Syria Supports Hamas--But They Are No Friends Of The Palestinians

In 2005, the Syrian authorities tried to blame Palestinians for the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in an unsuccessful attempt to divert attention from their involvement in the murder.

But the animus Syria has for the Palestinian Arabs goes much further than that--just as they have not hesitated to kill their own people, during the past 30 year, the Syrian government has not hesitated to slaughter Palestinian Arabs as well:

But the Syrian regime has always been the most hostile toward the Palestinians. During the Lebanon Civil War in the 1970s and '80s, Syrian troops based in Lebanon massacred thousands of Palestinians, at times shelling refugee camps with heavy artillery.

The Syrians then also played a major role in instigating a mutiny against PLO leader Yasser Arafat and assassinating top Palestinian officials. In the mid-'80s, Syria was the first country in the world to declare Arafat persona non grata, ordering him to leave the country within 48 hours. Many Palestinians back then saw Arafat's expulsion as a humiliation to all Palestinians.

Bashar's father, Hafez Assad, invited all radical Palestinian groups to set up their headquarters in Damascus with the declared goal of undermining moderate Arabs who support peace with Israel. The Syrian authorities have sometimes used these Palestinian groups to launch terror attacks that serve Damascus's interests.

The Syrians are believed to be holding hundreds of Palestinians in various prisons. Many Palestinians who entered Syria over the past three decades have gone missing and are believed to have been executed or tortured to death. Earlier this year, a Palestinian journalist from the Gaza Strip who traveled to Syria joined the list of those who have gone missing in the country.

Syria has no love for the Palestinian Arabs and are merely using them--just as much of the Muslim world does. As Khaled Abu Toameh concludes his article:

It is time the Palestinians know how to choose their friends.

At the very least, they should finally realize who their enemies are.

Hat tip: Challah Hu Akbar

Technorati Tag: Syria and Palestinians.