Middle East Inside Line: Syria's Assad Launches Fierce Criticism of Israel

Transcript & Analysis: Netanyahu in US – Waiting for Obama, Talking about “Small” Israel
Palestine Video: The Separation Wall Falls (Again)
Mahmoud Abbas: “Israel Does Not Want Peace but We Do”

Receive our latest updates by email or RSS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED
Buy Us A Cup of Coffee? Help Enduring America Expand Its Coverage and Analysis

On Monday Syrian President Bashar Assad, in Istanbul for the meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, condemned "Zionist occupation". He warned Israel of the "legitimacy of Arab resistance" if peace talks fail and called for the demolition of settlements in the West Bank:

Resistance to the occupation is a national duty. To support it is a moral and legal duty and standing by it is an honor which makes us proud.

Arabs have a fixed desire for the realization of a just and comprehensive peace on the basis of the return of the occupied territories, especially Occupied Syrian Golan but the failure of negotiations in returning all rights means existence of the resistance as an alternative solution.

What about dismantling settlements instead of stopping them and more importantly, what about ending the occupation? We must begin to work for the elimination of the occupation since it ensures us stopping then removing the settlements and not the opposite.

Turkey's Erdogan: Sudan's Darfur Policy Less "Criminal" Than Israel in Gaza

Mahmoud Abbas: “Israel Does Not Want Peace but We Do”
Israel-Palestine Video: Obama & Peres on the Path to Peace

Receive our latest updates by email or RSS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED
Buy Us A Cup of Coffee? Help Enduring America Expand Its Coverage and Analysis

On Sunday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered support to Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir and attacked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Amidst harsh criticisms of Bashir's possible arrival in Istanbul for the summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference this week --- it was later confirmed that he would not attend --- Erdogan said he did not believe that the Sudanese President was guilty of the crimes for which he was indicted by the International Criminal Court. However, Sudanese officials have already confirmed that Bashir will not come to Istanbul.

Then, Erdogan compared the Israeli offensive in Gaza and the continuing drama in Darfur. He said, "It is not possible for those who belong to the Muslim faith to carry out genocide....If there were such a thing in Darfur, we would be chasing this to the end." He added that he "cannot discuss this [allegation for war crimes] with Netanyahu but I can easily discuss such issues with Omar al-Bashir". Erdogan stated that Israel had committed greater crimes against Palestinians.

Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar Assad offered a caution to Erdogan earlier Sunday. He said that Turkey should maintain good relations with Israel so it could mediate Damascus-Jerusalem peace negotiations. Assad's statement is a likely reaction to the assertion of Netanyahu that "Turkey cannot be a honest broker anymore" and suggestions that countries such as Croatia and Italy could step in as a mediator.

In the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz, Yitzhak Laor offers a provocative and supportive argument of Erdogan's position vis-a-vis Israel, stating that Israel's apartheid is worse than South Africa's. Settlements and policies of discrimination in Israel. backed by Washington, are creating a worse atmosphere for Palestinians than the past in South Africa, where black people could at least make a living.

Iran-Israel Ship Encounter: Hezbollah & Syria Call Reject Claims of Tel Aviv's "Pirates"

Two Birds, One Stone: Netanyahu Attacks UN & Iran
Iran-Israel “Silent War”: Armed Ship Intercepted

Receive our latest updates by email or RSS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED
Buy Us A Cup of Coffee? Help Enduring America Expand Its Coverage and Analysis

On Thursday, Hezbollah and Syria denied any connection with the ship, allegedly carrying arms from Iran, halted by Israel the previous day.

The Hezbollah statement called Israelis "pirates operating in international waters". Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem then stepped in to deny Israel's claims:

Unfortunately there are official pirates disrupting the movement of goods between Iran and Syria. I stress, the ship was not carrying Iranian arms bound for Syria, nor was it carrying material for manufacturing weapons in Syria. It was carrying [commercial] goods from Syria to Iran.