Reasonable Arguments

Submitted by John Ayoub (Australia), Feb 23, 2005 at 21:56

Many SSNP (Syrian Social Nationalist Party) Members are always trying to lecture me about "The Nile to The Euphrates" concept. Whilst agreeing with Hatim Zaghloul on the point of why don't Israeli leaders make their position clear, I would have to also say that I think the discussion is so complex, it could not be just settled so easily. There could be some disagreements amongst Jews themselves!

Also, the Syrian regime has for 30 years occupied Lebanon, stealing, raping the country, killing its oponents etc etc etc. I hardly see Assad (may he rest in peace) as being a honorable leader, trying to amalgamate Lebanon as a Syrian puppet state. Syrian Soilders in Lebanon were absolute Dogs. I was stopped by them on a few ocassions. I found myself giving them cigarettes and money in order to get them to stop hassling me. If the Assads and their supporters think that they have a strong argument, with respect to the display of the map of greater Israel in the Knesset, let them think again. The way their soilders treated people in Lebanon was more than just dominance.

I think also that the Israelis used occupation as a tool to create buffer areas around Israel's borders to protect its people! When you have been attacked more than once, you can't just sit back! The Syrians constantly held that Israel had to withdraw from Lebanon and that Israel's occupation was an implementation of Greater Israel. Israel has withdrawn. Syria is still in Lebanon collecting 40% of border taxes! Lebanon has a population of 4 million people. There are 1 million Syrian workers working for a fraction of the Lebanese salary! Who has got the expansionist aspirations?

75% of Syria's GDP is on armanents. Syria has a fulltime Military force of over 300 000 soilders and a reserve force of millions. It spends billions (money collected from Lebanon) purchasing missiles and anti-aircraft systems. Who is going to attack Syria? Why does it have forces in Lebanon? Why is it that Syria has regular and reserve forces greater than the population of Israel and yet it can't retake the Golan Heights?

It was reported that when Syrian forces entered Iraq with Coalition forces in 1991/92, that Syrian Soldiers danced to the joy of entering Iraq.

Who is the real expantionist power in the Middle East?

Israel has withdrawn from Egypt, Lebanon, about to withdraw from Gaza and parts of the West Bank. Syria has not withdrawn from Lebanon.

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".