Abu Muqawama: Post
Abu Muqawama retains its autonomy and the views and beliefs expressed within the blog do not reflect those of CNAS. Abu Muqawama retains the right to delete comments that include words that incite violence; are predatory, hateful, or intended to intimidate or harass; or degrade people on the basis of gender, race, class, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. In summary, don't be a jerk.
Just Another Sunday in the Levant
By now, you have read the news that protesters who attempted to march into Israel and Israeli-controlled territory* (here I am referring to the Golan Heights, which are disputed) were shot at by the Israel Defense Force (IDF). More than a dozen have been reported killed.
1. This will shock all some none of you, but Arab regimes have often cynically used the Palestinian cause to shift the focus away from their own failures and abuses. The clashes today are the best of news for Bashar al-Asad, and only the Lord knows how many brave Syrians will now be gunned down or thrown into prison in Homs, Douma, Hama, Baniyas, etc. while everyone's eyes are on the Lebanese, Syrian and Gazan borders with Israel. Just yesterday, we were all talking about terrified Syrians fleeing into northern Lebanon. Now Syria and its allies have either engineered or have been presented with the mother of all distractions from their own wretched and criminal behavior.
2. The Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian, Palestinians and Israeli peoples are all getting played right now. If you're a Palestinian marking the Nakba on the border with Israel right now, that's all fine and well, but you should be aware of those actors for whom this distraction is most welcome and who have every interest in using the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and your own suffering for their own cynical purposes right now. If you're Lebanese, meanwhile, and you're watching Hizballah mobilize, ask yourself this: is Hizballah mobilizing to protect Lebanon and its people or because escalation benefits Hizballah's allies in Damascus?
3. This kind of non-violent march into Israeli-controlled territory is not without precedent. Some brave Lebanese did this very thing in the year leading up to Israel's 2000 withdrawal from their security zone in southern Lebanon. There is a huge difference, obviously, between Israeli-occupied southern Lebanon and Israel proper, but the point here is that this is not really a first, and as far as Israeli-controlled territory like Majdal Shams is concerned, you can forgive the protesters killed there for wondering what the difference is between there and, say, Jezzine or Marjayoun a decade ago. From the Israeli perspective, the difference is a great one, but that might not be the case for the witnesses to the non-violent marches into Israeli-occupied Lebanese territories in 1999 and 2000.
4. The IDF almost always seems to do the strategically stupid thing in these situations, either using force more than is necessary or using force indiscriminately, but I will not judge the decisions or actions of the IDF just yet and, as tough as I have been on the IDF in cases, I have some sympathy for them here. What were they supposed to do in the face of a breach of the border? And what did the protesters think would happen? (I know what Syria and some particularly cynical actors in Gaza and Lebanon probably hoped would happen: exactly what did happen.) But you can't really fault a military for protecting the territorial integrity of its state by force.
5. Israel has been kidding itself if it had imagined itself immune from the non-violent, peaceful protests that have been sweeping the Arabic-speaking world. You can dismiss today's events in northern Israel as a plot engineered by the Syrians, Iranians and their proxies. But the Palestinian cause is a real and enduring one. What happens when the Palestinians in the West Bank start demanding statehood not through violence but through peaceful protests? How will Israel respond? One option they do not have is to bury their heads in the sand and pretend like the call for Palestinian statehood will go away. And good luck whenever some clever Palestinian leader starts organizing peaceful marches on some crazy hilltop settlements in the West Bank, counting on provoking the kind of response that the media in Israel and abroad will eat up.
6. Finally, remember the one rule I follow with respect to Levantine politics: just be cynical about the motives and actions of everyone, and you will never go wrong.
*Just to clarify, the only actual breach of which I know took place on the Syrian border. I look forward to hearing accounts from witnesses regarding what happened on the Lebanese border.
I can understand - not
I can understand - not necessarily agree with, but understand - claims that the IDF/Israel are not handling this as well as one might say is possible. But per paragraph 2), how, precisely, and by whom, are the Israeli people getting "played?"
ADTS
While I completely agree with
While I completely agree with your wider point, ie that some Arab regimes/leaders will be very happy with this distraction, I am kind of surprised that you call the Golan Heights "disputed". They are illegally occupied and annexed by Israel even though Israelis would like to think differently. You do imply that there is an issue with Israeli perception in point 3 but I think it would be worth pointing it out more explicitly.
Well, either Israel is going
Well, either Israel is going to be giving up some territory or it is likely engineered war (not advocating either, just looking at reality).
The revolutions haven't just been played by Syria, Hezbollah, etc. The MB in Egyptcalled for a march two days early to come down to Tahrir square, same day the NAC was calling for a unity march against sectarianism. (the irony escapes most of them)
NAC, liberals and leftists became crowd fillers for anti-Israel demonstration. Not that many of them weren't happy to do so, but it leaves a great deal of wonderment how easy they are swayed from their ideas for Egypt to anything that allows them to chant slogans and feel like they are in charge of something since the post revolution period is going so horribly slow.
Mean time, MB controls the narrative. Anyone that isn't MB is either a "pagan" or an "atheist".
"Finally, remember the one
"Finally, remember the one rule I follow with respect to Levantine politics: just be cynical about the motives and actions of everyone, and you will never go wrong."
This statement applies equally well to American politics (and UK politics, and French politics and...)
It's naive to think otherwise.
Agree on all six points,
Agree on all six points, especially the sixth.
I do think its strange that with so few people breaching the border the IDF couldn't have repelled them with nonlethal force, but i have no expertise in this. It wouldn't be the first time bad planning led them to use excessive force (as on the Mavi Marmara. once they were attacked, lethal force was bound to happen, but how on earth did they let themselves be put in that situation? Dumb.) I wonder whether it might have made an impression on syrian protestors if their oppressive evil neighbor to the south used rubber bullets while their own government continues to use lead... An opportunity missed. But then, that point has been made already, and in any event I don't think "distraction" is a possibility any longer when you look at what's happening in deraa, homs, douma, baniyas...
as today is nakba day there is every reason to expect the "Third Intifada" to begin nowish, if Palestinians show themselves to be the same old opportunity-missers from eleven years ago. If this entails peaceful protest that would be remarkable and probably not something israel could respond to credibly without damaging itself. but if it descends into violence -- as usual -- then they'll derail their plans once again, this time the unilateral declaration this coming September.
Charlotte: the validity of the term "occupation" with regard to territories won defensively, in which residents are given full citizenship and ruled under identical law following annexation, is debatable. and debated. Perhaps not in the UN any longer, but that says more about the UN than "international law" (such as it is).
Even Israel screws over
Even Israel screws over Eastern Christians.
So you're basically saying if
So you're basically saying if Syrians,Yemenis,Egypt protest for freedom,against injustice its OK but if the Palestinians protest then its a bad thing and it could be "used" by other dictators to suppress their own people.
You sir are the perfect example of having a double standard when it comes to human rights abuses.When Israels security forces uses violence it is "understandable" but when Arab forces use violence is outrageous and should be condemned.
I despise people like you.
If the Syrian government is
If the Syrian government is prepared to deploy heavy armor units against its population, we surely should assume it is prepared to incite anti-Israeli sentiment as it has so often in the past. The Assad regime is pulling out all the stops in order to survive, and trying to provoke an incident with Israel is just one of the stops.
With that said, was gunfire from the IDF really needed to deal with this situation? Was the IDF caught unprepared -- again -- for the kind of provocation about which Israeli leaders complain so often? The Assad government, being preoccupied with its own survival, would scarcely risk now the kind of reprisal certain to come from Israel in response to an armed incursion into the Golan. So could not these people from Syria simply have been arrested?
I hope Israelis are thinking carefully about the subject AM raises in his fifth paragraph. The cause of Palestinian statehood was set back by a generation when Palestinians in the occupied territories abandoned the tactics of the first intifada for the disgusting barbarism that characterized the second. It is only a matter of time before Palestinians who were but children during the human bomb campaign attempt to follow the example of protesters in Tunis and Cairo. If I can see that, Israelis surely can, unless they are really determined not to.
This was a very insightful
This was a very insightful piece. I agree with each point but time will tell.
@worldcitizen if you haven't re-read this article; please do.
Israel should not be
Israel should not be criticized for one instant over these media-driven border incidents, which are inspired by Hamas, Hezbollah, and the dictator Assad to divert attention from their own perfidy and corruption. As it has since 1948 -- or even earlier for those who want to review early Zionist history going back to the 1880s -- Israel is facing genocidal neighbors bent on its destruction. These terrorists are not seeking to re-claim "settlements" in the West Bank or regain the Golan Heights. In their worldview, the real "Nakba" is the creation of Israel (the "original sin"), not their leaders' failure to create a Palestinian state on the West Bank and Gaza. They don't want the West Bank and Gaza, they want Haifa and Ashdod and Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and they want Israel to be destroyed and judenrein. They are taking a page from Hitler and his Nazi accolyte, Haj Amin Husseini, the former "mufti." I suggest some reading for the uninitiated, like Palestine Betrayed by Efraim Karsh, or O Jerusalem by Collins & LaPierre. Israel has every right to defend itself with all force necessary, now and in the future.
Its the Dahiya doctrine, isnt
Its the Dahiya doctrine, isnt it? 4 killshots in case of "Infiltrators"? Same pattern in Gaza. These are riots of unarmed youth (and possibly some players behind, but still. I just dont understand why these cases are not containable with nonlethal force.
Oh, and there were plenty of demonstrations in the territories too. But noone got killed so it didnt make the news.
So Israel is shooting unarmed
So Israel is shooting unarmed and unauthorized border crossers.
If America did that, Tom Friedman and Paul Krugman would be outraged becuase shooting brown-skinned border jumpers is RACIST ....... except when Israel shoots brown-skinned border jumpers.
The IDF was actually pretty
The IDF was actually pretty restrained in the Golan incident. What I understand happened was that the section of fence near Magdel Shams was initially only lightly guarded by a small company of soldiers. Most of the casualties were caused during the initial breach of the fence (in the perimeter road), where the small israeli force was virtually caught between two prongs of stone throwing demonstator. The shooting was essentially defensive, enabling them to retreat, while protestors streamed into Magdel Shams. From here on everything was handled quite professionally (pretty suprisingly), without anyone being killed to my knowledge. Backup forces arrived, they first pushed back the demonstrators on the fence into syria and sealed the breach, while only cordoning off the protestors within Israel proper. Only then did they turn to remove the protestors from within Magdel Shams, by using the druze elders to mediate. The real failure here seems to be an intellegence one: the IDF anticipated all the other hot spots, but totally missed out on the Golan one, hence the flimsy border force in the first place.
It is forbidden to mourn.
It is forbidden to mourn.
Foreign affairs just makes so
Foreign affairs just makes so much more sense since reading that article on "controlling" the Mississippi. What we have here is the Third Law of Thermodynamics in action.
I'mma gonna hitch my pants up to my chin, go down to City Hall and re-register as an independent tomorrow.
That is all.
Oh Snapbah! It's Nakbah
Oh Snapbah! It's Nakbah yo!
Not unrealistic to assume Iran and her proxilicious proxies would orchestrate a series of events on multiple fronts via Little Satan's borders. As rising regional puissant - Persia would certainly enjoy putting multi border pressure on Little Satan, smokescreening al Assad in extremis and making something something Palestine a safe word once more while showing yet again only Preacher Command - not Pyramidland, the Wahabbies or the Ottomans - are the only cats in world history that can stand up to Little Satan
When people preach to the
When people preach to the Palestinians you're asking them to have patience that most people wouldn't in the same situation. It's one thing to join in protests and rally on Facebook but at the same time at what point does it just become too frustrating. How many checkpoints do you have to go through, how many times do you have to have your home searched, how many days under curfew, how many shells fired into your neighborhood before you turn violent. People often talk about how Israel is held to standards that no other nation is, and to an extent I agree (people die on the border with Mexico all the time and no one seems to care, and certainly no one calls the US fascist, unless they were the type that would be doing that no matter what). But at the same time the Palestinians have to deal with the daily humiliations and brutality of occupation and often decades of literal imprisonment, and then we wonder why they've yet to produce their own Gandhi. They live in a place that combines the worst elements of every Mid eastern dictatorship and police state with an overwhelming sense of hopelessness that you can only find in a few other places throughout the world. If I'd grown up in Gaza I can't think of any other way I'd want to die than with a gun in my hand fighting the Israelis.
@ mateo or other Pal
@ mateo or other Pal lovers.....
They won't make peace. The measures you describe were adopted after it was made clear they won't accept Peace from the Jews, they want the entire every last inch of land. They won't accept a Jewish State the size of a postage stamp. You coulda had peace in 47, 67, 93, 2000, list not all inclusive. You DON'T WANT PEACE. You want the idea of the Jewish State existing in your midst erased, as would KKK members not be able to accept - and weren't - black pols. Can't face the fact that peeps that were your bitches won and keep winning.
Justice: you don't want that, the rest of the world would annihilate you. You certainly won't get it from the "Spring". More like a Volcanic explosion.
So don't bitch about justice. You won't return it. Me? I'd nuke the F outta you.
Dumb asses. Poor bastards.
Dumb asses. Poor bastards.
I heard english voices, american in fact. wonder what that means.
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/05/how-to-understa...
It's what happens to un-authorized protests.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2011-05-15-egypt-protest_n.htm
Run. Or die fighting. But don't expect mercy.
Andy Dufresne used time and
Andy Dufresne used time and pressure and he eventually gained freedom from Shawshank. The Palestinians are using the same tactics .... along with a demographic explosion. Time, presssure, demography, American economic collapse, all these things are good for the Pals. It won't be next week or 5 years from now, but time is on the Pals side.
I don't think time is
I don't think time is necessarily on the Palestinians side. If Israel gets a real right wing government, it will just expel the Palestinians outright. It will drive them into Lebanon or somewhere from which they can be kept out and contained. In the next war, Gaza will probably be totally destroyed and then plowed under to flat and level sand. Time is only on the Pals side if Israel can be prevented from getting a real right wing majority government. But the more aggressive the Pals get, the more likely it becomes that the Israeli voters will just say enough is enough and elect real right wingers in order to ensure Israeli survival. You know, parties like National Union that will do the full Andrew Jackson on the Palestinians and get the conflict over with forever.
In reply to "openbordersfor
In reply to "openbordersfor usnot forJew"
Israel has plenty of "unarmed and unauthorized" brown and black skinned border jumpers -
African refugees - and they are not shot at. Those who crossed the border yesterday
came from an enemy state and they didnt come here to learn about Israeli democracy.
As noted above, they were being used by Bashar Assad as a distraction (from the
brutal masssacres of his people). And what do they want - a state of Palestine living
side by side with Israel in peace? They may be using non-violence now, but only as a tactic to drive the Jews from our internationally accepted homeland. If its ever possible to
live side by side with the Palestinians in 2 peaceful states (or even together in a
binational state) I will be genuinely overjoyed, but we will defend our country with
force, if necessary. Take a look at the Hamas covenant or the statements of Hassan
Nasrallah
'Comment by Schlomo Zoobstein
'Comment by Schlomo Zoobstein on May 15, 2011 - 2:29pm
Even Israel screws over
Even Israel screws over Eastern Christians'
topical? relevant? sane? no.
'Comment by openbordersforusnot forjew on May 15, 2011 - 6:32pm
So Israel is shooting unarmed
So Israel is shooting unarmed and unauthorized border crossers.
If America did that, Tom Friedman and Paul Krugman would be outraged becuase shooting brown-skinned border jumpers is RACIST ....... except when Israel shoots brown-skinned border jumpers.'
i realize AM has more important things to do than monitor the blog for racist and anti-semitic trash, so I'm just gonna highlight it here and hope it's noticed this time around.
'Comment by Fnord on May 15, 2011 - 6:17pm
Its the Dahiya doctrine, isnt
Its the Dahiya doctrine, isnt it? 4 killshots in case of "Infiltrators"? Same pattern in Gaza. These are riots of unarmed youth (and possibly some players behind, but still. I just dont understand why these cases are not containable with nonlethal force.'
This post remains in keeping with CNAS' policies, as opposed to the second and probably the first ("schlomo" with an sch? zoobstein? jews oppressing christians as a total non-sequitur? really?). For some reason this blog has a high tolerance for errant, flagrant stupidity. I have a theory that euroleftards and the dumb american variety are liable to yell DAHIYEH DOCTRINE when an israeli cuts them off while driving.
It is forbidden to mourn!
It is forbidden to mourn!
Verboten!
Verboten!
That flag! Palestinian
That flag! Palestinian students at UCB offend against the rights of Israeli students by holding it, silent or not!
i skyped with my Syrian
i skyped with my Syrian friend today about the breech. He told me the cameras and electric fence had "mysteriously" been turned off. A police state like Syria would not allow protesters near the borders if they didn't have reason.
While there can be no doubt
While there can be no doubt Assad will have allowed the demonstrators a "pass" its wrong to associate the actions with anyone but the Palestinians. What happened yesterday was planned long before the Syrian trouble started, You may have missed it but there were also Palestinians who marched from Jordan and were shot at by Jordanian security forces. I don't think that King of Jordan is part of any plot that involves Syria, Iran, Hizballah or Hamas.
when i was young, i always
when i was young, i always want to own a youth nfl jerseys. But my father told me,"my kids, you are too young to waering it. Unless you are 18 year old, i will not buy that for you". Finally, that's becoming a pity in my mind even if i am grown up. Now, as the dad of two children, i cannot made my kids disappointed just like their grandfather made me upset. Last sunday, when i go through some website online, I occasionally found this great website, professionally providing nfl youth jerseys for some years. That's made me so excited. The price is so affordable, at the first time, i got some specious, "in such low price, could i got a high quality jersey?" or"thes jerseys are just for one time wearing?". No matter what, the prices is reall attractive. Then, I decided to have try. The result is made me absolutely satisfied. "Great nfl youth jerseys I have to say. "Also great service and fast delivery". Everything is beyond my excpection.
FTA: """What happens when the
FTA: """What happens when the Palestinians in the West Bank start demanding statehood not through violence but through peaceful protests? How will Israel respond?"""
Boy is the author of this article trapped in the usual fog of ignorance typical of the propaganda bubble to which Americans are subjected about Israel!! Pretty much disqualifies him from making any intelligent comment about Palestine. The REAL question for Americans is when censorship in our media about zioniist crimes against humanity in Palestine will be ended.
Another Palestinian Gandhi Sent to Prison
We’ve often heard asked “where are the Palestinian Gandhis?” The answer? Too many of them are sitting in Israeli prisons....
http://rabbibrant.com/2010/10/11/another-palestinian-ghandi-sent-to-prison/
I did reserve duty in the IDF
I did reserve duty in the IDF many times on the Syrian border and I can tell you that no one on the Syrian side gets close to the border fence without permission from the Syrian government. they keep a strict buffer zone around the border (as does Jordan). This was an obvious government sponsored operation.
I'd also like to point out that thousands of Palestinians cross into Israel every week looking for work. If caught they are driven to the border and sent back to the Palestinan territories.
"This kind of non-violent
"This kind of non-violent march into Israeli-controlled territory is not without precedent."
'Non-violent' ? Care to explain why 14 Israeli soldiers ended up getting wounded? Plenty of vids are out showing that the border infiltrators were armed with rocks,bottles, firebombs, knives and whatever else they could get their hands on. Their intention wasn't peaceful in the least.
Anyone familiar with Syria and Lebanon knows this was co-ordinated with those governments. In Lebanon, the 'Palestinians' are virtually prisoners in camps like Ein-al-Hewar, and are forbidden to work at most jobs, own property or leave the camps without permission. Pretty much the same deal in Syria.
Also, the Lebanese contingent was bused to the border in buses belonging to the government.
Let's also not forget what the nakba is 'commemorating' - the failed attempt at genocide of every Jew in Israel by the Arabs in 1948, something a lot of the people who call themselves 'Palestinians' were willing participants in.
There's actually a fairly simple solution for this in the future.. just mine the borders.
BTW, there's no such thing as an 'Arab Spring' -just the Arabs moving from one sort of despotism to another, just like Gaza's rule went from Fatah to Hamas.
This is actually a positive development. Fatah aligning with Hamas, the events in Egypt and last weekend's happenings have pretty much convinced most Israelis that Oslo and the whole Land for peace garbage was pretty much a trojan horse . What the majority of Arabs want is the Jews dead, and that was true before Israel ever became a state. Anything the Israelis give up to the Arabs eventually just becomes a closer place to shoot at them from.
Eventually this situation is going to be resolved one way or the other, and I don't think it's going to be in the 'Palestinians' favor. Despite all the rhetoric, their fellow Arabs really don't care about them.
yep rock on josh
yep rock on josh
From the comment policy: CNAS
From the comment policy:
Isn't the term "Pal" meant to "degrade people on the basis of [...] ethnicity"?
The racism in this comment board is disgusting, but it flows in part from the post's content. The author asks "What were [the IDF soldiers] supposed to do in the face of a breach of the border?" How about this: anything other than shooting and killing unarmed human beings.
I guess that would not be the answer for people who regard the return of a Palestinian refugee to Israeli-controlled territory to be a greater tragedy than the death of a Palestinian civilian.
Reebok zigtech shoes are
Reebok zigtech shoes are manufactured exclusively by the world famous company, reebok outlet. Before you purchase anything, it is necessary thatyou think for yourself whether the investment is worth the money or price you pay or not. It brings not only chic, modern and fashionable shoes, but also medically fit reebok shoes for the wearers.
The reebok kid shoes has become extremely popular all over the world. You can see reebok shoes in many occasions. It's a good choice to own a pair of reebok Basketball shoes to make you more fashionable. Here you can enjoy big discounts.
This post gives the light in
This post gives the light in which we can observe the reality. Truly informative blog. Very all the best.
Online Marketing Blog
Gaza will probably be totally
Gaza will probably be totally destroyed and then plowed under to flat and level sand.
genericketchup.com
Esto fue muy interesante. Me
Esto fue muy interesante. Me encantó la lectura
very intresting post,
very intresting post, thanks
realizzazione siti web
Add your comment