Hold Syria accountable
Posted: October 6, 2003
By Joseph Farah
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
For 30 years, Syria has undermined peace and freedom in the Middle East and never been held accountable. Last weekend, Israel finally held Syria accountable for sponsoring the kind of terrorism that struck on the Sabbath in a crowded restaurant in Haifa, killing 19. No doubt many analysts, diplomats and others not at risk of constant terrorist attack will decry Israel's air raid on a terrorist training base deep in Syrian territory as a dramatic escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. I say it is the right thing to do.
This terrorist base, the Ein Tzahab, was used by Islamic Jihad and Hamas. It is hosted by Syria and paid for by Iran. Therefore, Israel would have justification to bomb the capital of Syria and Iran for the deadly attack in Haifa and dozens of others like it carried about by Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Bombing the terrorist base itself shows Israel is still using the utmost restraint in the face of overwhelming provocation. Syria has been in the terrorism business for a long time. With its occupation forces in Lebanon, it has turned that once-free nation into a permanent host of parasitic forces of terrorism. We also believe Syria is allowing guerrilla forces to move into and out of Iraq for the express purpose of attacking U.S. troops.
For all these reasons, it's about time somebody hit Syria. Syria will cry and moan and gnash its teeth about this little attack by Israel. The U.S. should explain that's just what happens when you support terrorism against your neighbors. Sometimes you get hit back. There should be no apologies. There should be no talk of de-escalating the conflict. There should be only warnings that more of this will come following terrorist attacks by groups with bases in Syria.
It's time to exact a price from Syria. Damascus cannot be permitted to stand on the sidelines and escape retribution as its fighters are disbursed to neighboring countries to play havoc and wreak death and destruction. It's time to start squeezing Syria. It's time to squeeze it like the Israelis did. It's time to squeeze it by freeing Lebanon of its grip. It's time to isolate it from trading partners. And it's time to give it a taste of its own medicine. But it's time for more than symbolic gestures. The real goal of our terror war should be to destroy the terrorist infrastructure throughout the Middle East.
That means toppling the regimes in Syria and Iran. The logical next phase of this war should be to shift attention to Syria. Damascus not only supports terrorism, it is still at this very moment supporting the guerrillas attempting to kill our troops in Iraq.
Further, Syria is the only country in the Middle East actively occupying a neighboring country. That little neighbor is Lebanon – one of the few countries in the region that actually has a history of constitutional, republican-style government.
Why Syria and not Iran? Because Iran has domestic problems that could lead to the fall of the mullah regime at any moment. An invasion may not be necessary. But Syria is a second-generation, totalitarian police state. Uprisings are brutally crushed, and there is no chance of a popular rebellion. Thus, it will take outside force – the kind we are now employing in Iraq – to take down Damascus.
Although left out of Bush's "axis-of-evil" illustration of countries harboring or sponsoring terrorists, Syria has gained increased scrutiny amid suspicions it allowed Saddam Hussein to transfer weapons of mass destruction across its border, allegations it supplied Iraq with illegal arms which are currently being used against coalition forces, and charges it and Iran have dispatched thousands of terrorists and suicide bombers into Iraq for attacks against coalition forces. Is it crazy to talk about extending the war in the Middle East? Recent history has shown us it may be crazy not to do so. Our troops are there now. We have made a huge commitment to one regime change. It won't be easy to do this again a year from now or 10 years from now. There is no chance Syria will change its stripes without force. There is no chance Lebanon will be free without a regime change in Damascus. There is no chance we will wipe out the world's biggest terrorist base – in Lebanon – without targeting Syria.
Israel has apparently caught on. Maybe it's time for the U.S. to see the truth, too.