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| Syrians all over Europe celebrate (TOI) |
Up to this point Israel had done a good job of decapitating Hamas and Hezbollah, and weakening Iran. But no one could have predicted what happened in Syria. That was a war front that Israel had no interest in. But those rebels went to war for them and took care of that front. Even though that was not their intention, that was the result for Israel.
Both Israel and the US moved in immediately and finished up the job with respect to taking care of their own security interests. And now the configuration of the so-called ‘ring of fire’ that threated Israel is more like a ring of smoke and mirrors. Israel still needs to finish the job in Gaza and get the hostages out. But there is no chance that the progress Israel has made in protecting its own people over the last year will be reversed
That being said, there is no way of knowing what the new Syria will look like. But if we have learned anything from the religious fanatics of Islam, it is that they fear no one. And that they will pursue their religious goals no matter what. The rebels that ‘liberated’ Syria are religious Islamist fanatics. Which probably means that Israel still has plenty to worry about..
Meanwhile those rebels keep talking about the new freedom their people are getting. Syrians are celebrating that with great anticipation. But if the new government pursues a policy of erasing the Jews from from the Middle East – one of the hallmarks of radical Islam to which they surely subscribe - their people may not become as free as they think they will. Syria could in theory become another base for terrorism against Israel. Same as Hamas and Hezbollah. Despite their antipathy for both, their genocidal attitude about Jews is based on the same theology.
When Gaza was handed over to the Palestinian Authority it was hoped that they would take the opportunity to build prosperous society for their people. A model for what a future Palestinian state could look like. Hamas who took over Gaza with the blessing of the Palestinians living there decided that terrorizing Jews was more important. So instead of prospering - they got years of living in squalor culminating in their near societal destruction one year after the ‘final straw’ attack against Israel in October of 23.
If only the ‘liberators’ of Syria would take lesson from their fellow Islamists in Gaza. If they are serious about building free d prosperous nation, the smartest thing they could do is to immediately sign a peace treaty with Israel and establish diplomatic relations. They may find that Israel would even help them achieve that prosperity if friendly relations could be established.
It might seem absurd to even suggest such a possibility with people that were once affiliated with Al Qaida. But they did break from them. Maybe that’s significant enough to make a difference. Maybe they will look at the Abraham Accords and see the possibilities. Especially with the incoming Trump administration giving them a nudge by way of some kind of financial incentive.
Maybe they will look at what happened to other radical Islamist entities who tried to eliminate Israel and say this is not for us. Maybe they will get the message that this is not what Allah wants them to do after all. And maybe they will finally realize that the only way to prevent what happened in Gaza from happening to them will be to make peace with Israel despite their religious beliefs about them. And leave the rest to God.
Just some wishful thinking on the ‘day after’ the coup.