Confusion About Whether Israel is Going to Bomb Syria: Not Just MR
See? It's not just us. Even JPost See?is confused:
The question, however, is who the other side is. If the air force buzzed Syrian President Bashar Assad's summer palace after Hamas killed two soldiers and kidnapped Gilad Shalit two weeks ago, then one could expect the IAF to level the palace - and more - after Hizbullah killed seven soldiers and captured two others. Syria, after all, is - together with Iran - Hizbullah's sponsor. And, indeed, Olmert had some harsh words to say about Syria. Throughout the recent period, Syria has proven that it is a terrorist government," Olmert said with Koizumi standing at his side... But to do so, to go on a strong military offensive against Syria, Israel would need international legitimacy, and getting legitimacy to declare war on Syria for an act perpetrated from Lebanese soil by a party within the Lebanese government, would be difficult to obtain.
Of course, as loyal MR readers you knew all that by 6:30 EST, since our comment when we passed on that press conference was exactly the same thing: "we don't see how Israel can avoid military strikes against Syria. If Hamas's actions were enough to justify the IDF buzzing Assad's house... look, the Hezbollah rockets used in this morning's attack are either Syrian in origin or came from Iran through Syrian lands with Syrian blessing".
Incidentally, this is a neat little example of just how surreal Middle East diplomacy has become: (a) everyone openly admits that for all intents and purposes Lebanese policy is what Syria wants it to be and (b) everyone openly admits that Hezbollah is backed by and takes its order from Syria. Yet everyone goes around busily pretending otherwise, lest someone point out the obvious: that the little fantasy world of international law - where Arab countries actually obey the rules that they hysterically (and usually falsely) accuse Israel of violating - is not just disconnected from, but is very close to the opposite to, reality.
The question, however, is who the other side is. If the air force buzzed Syrian President Bashar Assad's summer palace after Hamas killed two soldiers and kidnapped Gilad Shalit two weeks ago, then one could expect the IAF to level the palace - and more - after Hizbullah killed seven soldiers and captured two others. Syria, after all, is - together with Iran - Hizbullah's sponsor. And, indeed, Olmert had some harsh words to say about Syria. Throughout the recent period, Syria has proven that it is a terrorist government," Olmert said with Koizumi standing at his side... But to do so, to go on a strong military offensive against Syria, Israel would need international legitimacy, and getting legitimacy to declare war on Syria for an act perpetrated from Lebanese soil by a party within the Lebanese government, would be difficult to obtain.
Of course, as loyal MR readers you knew all that by 6:30 EST, since our comment when we passed on that press conference was exactly the same thing: "we don't see how Israel can avoid military strikes against Syria. If Hamas's actions were enough to justify the IDF buzzing Assad's house... look, the Hezbollah rockets used in this morning's attack are either Syrian in origin or came from Iran through Syrian lands with Syrian blessing".
Incidentally, this is a neat little example of just how surreal Middle East diplomacy has become: (a) everyone openly admits that for all intents and purposes Lebanese policy is what Syria wants it to be and (b) everyone openly admits that Hezbollah is backed by and takes its order from Syria. Yet everyone goes around busily pretending otherwise, lest someone point out the obvious: that the little fantasy world of international law - where Arab countries actually obey the rules that they hysterically (and usually falsely) accuse Israel of violating - is not just disconnected from, but is very close to the opposite to, reality.
