Arlene Kushner Sept 1st 2013
http://tinyurl.com/ob5xgjd
The "just" is being employed
advisedly, of course. But the fact of the matter is that there is more
than one horrendous way for Assad to attack civilians associated with rebel
forces.
This past Thursday, information came out from Syria via
BBC journalists that was picked up by very few news sources. I would have
thought it would have been screamed from the rafters, but either it is "ho
hum" or is simply running under the radar.
My betting is that you haven't heard about this:
It was the end of a school day in the north of Syria,
and, reportedly, a fighter jet overhead flew back and forth looking for a
target (i.e., place where a group of people is assembled). The one the
pilot decided upon was the yard of a high school, where groups of teenagers just
dismissed from a day at school were lingering.
What he dropped on the kids was some sort of
"napalm-like" incendiary bomb that caused horrendous burning. Ten young people were dead and many more injured,
"writhing in agony."
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The "fighter jet" wasn't identified by the BBC
journalists as belonging to Assad's forces, but certainly it did. The
rebel forces don't have fighter jets. The location of the attack, an area
where those supporting the rebel forces are found, makes this even more clear.
According to the Independent (UK) the attack took place in Aleppo.
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Credit : BBC Panorama
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It is only days ago that there were Americans saying that
the military warning to Assad to stop using gas had to be delivered soon
because there was fear of another gas attack, with the most likely target
Aleppo.
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After I viewed the video, I confess that I responded
viscerally: My first thought was that Assad's head had to be bombed
off. Of course that probably would not be possible because he's hiding in
a bunker.
I make no apology for that initial emotional response to
such gross and shocking inhumanity. But, in short order, I began to think
more rationally again, with regard to the wisdom -- within the full context of
the situation -- of taking the Assad regime down. There are a lot of
people calling for this -- not because of the incendiary bomb, but for broader
reasons regarding a weakening of Iran.
What has shocked me is how little the world has paid
attention to this latest attack by the Assad regime. Evidence seems clear
in the video, but if further confirmation is required, let journalists begin to
investigate.
And here I would suggest that you, my readers, can be a
vehicle for spreading the word of the reports on what is going on.
If you cannot definitively say, "Assad's air force
dropped an incendiary bomb that burned young people to death," although
there is an exceedingly good likelihood that this is precisely what happened,
then you can say just that: There is a good likelihood of this having happened
as reported, and it's important for people to know, to pursue the matter, and
to raise their voices loudly.
For the record, use of an incendiary bomb is
forbidden by international law, on a humanitarian basis. I've checked
this with an international lawyer. Alan Baker, my frequent "go
to" on such issues. As I said, it's not "just" gas.
Use the BBC link, or the Independent link, or both, for
confirmation. Put this up on websites, and on discussion groups, and ask
why the world is not responding with horror.
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Equally shocking to me (I suppose I should no longer be
shocked but I haven't learned to move past this) is how brazen Assad is.
Defying all norms established by the international community with regard to
humanity, he proceeds blithely even as he knows he is being watched.
He is thumbing his nose at the world, confident that he
can proceed without paying a price. And this is precisely why he must pay a
price.
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Now to Barak Obama, and his statement last night.
I make a public confession. For one fleeting
moment, after I heard that he was going to address the American people, I
imagined that he was going to say that there had been sufficient justification
for action in Syria in any event, but now with evidence of an attack on young
people with an incendiary bomb, the case is even stronger.
Silly me... I was quickly brought back to the reality:
Obama is a coward who has made a fool of himself.
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According to unattributed sources within the
administration, Obama's turn-around on speedy action in Syria was made
unilaterally at the last moment. Advisers gathered expecting to discuss
details of the attack, only to be told that the plans had changed.
Understand that he is not surrounded by advisors we would call "right
wing" or "hawks." And yet they were on board for moving on
Syria.
According to the Wall Street Journal, which carried this
story, Obama's change of mind was facilitated by reassurance he received from
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey, who said that the
timing of the attack did not matter: Whether strikes were launched
tomorrow, or a week from now, or a month from now, the military would be able
to ensure the effectiveness of the operation. he reportedly maintained.
I take strong issue with Dempsey on this. What
he is saying -- if indeed he said this as reported -- is akin to nonsense.
Already too much time has elapsed, and too much has been said by the
president.
There are reports of military equipment being moved in
Syria away from the places the US is most likely to attack. Reuters, for
example, reported on some missiles and launching equipment being moved from a
key military site last week as a "precautionary measure":
Other reports have alluded to precautionary troop
movements.
What is worse, there are multiple reports of prison
inmates being moved by bus, by the thousands, to those sites most likely to be
targeted -- to serve as human shields. This is also in defiance of
international law.
And Dempsey maintains that the timing is irrelevant here?
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Obama's reluctance to act against Syria has been evident
from the start, whatever the surface bravado of his words. He has now
surrendered to that unease -- which was exacerbated by the negative response of
the British Parliament and Cameron's subsequent pull out.
He has fallen back on the excuse that it will be more of
a "democratic" process if he permits Congress to debate the issue and
then vote on it. (Obama: the champion of democratic process.) For the
record: this is not required of him by law, as he is not declaring war on
Syria; there is ample precedent for the sort of action he was supposed to take.
Congress is not scheduled to re-convene after its summer
recess until the 9th of September. That is when the debate will begin;
who knows when the vote will be held.
There is mixed opinion here: Is Obama hoping that the
Congress will vote against, so that he is off the hook? Or is he looking
for support so that he isn't going it alone? He says he intends to attack
Syria eventually; but if Congress is opposed?
My contempt for all of this is boundless.
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I will note here that the argument is being made that
with the delay Obama will at least have access to the findings of the UN team
that went to the site of the gas bombing and came out with samples -- and thus
will his case be bolstered. I find this a bit of nonsense as well.
For it has already been concluded that there was a gas attack. If the UN
now says the blood samples show there was a gas attack, how does this make
Obama's case stronger?
The issue (allegedly) was one of being sure that Assad
ordered the attack. But the UN team's blood samples will not provide
evidence of this.
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A case can be made that the longer the delay, the less
the sense of immediacy, the easier to dispense with it all together.
Coming full circle, there is also concern about
additional attacks against the Syrian population that Assad will pursue with
great equanimity if has not been attacked. If the whole point is to warn
him that his current behavior will not be tolerated, then he has to be warned,
does he not?
In fact, Obama's delay is causing Assad to feel even more
emboldened.
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Here in Israel, where criticism of Obama is strong, it is
being said that Netanyahu now knows he cannot count on Obama on Iran.
My own opinion is that Netanyahu, who is not foolish,
figured this out a long, long time ago.
Perhaps there are others, either here in Israel or
elsewhere in the Middle East, who have now been disabused of any notion that
Obama is someone to be depended upon. Neither the government of Israel
nor that of other countries such as Saudi Arabia, eager for the attack, were
informed in advance of Obama's change in plans. The president's credibility has
sunk to a new low.
What is certain is that in Iran, they're sniggering.
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What I would like to suggest is that, if you are an
American, you contact your representatives in Congress now, as they prepare to
convene for the big debate.
Tell them that before they vote, they should be aware of
the evidence of an incendiary bomb attack by the Assad regime on Syrian
teenagers. Provide the BBC link, complete with video.
For your Congresspersons:
For your Senators:
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You might want to see Alan Baker's comments for the
Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs on the situation in Syria. He is
taking a broad international position:
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| Credit: cjnews |
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Lastly, let me share an upbeat article from the JPost
Magazine about Israeli medical care provided to Syrians wounded in their
horrendous civil war. This is the sort of article not only to read and share,
but to save in order to refute malicious charges against Israel:
