Aleppo

2024-05-08

(JTA) — I grew up in a small Syrian enclave in Brooklyn in the 1960s. It was a wonderful community with many old-world traditions. I missed it when I grew up and moved to Manhattan. In the days before electronic marketing, I received tons of unsolicited mail. I also received mail that most people did not: donation requests from American Palestinian groups. If you were going through a phone book, you would definitely identify my last name as of Arabic origin and put me on the list. Like many Jews who had centuries-long roots in Arabic countries such as my family had also long ago adopted Arabic family names — often by the chosen trade. My last name “Sayegh” means “jewel maker” in Arabic and is spelled to reflect that guttural “gh” sound that even I cannot pronounce correctly.  So, it’s not totally surprising that Palestinian groups thought I was one of them. Over the past years, I have often been frustrated when I find people do not understand the trauma of the 700,000 Jews from all over the who were violently expelled from their countries in 1948 and how it resonates today.  Pro-Palestinian activists who call out Israel as a “European settler colonial project” omit a critical part of the story that calls into question their claim. They ignore the Mizrahi majority in Israel who are descendants of Jews expelled from Arab lands when Israel was declared a state. Group of young Iraqi Jews who fled to Mandatory Palestine following the 1941 Farhud pogrom in Baghdad. (credit: Moshe Baruch/Wikimedia Commons) These “Arab Jews” — an often-contested term that I think is nonetheless fitting — experienced tremendous loss of life, property, family wealth and history that went back hundreds and sometimes thousands of years, and these experiences need to be acknowledged. By including it in the narrative of the current Israeli/Palestinian conflict, it will help balance the conversation by taking into account the actual historical events of 1948 and the impact on all the involved parties. My family had a long history in Syria before my grandparents came to America in the early 1900s. My grandfather was a true Damascene who was ready for an adventure and left his very large family to see what America was all about. My grandmother’s family moved from Aleppo to Palestine where she was born and grew up. Faced by the extreme poverty in Jerusalem, her family decided to follow others to America. My grandparents met in Marseilles waiting for the boat that would take them to America. Even though I have belonged to Jewish communities most of my adult life, my Syrian Jewish heritage continues to define me. It’s in the foods I like, the nasal intonation of the prayers that I often miss and in customs such as naming children after living relatives (a no-no among most Ashkenazim). I was blessed to have spent 30 years of my life knowing my grandmother Lily, aka Leah, after whom I am named. And as a “Syrian Jew,” I know what it means to belong to a minority of a minority in America. The Ashkenazi majority, with origins in Eastern Europe, defines Jewish culture in America.  Many American Jews with roots in Yiddish-speaking lands do not fully acknowledge that Jews come from every corner of the world — Asia, Africa, the Middle East and parts of the Caucasus — all of whom have different languages and customs. Nor do they seem to be fully aware of the experience of Jews in Arabic countries in and after 1948. When I moved to Israel in 1983, I finally met people who knew how to pronounce my last name and understood my Jewish cultural background. I also met my Great Uncle Daniel, who made it to Israel by foot after fleeing the extreme violence in Syria in 1948, and his large family. As a descendant of Syrian Jews, I propose that now is the time to highlight these stories so they can take a prominent place in the conversation on the Middle East by all Americans — including all American Jews. What my family and hundreds of thousands of other Arabic Jews suffered and lost should not be forgotten, or eclipsed by the well-publicized plight of Palestinians. With the founding of the State of Israel, many Arabic Jews  were expelled from their countries or were exposed to such horrific violence they had no choice but to leave. Many went to Israel. Their descendants now represent over 50% of the population of Israel. The legacy of Arabic Jews might also give hope to all sides in a region where hope is in short supply.  There is no side in any war that is unscathed and unimpacted. For Palestinians, this history might allow them to point to people who rebuilt meaningful new lives even after experiencing traumatic events.  By bringing to the forefront the existence and truth of this often overlooked narrative, we can create a better future for all based on the realities of our histories. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-27

Israel went on high alert after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei threatened to avenge a suspected Israeli bombing of the Iranian embassy in Damascus on April 1 that killed seven top officers, headed by IRGC commander Brig.-Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi.. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel was ready for “any scenario that may develop vis-à-vis Iran.” On April 8, an IAF strike killed Ali Ahmed Hassin, commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan forces in southern Lebanon, the IDF said. On March 29, Israeli strikes on Aleppo killed 42 people, including a top Hezbollah figure, Reuters reported. On March 27, Zaher Bashara, 38, from a Druze village, was killed when Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets at Kiryat Shmona.  On April 7, the IDF announced that 604 soldiers and more than 12,000 terrorists had been killed since October 7. The last casualties before the IDF withdrew all forces from the southern Gaza Strip were Capt. Ido Baruch, 21; Sgt. Amitai Even Shoshan, 20; Sgt. Reef Harush, 20; and Sgt. Ilai Zair, 20, all of whom were members of the Oz Brigade killed in combat in Khan Yunis. Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi said that despite the troop withdrawal, “the war in Gaza continues, and we are far from stopping.” A week before, Halevi issued an apology for an Israeli strike on an international aid convoy in Gaza on April 2, saying it had been the result of a “misidentification.” The IDF dismissed two top officers over the tragic incident in which three cars from a World Central Kitchen convoy were hit by drone-fired missiles, leaving seven humanitarian workers dead. Benjamin Achimeir, a 14-year-old Jewish shepherd, was murdered near the outpost of Malachei Shalom on April 12, the IDF said. As a search was launched for the terrorists, settlers went on the rampage in several Palestinian towns, and a Palestinian man was killed in clashes with the IDF. Lidor Levy, 34, who had a pregnant wife and year-old daughter, died at Ichilov Hospital on April 4 of wounds he sustained in a terrorist stabbing in Gan Yavne four days earlier. The assailant, a 19-year-old Palestinian from Dura, was shot dead by security officers. On April 7, a female soldier sustained serious wounds in a terrorist shooting in the West Bank. On April 3, four policemen were wounded in a car ramming in Kochav Yair. Security forces killed the terrorist, a 26-year-old from Tira.  GANTZ’S CALL War Cabinet minister (National Unity) called on April 3 for national elections in September, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government faced pressure at home and abroad over the continuing war against Hamas in Gaza. “We must agree on a date for elections in September, about a year since the war [began],” Gantz said in a televised address. “Setting such a date will allow us to continue the military effort while signaling to the citizens of Israel that we will soon renew their trust in us..”HAREDI DRAFT On March 28, Israel’s High Court of Justice issued a landmark decision endorsing a universal draft, including the haredi sector, starting April 1 as a matter of principle, while in practice deferring enforcement until August 9. The ruling accepted the recommendation of Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, invoking a legal universal draft immediately but providing transition time for the institutions to adjust to the new reality. The upcoming months also give the government an extension to pass a new law on drafting haredim. AL JAZEERA headquarters in Doha (credit: Imad Creidi/Reuters)AL JAZEERA Before it went on its annual spring recess, the Knesset on April 2 approved the so-called Al Jazeera Law 71-10, giving the government temporary powers to prevent foreign news networks from operating in Israel if they are deemed by security services to be harming national security. Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi announced immediately after the vote that the Qatari-funded Al Jazeera news channel would be closed down “in the coming days,” adding: “There won’t be freedom of expression for Hamas mouthpieces in Israel.”NOBEL LAUREATE , an Israeli-American psychologist who won the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his research integrating psychology and economics, died on March 27 at the age of 90. In 2013, US president Barack Obama awarded Kahneman the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor. RESPECTED SENATOR , a longtime senator from Connecticut (1989 to 2013) who as Al Gore’s running mate in 2000 became the first Jewish candidate for vice president, died on March 27 at the age of 82. Lieberman, a Democrat-turned-independent, was known for his bipartisan attempts to build bridges across the political aisle. Israel’s Ambassador to the US Michael Herzog called Lieberman “a true American patriot, proud of his Jewish identity and an ironclad supporter of the State of Israel and the US-Israel alliance.” War Cabinet minister (National Unity) called on April 3 for national elections in September, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government faced pressure at home and abroad over the continuing war against Hamas in Gaza. “We must agree on a date for elections in September, about a year since the war [began],” Gantz said in a televised address. “Setting such a date will allow us to continue the military effort while signaling to the citizens of Israel that we will soon renew their trust in us..” On March 28, Israel’s High Court of Justice issued a landmark decision endorsing a universal draft, including the haredi sector, starting April 1 as a matter of principle, while in practice deferring enforcement until August 9. The ruling accepted the recommendation of Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, invoking a legal universal draft immediately but providing transition time for the institutions to adjust to the new reality. The upcoming months also give the government an extension to pass a new law on drafting haredim. AL JAZEERA headquarters in Doha (credit: Imad Creidi/Reuters) Before it went on its annual spring recess, the Knesset on April 2 approved the so-called Al Jazeera Law 71-10, giving the government temporary powers to prevent foreign news networks from operating in Israel if they are deemed by security services to be harming national security. Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi announced immediately after the vote that the Qatari-funded Al Jazeera news channel would be closed down “in the coming days,” adding: “There won’t be freedom of expression for Hamas mouthpieces in Israel.” , an Israeli-American psychologist who won the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his research integrating psychology and economics, died on March 27 at the age of 90. In 2013, US president Barack Obama awarded Kahneman the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor.  , a longtime senator from Connecticut (1989 to 2013) who as Al Gore’s running mate in 2000 became the first Jewish candidate for vice president, died on March 27 at the age of 82. Lieberman, a Democrat-turned-independent, was known for his bipartisan attempts to build bridges across the political aisle. Israel’s Ambassador to the US Michael Herzog called Lieberman “a true American patriot, proud of his Jewish identity and an ironclad supporter of the State of Israel and the US-Israel alliance.” ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-03-29

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) reported hitting four drones belonging to the Yemen-based Houthis late on Thursday. According to the U.S. military statement, the UAVs "were aimed at a coalition vessel and a US warship and were engaged in self defense over the Red Sea." This post can't be displayed because social networks cookies have been deactivated. You can activate them by clicking manage preferences. Israeli airstrikes kill over 30 soldiers, civilians near Syria's Aleppo - report Overnight explosions were heard near the city's airport, where Israel reportedly raided 'rockets depots belonging to Lebanese group Hezbollah,' said war monitor ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-03-29

A series of Israeli airstrikes near the Syrian city of Aleppo killed dozens, both civilians and military personnel, early on Friday, according to the Syrian state news agency SANA.  According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, that has an extensive network of sources in Syria, Israel targeted an area "near rockets depots belonging to Lebanese group Hezbollah," resulting in killing of 36 soldiers. This post can't be displayed because social networks cookies have been deactivated. You can activate them by clicking manage preferences. Meanwhile, Reuters, citing security sources, said the Israeli raids killed 33 civilians and soldiers as well as five members of the Lebanon-based Hezbollah. This post can't be displayed because social networks cookies have been deactivated. You can activate them by clicking manage preferences. This is a developing story ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-03-25

“I was born into a liberal family, which was very unique in terms of Middle Eastern country standards. In our house, we never believed the media or the regime’s propaganda, and I always felt like I had a safe space back at my parents’ home where I could ask questions freely. This was not common at all in Syria, under the dictatorial Assad regime.” Hayvi Bouzo, a Syrian-born journalist, spoke to The Jerusalem Post from her present home in the US. A co-founder and host of the Yalla Show, Bouzo had a long career in journalism – both in Syria and abroad – before becoming a popular content creator based in the US. “It was only when I moved to the US that I realized how dangerous that ‘safe space,’ which I had the privilege of enjoying at home. If those conversations we had at home were ever to be discovered by the regime – our entire family would’ve been in danger, maybe even killed,” added Bouzo gloomily. Bouzo was born and raised in the capital, Damascus, the hometown of her father, but traveled frequently between there and Aleppo, her mother’s birthplace. She has mixed ancestry, with grandparents from Arab, Turkish, and Kurdish roots. “Turkish and Kurdish! Can you imagine that today? But this is the core and essence of the Middle East; it’s how it used to be, historically. Unfortunately, this diversity was not celebrated by the time I was born. There was one specific dominant identity, and the rest were subjugated to suppression and marginalization.” Interestingly, Bouzo says that her mother was raised with many Syrian Jews nearby. “They were a Muslim family, but they had many friends and neighbors who were Jewish. My mother had witnessed the systematic abuse turned against the Jewish communities by the authorities. She saw how they were made to flee. She would tell me and my siblings how she would cry and sometimes wouldn’t sleep at night knowing that when the morning comes, one of her friends or a neighbor may be gone along with their family.”syrian jews 224.88 ap (credit: AP) “We grew up hearing those stories about the Jewish neighbors and the crimes against the Jewish community in Aleppo,” Bouzo reminisces. “My father used to buy meat at the Jewish butcher’s in Damascus because it was known for its good quality. I personally never met any Jews in Damascus; the Ba’ath Party had already taken control of the state by the time I was born, and the Jewish community was already forced out from their ancient home inside the walls,” she adds. Bouzo believes that the diversity and multiculturalism in her background were at the heart of her ability to overcome some of the dominant prejudices of her surroundings. “When you’re composed of conflicting cultures, you feel like you’re smack in the middle of everything. You understand that everyone is human and that everyone has their own perspectives on things. “Journalism also aligns well with how I grew up. I watched hours of heated debates between my father and his friends, stark disagreements with much political awareness. It was a natural transition for me,” Bouzo says. “I was always pro-freedom and pro-human rights; I always wanted to give a voice to those who had to remain silent.” Her background also ultimately led her to opt for a journalistic career. “I wanted to become a journalist since I was interested in people’s stories and in sharing new perspectives. This desire to become a journalist may also be explained by the reality in which I lived, where people were not free to share their thoughts freely and openly.” Bouzo moved to the US as a teenager but then returned to Syria for a couple of more years, just before the uprising and civil war started. She started serving as the anchor on a couple of TV shows in Syria and Dubai, both in Arabic and English. During 2007-2009, Bouzo worked with a station named Sham TV. “It was the first attempt to have a private TV station in Syria. Needless to say, it was never allowed to take off,” she adds ironically. She then moved to a new channel named Orient TV, where she worked as a host of an entertainment and culture show. She cohosted the first English radio show in Syria, Afternoon Drive, broadcast on MixFM. Hayvi Bouzu conducting an interview (credit: Courtesy) “The show was about various topics – dating, psychology, etc.,” Bouzo recalls. “One time, we started speaking about successful Syrian expats from across the world, and I mentioned that Jerry Seinfeld’s mother is of Syrian Jewish ancestry and was born in Aleppo. Suddenly we started receiving phone calls, people were saying ‘Shame on you!’ ‘How could you ?’ “They just started saying negative things about Israel, and I responded, “I’m talking about his mom being Jewish from Syria; why are [you] talking about politics?” I was in complete shock. By the way, the Assad regime used to do this occasionally. They faked calls to radio and TV stations to intimidate people from voicing their opinion if it became too unfavorable in their eyes.” The radio station manager ultimately fired her. “I got sacked because I mentioned Jerry Seinfeld,” Bouzo laughs. Back in the US, Bouzo served as chief of Orient News. “Then came the pandemic, and for me, it was a time of introspection and realizing that as much as I liked talking about politics on TV, this was not a way forward to making the difference I wanted. So, I decided to dedicate my time and expertise to promote peace between Israel and Arab countries and between Jews and Muslims. “First, I wanted to focus on dealing with the root cause of problems in the Middle East: antisemitism, hate, and discrimination against those who believe and think differently,” Bouzo says. “These are rooted and programmed in people’s minds by the media, education systems, and governments following decades of indoctrination. Our diverse history is forgotten. Growing up in the Middle East, you wouldn’t hear or learn anything about the very ancient Jewish history in the region. Additionally, people are being demonized just for being who they are. For me, dehumanization is the saddest part of all. It has led the region to become fertile ground for terror groups, who destroyed life and hope for generations.” “The solution I came to, to foster connections among people in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and promote peace, was to cofound the Yalla platform with former US State Department official Len Khodorkovsky,” Bouzo adds. “In the show, we create soft and uplifting content for social media featuring mainly good news and positive stories from the region in Arabic and English, though our main target audience is still the Arabic-speaking world. “Historically in the MENA region, those advocating for are punished and marginalized, while proponents of violence and terrorism who shout of ‘from the river to the sea’ are glorified. This is one of the most dangerous realities we face today in the MENA region. Yalla steps into this narrative as a force for change, seeking to counteract the deep-seated rhetoric that incites violence, antisemitism, and hatred. By bringing attention to shared histories and modern realities, Yalla fosters empathy and dialogue, striving for a future where humanization and mutual respect prevail between Israel and its Arab neighbors and amongst Jewish and Muslim communities worldwide.” Bouzo explains that the Yalla Show, which has hundreds of thousands of followers and millions of views across major platforms, has a rule of thumb of discussing no politics whatsoever. “However, we do discuss the Abraham Accords, and we do bring up the implications and devastation caused [by] the Iranian regime.” The show touches upon innovation and inspirational stories of success in culture, sports, science, technology, and more. Some of the most prominent interviewees on the show were former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Emirati astronaut Hazza Al Mansouri, Moroccan actress Farah El-Fassi, and even Israeli actor and producer Lior Raz. “This was such an important episode! You’ll never see an Israeli actor speaking in Arabic media, even though Fauda is one of the most-watched series on Netflix in the Arab world. Yalla creates a home where celebrities and positive inspirational figures can be highlighted and showcased in an uplifting light.” Bouzo recounts that most show viewers, available on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and its own website, are from non-Abraham Accords countries, including Algeria and Iraq, Morocco, the UAE, and Israel. “It goes to show that people are thirsty for these topics, even in these countries. It even shows a sign of hope,” she adds. Then came “This was devastating on so many levels,” says Bouzo mournfully. “As if the horrors of Hamas against so many Israeli Jews, Muslims, and Druze weren’t enough to process, then we also had to face the repugnant reactions on social media. We’ve been working on dehumanization for so long that more and more people started opening up. Still, then, the first responses to the attack on Arabic and social media were of people just going back to the narrative that they’ve been taught for decades, which is the total dehumanization of Israeli victims. Additionally, there was either complete denial that the massacre ever happened or a repulsive celebration and justification for it. Of course, it was shocking, but it also made me realize how crucial our work is.” As for the shocking response from younger generations in the West, Bouzo makes a unique observation. “I was born in a country where people were brainwashed to become tools for the system, so I’m no stranger to that. I identify that here, too, many young people were and are being brainwashed. These young people born in democracies have no idea what it is to be born and raised under dictatorial regimes that support terrorists in committing atrocities. They think that these organizations are acting on behalf of a certain ‘cause.’ It’s heartbreaking for someone like me who knows how privileged they are to live in a free society. What would happen to them if they would’ve lived under regimes such as Hamas? We can all try to guess." “I believe peace is the only way forward,” says Bouzo. “However, peace cannot be made with terrorist organizations, but rather between people, between Arab countries and Israel, and yes, between Israel and the Palestinians at some point, though several things must happen before that can be achieved. “We must continue to share the untold stories of what happened in the Middle East. When Palestinians protested in Gaza a few years back, nobody covered that,” she adds angrily. “There are so many innocent Israeli hostages that are held by Hamas in Gaza today. The people of Gaza currently also find themselves under the grip of Hamas’s Iranian agenda, and to a greater extent, organizations such as Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and others under the Iranian regime’s influence are also holding the broader MENA region hostage. Hamas is the enemy of the region and not just Israel.” “At Yalla, we strive to provide a platform for the stories that no other channel in Arabic will share,” explains Bouzo. “We shared the impactful accounts of individuals like Manar al-Sharif, a Palestinian Syrian, who provided eyewitness testimony to the cruelty inflicted by Hamas on Gazans. Our storytelling included the compassionate endeavors of Israeli activist Vivian Silver, who dedicated her life to aiding Palestinians, and Awad Darawshe, an Arab Israeli paramedic. Tragically, both Silver and Darawshe were murdered by Hamas on October 7.” Bouzo concludes: “I want to encourage our esteemed readers to support genuine grassroots efforts that encourage coexistence and people-to-people peace in every way they can. Through media and education, we can forge a path to a better, safer, and more peaceful tomorrow for everyone in the MENA region and beyond.” ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-03-04

gave a rare interview this week to a Kremlin-aligned Russian news presenter from his palace in the capital city of Damascus, defending Hamas, praising Putin, and casting the United States as a hypocritical hegemon that the two dictatorships have served to humble.  Assad, whose government has been fighting rebel groups for almost thirteen years in a civil war that has taken about 500,000 lives, presented Israel as the aggressor in Gaza, and justified Hamas’s October 7 invasion of Israel’s south as self-defense, insisting that the attack is justified by historical context.  The Syrian dictator also expressed support for , and compared the war between Israel and Hamas to that war, asserting that Russia’s invasion of the European nation was self-defense, just as he views Hamas’s invasion of Israel to have been: “Anyone from Israel will come and say to you, ‘but you are talking about history,’” Assad told his Russian interviewer, Vladimir Solovyov, “[but] is history separated from the past?” The Syrian president then implied that the invasion of Ukraine was a response to “attempts to encircle your country, Russia, from the south,” concluding, “Everything that happens in the present is a result of history. The situation is the same." Syrian President Bashar Assad speaks to pro-Kremlin journalist Vladimir Sovolyov, March 2024. (credit: screenshot) Assad has been allied with since September 2015, an alliance that is widely credited with having shifted the balance of the conflict, turning the battlefield in Assad’s favor and thus rescuing the Arab nationalist regime. A relentless Russian bombing campaign allowed the regime to retake the city of Aleppo in late 2016, and Idlib from 2018 to 2020.  Both these campaigns were widely accused of war crimes, with Russian forces appearing to routinely target civilian infrastructure.  Iran also participated in the war, supporting Assad via arms, training, special forces, and the support of its proxy militias, such as Hezbollah, which has been attacking Israel’s north, and exchanging fire with the IDF along the Israel-Lebanon border, since Hamas attacked the Jewish state on October 7, initiating the ongoing war. Iran has also supported Russia’s war against Ukraine, supplying the Russian military with arms .  Solyvov, the Russian journalist who interviewed Assad, began the sit-down by praising Assad’s Syria as “great country that freely chose its fate,” while invoking Iran as a potential victim of nuclear aggression by the United States or Israel, saying that these two were the “only countries that could use nuclear weapons” and that Iran could be targeted, if the conflict in the region escalates. RUSSIAN PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin meets with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar Assad, in Damascus. (credit: SPUTNIK/ALEXEI DRUZHININ/KREMLIN VIA REUTERS) Assad and Solovyov also commiserated over the global condemnations of alleged war crimes by the Syrian government during the country’s civil war and by the Russian army in Ukraine. “In 2017,” the Russian presenter told Assad, “the lying West alleged the use of chemical weapons,” a reference to the , which the US, Israel, Human Rights Watch, and others charge was conducted by the Assad regime and killed around 90 people, but Damascus and Moscow deny took place.  “When the special Russian military operation began,” Solovyov went on, using an official term for the invasion of Ukraine two years ago, “the West tried to break the negotiations. In Istanbul, Russia was accused of horrific crimes in Bucha. Our people do not believe this.”  Solovyov was referring to the allegations of by Russian forces during the period of its occupation before the Ukrainian army recaptured it about a month into the war. Russia denies that any crimes took place, contrary to findings by the United States government as well as NGOs such as Amnesty International and media outlets such as the New York Times. “The people of the West are not a bad people,” Assad responded, “but the media and politicians are allied in order to make this people ignorant and therefore they can tell them anything.” Solovyov asked Assad about the upcoming presidential election in Russia, in which Putin will face several pre-approved candidates, none of whom opposes the war in Ukraine. “To what degree will these elections affect the future of the world and not just Russia?” Solovyov asked.  “Russia,” Assad answered, “is a country on which the fate of the world depends,” and invoked an Arabic proverb that one must not switch horses in the middle of a battle, asserting that due to the war in Ukraine, Russia must not change leaders. Assad then said that Syrians “cannot look at the situation in Russia as an internal situation,” and that there was no question whom Syrians support, the obvious answer being Putin.  Meanwhile, the Syrian leader mocked , saying that the wartime leader is “basically a clown. This was his role before the presidency”— Zelensky was a comedian prior to entering politics— “and he succeeded more after he became president in this respect.” The remark about Zelensky came in the context of a discussion of western sanctions, with Assad dismissing their long-term importance and urging Russians not to succumb to international pressure, describing the west as a transactional actor that cannot be counted on. “You may pay a price… in the short term,” Assad said of coming under Western sanction, “but in the long term, far and away, you will win.” The Syrian president invoked the history of the Shah in Iran as an example of allying with the West only to be betrayed when interests were no longer aligned. ...قراءة المزيد

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