
at May 27, 2008 1:47 PM
Now that Israel is finally negotiating with Syria, there may be an impending reality much less favorable to militant Islamists across the region. Iran is working hard to fight that reality in two ways:
1) Giving one last burst of weapons to Hamas. Iran has a weapons supply line from Iran through Shia' Iraq, through Syria, and then on to anti-Israel militants. If there is a well-crafted peace deal with Syria, it will include mechanisms to prevent these weapons flows. This may be the last one before the cutoff.
2) Claiming an "Islamic" solidarity with the Assads. This is somewhat laughable, because the Assads are authoritarian Ba'thists quite different from grassroots Islamist movements like Hamas and Hezbullah. Syria has been crushing similar movements in its own territory, most notably during its near-annihilation of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood during the Hama Massacre.
In many ways, Syria and Israel are on the same team in terms of cutting off weapons flows to Islamists. That's why Israeli and Syrian negotiators are meeting in Ankara right now.
Posted by: Shlomo_Michael at May 27, 2008 1:51 PM
You would think that by now every Palestinian man, woman and child would have their own AK 47 and at least a brace of rocket propelled grenades. Each block would have access to mortars and heavy machine guns. Is all of this ordance squirreled away in mosque basements, or has much of it been sold elsewhere?
Posted by: MP at May 27, 2008 2:09 PM
SYRIA HAS BEEN AND IS PART OF THE "DESTROY ISRAEL" CROWD! THEIR "WILLINGNESS" TO 'DECEIVE' ISRAEL IS JUST THAT-TAQQIYAH!
Posted by: CHOI at May 27, 2008 3:56 PM
Syria will honor nothing. Skunks, each with their own distinctive scent, marking each other as their own.
Posted by: flowerknife_us at May 27, 2008 5:03 PM
MP--I am sure that the Palestinian Territories and especially Gaza are full of weapons. But I'm sure the IDF is tracking more down each day. It is a dynamic equillibrium: every month, the Palestinians lose some weapons to the IDF and gain some from Iran. If weapons shipments from Syria were restricted, the weapons caches would eventually run out.
Now, on to the foreign policy luminaries of this website....
Choi--look up the Hama Massacre please: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hama_Massacre
Do you think Assad was worried about Taqiya when he narrowly escaped numerous attempts on his life? Or when he decided to kick out all Muslim Brotherhood partisans in the state? Assad does not like Israel, but he is also afraid of these guys. Apparently, his fear of Islamism now exceeds his hatred for Israel.
Flowerknife--It's not a question of what Syria wants to honor. Agreements can be crafted so that Syria gets tangible benefits for stopping weapons shipments, and loses these benefits by reneging. For example, Israel now controls an important water resource in the Golan. It can agree to channel some percentage to Syria (where it used to go) in exchange for an end to shipments.
at May 27, 2008 5:51 PM
Of course this is impossible, as Iran (Shia) and Hamas (Sunni) could never actually cooperate in any meaningful way. Don't you know that Shia and Sunni Muslims don't get along? Aren't you educated enough to know these basic things? Maybe you should read some Esposito and learn something before posting?
/Sarcasm off
at May 27, 2008 6:30 PM
Meanwhile:
Conference On Islamic Wakefulness Turns Into A Big Sleepover
"The recent International Conference on Islamic Unity and Wakefulness in the 21st Century in Tehran became a fiasco as it failed to keep the delegates awake long enough for the photo ops. Soon after they were seated, the attendees began to doze off and fall from their seats, with nobody left alert enough to pick them up. The conference was closed on the second day after the neighbors complained that the continuous snoring was making their pets paranoid."
http://www.thepeoplescube.com/red/viewtopic.php?t=1993
at May 27, 2008 10:42 PM
Notice in the photo who's hand is on top. A clear symbolic statement of superiority. It tells you who is working for who...now you know...
Posted by: duh_swami at May 27, 2008 11:03 PM
John,
You're right that there are ideological differences between Iranian Shia' and the predominantly Sunni Hamas, just as there are ideological differences between Iran and Syria. Which ideological difference will win out?
It is at this point that some (not all, clearly!) like to consider the actual situation as it has played out in real life, instead of just pretending reality naturally alters itself to accommodate their prejudices. Those who are interested in such empiricism--which, by the way, is one of the cornerstones of the Western civilization--will find that in this case, Hamas and Iran have been close pals, while relations between Hamas' parent organization and the Assads have not been as pleasant.
Didn't Hugh just write about "exploiting differences amongst Jihadis"? All I was saying is that, depending on the exact configuration of an Israeli-Syria deal, this might be a good way to use these methods effectively.
But it also involves reduced bloodshed for Arabs, not increased bloodshed, so perhaps it's not as appealing to some.
Posted by: Shlomo_Michael at May 27, 2008 11:33 PM
Oh sorry, forgot one thing.
/Sarcasm off.
All the best.
Posted by: Shlomo_Michael at May 27, 2008 11:36 PM
"This may be the last one before the cutoff."
Posted by: Shlomo_Michael
bwahahahahahahaha...you are too funny!
Posted by: pulsar182 at May 28, 2008 6:28 AM
bwahahahahaha, no wait, next you will tell us Syria won't use the Golan Heights as a launching platform for attacks on Israel, bwahahahahahaha,
Syrians won't arm Hamas? bhahahahahahaha
Syria isn't hiding WMDs removed from Iraq?..bwahahahaha
Iran isn't arming Muslims in Iraq? bwhahahahahahaha
Iran isn't buying as much missile technology? bwahahaha
Iran isn't rapidly preparing missile launch sites as close to Israel as possible? bwahahahaha
Iran isn't training Muslims wannabee terrorists who will go out on various missions with the sole intent of killing infidels, creating mayhem, and disrupting the lives of Muslims who really do not want to fight? bwahahahahahahahaha
Iran isn't creating a totalitarian state where the people have no rights, no freedoms and no future? bwhahahahahahahaha
you crack me up...
at May 28, 2008 7:30 AM
"bwahahahahaha, no wait, next you will tell us Syria won't use the Golan Heights as a launching platform for attacks on Israel, bwahahahahahaha"
Seriously? You're honestly worried about the fossilized Syrian Army trying to conquer Israel? Have you even read a TIMELINE of modern Mideast history?
Syria has already tried that multiple times, and got hammered each time. The last attempt was over thirty years ago. The only reason Syria survived was because the USSR rushed to the rescue, and they're gone then. The differential between the Israeli and Syrian armies has only grown since then. Terrorism is a much bigger threat now.
1. "Syrians won't arm Hamas?"--not if it costs them the Golan.
2. "Syria isn't hiding WMDs removed from Iraq?"--wait...didn't I hear this some time in 2003? No, the Assads have no WMDs, there's not "imminent threat that will become a mushroom cloud", so get a grip!
3. "Iran isn't arming Muslims in Iraq?"--of course it is. But a deal with Syria would keep the chaos from spreading all the way to Gaza.
4. "Iran isn't buying as much missile technology?"
"Iran isn't rapidly preparing missile launch sites as close to Israel as possible?"
"Iran isn't training Muslims wannabee terrorists who will go out on various missions with the sole intent of killing infidels, creating mayhem, and disrupting the lives of Muslims who really do not want to fight?"
"Iran isn't creating a totalitarian state where the people have no rights, no freedoms and no future?"
Look, I never said the Ayatollahs are wonderful people. In fact, my basic premise is that they aren't. That's why a peace deal with Syria, which would weaken Iran, is intelligent.
Posted by: Shlomo_Michael at May 28, 2008 1:51 PM
'That's why a peace deal with Syria, which would weaken Iran, is intelligent.
Posted by: Shlomo_Michael '
it is a smokescreen and it won't help Israel and it won't hurt or weaken Iran. It is a mistake.
at May 28, 2008 5:34 PM
Iran is a imperialist war mongering country that must be stopped at all cost
Posted by: The Truth at May 28, 2008 8:04 PM
"it is a smokescreen and it won't help Israel and it won't hurt or weaken Iran. It is a mistake."
Evidence? Since you're out to defend the West, why don't you at least put the past 5 centuries of empiricism to work?
at May 29, 2008 11:46 PM
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