Terry Glavin: Amidst sectarian violence, Israel should embrace Syrian government
While tensions persist and talks continue, the powerful, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces — the tip of the NATO spear in the war against ISIS — should be expected, especially with American help, to find its place in Al-Sharaa's new Syria.
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Al-Sharaa's first big test in dealing with Syria's explosive sectarian flashpoints came this week with the results of an investigation Damascus ordered into the massacres of Alawites in March, and it was no whitewash. The transitional government's fact-finding committee reported that 1,426 people died in attacks on security forces and reprisal killings of Alawites.
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The report found that the violence was almost entirely random and rage-fuelled, sparked by a revolt staged by Alawites connected to Assad's regime and by the killing of more than 200 security forces personnel. The committee concluded that no Syrian commander ordered reprisals, and in fact army commanders gave orders to halt them. The committee identified 298 suspects involved in targeting Alawites, and while their names have not been released their cases have been handed over to the judiciary. Thirty-one people who committed violations have already been arrested.
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It's no small irony that Al-Sharaa's enemies, primarily Iran's Quds Force and Hezbollah, are also Israel's enemies, and Al-Sharaa has gone out of his way to purge Palestinian officials who grew comfortable in Damascus during the Assad years. He has refused entreaties from Hamas and shuttered the offices, confiscated the guns and vehicles and property belonging to the Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine, the PFLP — General Command, the Palestine Liberation Army, Fatah al-Intifada and the Baath-aligned Al-Sa'iqa movement.
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Israel has performed miracles in recent months. Hezbollah's military power has been smashed, its chain of command decapitated. Hamas is crawling around in the rubble of Gaza, the Khomeinists have been badly bloodied, and Tehran's 'axis of resistance' in the region is scattered and broken. It would be a tragedy of unforgivable proportions if these victories were squandered by allowing either Al-Sharaa or Netanyahu to make a hash of things in Syria.
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As the American Syria envoy Tom Barrack put it the other day: 'With this Syrian regime, there is no Plan B. If this Syrian regime fails, somebody is trying to instigate it to fail,' Barrack said. 'For what purpose? There's no successor.'
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Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The thorny decision follows heavy U.S. pressure and comes as part of implementing a November ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and militant group Hezbollah including two months of all-out war. The cabinet held a nearly six-hour cabinet session on Tuesday headed by President Joseph Aoun on disarming the group, which emerged badly weakened from the latest war, with its arsenal pummelled and its senior leadership decimated. The Iran-backed group is the only faction that kept its weapons after Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war, doing so in the name of 'resistance' against Israel, which occupied the country's south until 2000. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the government 'tasked the Lebanese army with setting an implementation plan to restrict weapons' to the army and other state forces 'before the end of this year.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The plan is to be presented to the cabinet by the end of August for discussion and approval, Salam told a press conference after the marathon session. Under the ceasefire, government authorities including the army and internal security forces should be the exclusive bearers of weapons in Lebanon. The cabinet is to continue discussions this week on a proposal from U.S. envoy Tom Barrack that includes a timetable for Hezbollah's disarmament. 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