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The Palestinian Nakba: The Resolve Of Memory

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Post date May 23, 2012
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Many Palestinians remember and reference al-Nakba, also known as the Catastrophe, on May 15 every year. The event marks the expulsion of nearly a million Palestinians, while their villages were destroyed. The destruction of Palestine in 1947-48 ushered in the birth of Israel. Older generations relay the harsh and oppressive memory of their collective experience to younger Palestinians, many of whom live their own Nakbas today.

In covering al-Nakba, sympathetic Arab and other media play sad music and show black and white footage of displaced, frightened refugees. They rightly emphasize the concept of Sumud, steadfastness, as they show Palestinian of all ages holding unto the rusty keys of their homes and insisting on their right of return. Other, less sympathetic media discuss al-Nakba, if at all, as a side note – a nuisance in the Israeli narrative of a nation’s supposedly miraculous birth and its progression to an idyllic oasis of democracy. What such reductionist representations often fail to show is that while al-Nakba started, it never truly finished.

Those who underwent the pain, harm and loss of al-Nakba are yet to receive the justice that was promised to them by the international community. UN Resolution 194 states that “the refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date” (Article 11). Those who wrought this injustice are also yet to achieve their ultimate objectives in Palestine. After all, Israel doesn’t have defined boundaries by accident.

David Ben Gurion, first Prime Minister of Israel, once prophesized that “the old (refugees) will die and the young will forget.” He spoke with the harshness of a conqueror. Ben Gurion carried out his war plans to the furthest extent possible. Every region in Palestine that was meant to be taken was captured, its people were expelled or massacred in their homes and villages. Ben Guiron ‘cleansed’ the land, but he failed to cleanse Israel’s past. Memory persists.

Ben Gurion referenced my own family’s village – Beit Daras – which witnessed three battles and a massacre. In an entry in his diaries on May 12, 1948, he wrote: “Beit Daras was mortared. Fifty Arabs (were killed). The (villages of) Bashit and Sawafir were occupied. There is mass exodus from nearby areas (neighbors in Majdal). We sustained 5 dead and 15 wounded. ” (War Diaries, 1947-1949).

More than fifty people were killed in Beit Daras that day. An old Gaza woman, Um Mohammed – who I discussed in my last book, My Father was a Freedom Fighter – refers to what is likely the same event:

“The town was under bombardment, and it was surrounded from all directions. There was no way out. The armed men (the Beit Daras fighters) said they were going to check on the road to Isdud, to see if it was open. They moved forward and shot few shots to see if someone would return fire. No one did. But they (the Zionist forces) were hiding and waiting to ambush the people. The armed men returned and told the people to evacuate the women and children. The people went out (including) those who were gathered at my huge house, the family house. There were mostly children and kids in the house. The Jewish (soldiers) let the people get out, and then they whipped them with bombs and machine guns. More people fell than those who were able to run. My sister and I…started running through the fields; we’d fall and get up. My sister and I escaped together holding each other’s hands. The people who took the main road were either killed or injured. The firing was falling on the people like sand. The bombs from one side and the machine guns from the other.”

Ben Gurion would not necessarily doubt Um Mohammed’s account. He candidly stated: “Let us not ignore the truth among ourselves…politically we are the aggressors and they defend themselves…The country is theirs, because they inhabit it, whereas we want to come here and settle down, and in their view we want to take away from them their country” (as quoted in Chomsky’s Fateful Triangle, pp. 91-2).

It is precisely for this reason that neither the old nor the young have forgotten. Every day is another manifestation of the same protracted al-Nakba that has lasted 64 years now. Young people’s hardships today are inextricably linked to the violent and horrific uprooting decades ago.

Al-Nakba has also remained an ongoing project through generations of Israeli Zionists. When Ben Gurion died in 1973, current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in his mid-twenties. He was then serving his last year in the Israeli army, and today he rules Israel with a coalition that includes almost three quarters of the Israeli parliament. Like most Israeli leaders, he continues to contribute to the very discourse by which Palestine was conquered. He speaks of peace, while his soldiers and armed settlers take over Palestinian homes and farms. He makes repeated offers to Palestinians for ‘unconditional’ talks, as he repeats his violent rejection of every Palestinian aspiration. His lobby in Washington is much stronger than ever before. He reigns supreme, as he continues to fulfill the ‘vision’ of early Zionists.

Old keys and deeds of stolen lands attest to the intergenerational experience that is Al-Nakba. Today Palestinians continue to be herded behind military checkpoints. They are denied the right to proper medical care, and their ancient olive trees are ruthlessly bulldozed. What Israel has not been able to control, however, is the resolve of Palestinians. The prison, the checkpoint and the gun reside in our collective memory in a way that cannot be held captive, controlled, or shot.

In fact, al-Nakba is not a specific date or an estimation of time, but the entirety of those 64 years and counting. The event must not be assigned to the shelves of history, not as long as refugees are still refugees and settlers continue to rob Palestinian land. As long as Netanyahu speaks the language of Ben Gurion, other ‘catastrophic’ episodes will follow. And as long as Palestinians hold on to their keys and deeds, the old may die but the young will never forget.

By Ramzy Baroud

18 May, 2012

Countercurrents.org

– RamzyBaroud (www.ramzybaroud.net) is an internationally-syndicated columnist and the editor of PalestineChronicle.com. His latest book is My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza’s Untold Story (Pluto Press, London).

The New Protest

RABIN SQUARE in Tel Aviv has seen many demonstrations, but none quite like last Saturday’s.

It has nothing to do with the event which gave the square its name: the huge rally for peace at the end of which Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. It was different in every respect.

It was a joyous occasion. Dozens of NGOs, many of them small, some of them slightly larger, each with a different agenda, came together in an effort to restart last year’s social protest. But it was not a continuation of last year’s Israeli Spring by any means.

Last year’s upheaval was quite unplanned. A young woman, Daphni Leef, could not pay her rent and so she put up a small tent in Rothschild Boulevard, five minutes’ walk from Rabin Square. She had obviously struck a chord, because within days hundreds of tents had sprung up in the boulevard and all over the country. It ended in a huge demonstration, called the “March of Half a Million”, which led to the setting up of a government commission, which made a list of suggestions to relieve social injustice. Only a small fraction of them were put into practice.

The whole effort called itself “apolitical”, rebuffed politicians of all stripes, and resolutely refused to deal with any national problem such as peace (what’s that?), occupation, settlements and such.

All decisions were made by an anonymous leadership grouped around Daphni. Some of the names became known, others did not. The masses who took part were quite content to accept their dictates.

NO MORE. This year’s new initiative has no obvious leadership at all. There was no central tribune, no central speakers. It resembled London’s Hyde Park Corner, where anyone can climb on a chair and preach his or her gospel. Each group had its own stand where its flyers were displayed, each had its own name, its own agenda, its own speakers and its own guides (since we should not call them leaders).

Since the square is big and the audience amounted to some thousands, it worked. Many different – and some contradictory – versions of social justice were advocated, from a group called “Revolution of Love” (everybody should love everybody) to a group of anarchists (all governments are bad, elections are bad too).

They all agreed only on one point: they were all “apolitical”, all shrank back from the taboo subjects (see above).

Gideon Levy called the scene “chaotic” and was immediately attacked by the protesters as lacking understanding (with a hint that he was too old to understand.) Chaos is wonderful. Chaos is real democracy. It gives the people their voice back. There are no leaders who steal and exploit the protest for their own careers and egos. It’s the way the New Generation expresses itself.

IT ALL reminded me of a happy period – the 60s of the last century, when almost none of this week’s protesters was yet born, or even “in the planning stage”’ (as Israelis like to put it).

At the time, Paris was seized by a passion for social and political protest. There was no common ideology, no unified vision of a new social order. At the Odeon theatre an endless and uninterrupted debate was going on, day after day, while outside, demonstrators threw cobblestones at the police, who beat them up with the leaden seams of their overcoats. Everyone was elated, it was clear that a new epoch in human history had begun.

Claude Lanzmann, the secretary of Jean-Paul Sartre and lover of Simone de Beauvoir, and who later directed the monumental film Shoah, described the atmosphere to me like this: “The students burnt the cars in the streets. In the evenings I parked my car at distant places. But one evening I told myself: What the hell, what do I need a car for? Let them burn it!”

But while the Left was talking, the Right gathered its forces under Charles de Gaulle, a million Rightists marched down the Champs Elisees. The protest petered out, leaving only a vague longing for a better world.

The protest was not limited to Paris. Its spirit infected many other cities and countries. In lower Manhattan, youth reigned supreme. Provocative posters were sold in the streets of the Village, young men and women wore humorous buttons on their chests.

On the whole, the vague movement had vague results. Without a concrete agenda, it had no concrete results. De Gaulle fell some time later for other reasons. In the US, the people elected Richard Nixon. In public consciousness, some things changed, but for all the revolutionary talk, there was no revolution.

ON SATURDAY’S rally, young Daphni Leef and her comrades wandered around in the crowd like a relic from the past, hardly noticed. After only one year, it seemed as if a new New Generation was taking over from yesteryear’s New Generation.

It was not that they were unable to unite around a common agenda – rather, they did not see the virtue, or even the necessity of having a common agenda, a common organization, common leadership. All these are, in their eyes, bad things, attributes of the old, corrupt, discredited regime. Away with them!

I am not quite sure what I think about it.

On the one hand, I like it very much. New energies are released. A young generation that seemed egoistic, apathetic and indifferent, suddenly shows that it cares.

For years now, I have expressed my hope that the young people would create something new, with a new vocabulary, new definitions, new slogans, new leaders, that are totally divorced from today’s party structures and government coalitions. A new beginning. The beginning of the Second Israeli Republic.

So I should be happy, watching a dream coming true.

And indeed, I am happy about this new development. Israel needs basic social reforms. The gap between very rich and very poor is intolerable. A broad new social movement, even with so much diversity, is a good thing.

Social Justice is a leftist demand and always has been. A demonstration shouting “The People Demand Social Justice” is leftist, even if it wants to avoid this stigma.

But the adamant refusal to enter the political arena and proclaim a political agenda is disturbing. This could mean that it will all peter out just like last year’s effort.

When the demonstrators insist that they are “apolitical” – what do they mean? If it means that they do not identify themselves with any existing political party, I can only applaud. If it is a tactical ploy, in order to attract people from all existing camps, ditto. But if it is a serious determination to leave the political arena to others, I must condemn it.

Social justice is a political aim par excellence. It means, among other things, to take away money from other uses and devote it to social purposes. In Israel, it inevitably means taking away money from the huge military budget, as well as from the settlement drive, from the subsidies paid as a bribe to the Orthodox and from the parasitic tycoons.

Where can this be done? Only in the Knesset. To get there, you need a political party. So you have to be political. Period.

An “apolitical” protest, avoiding the burning questions of our national existence, is something that is outrageously divorced from reality.

Last year I compared the social protest to a mutiny on board the Titanic. I could expand on this. Imagine the wonderful ship on its maiden voyage with all the lively activity on board. The band throws away the old-fashioned music of Mozart and Schubert, replacing it with hard rock. Anarchists dismiss the captain and elect a new captain every day. Others reject the Boat Drill – a ridiculous exercise on the “unsinkable” ship – and organize sport events instead. Also the scandalous difference between first class and the steering passengers is abolished. And so on. All deserving causes.

But somewhere along the route there lurks an iceberg.

Israel is heading towards an iceberg, bigger than any of those in the path of the Titanic. It is not hidden. All its parts are clearly visible from afar. Yet we are sailing straight towards it, full steam ahead. If we don’t change course, the State of Israel will destroy itself – turning first into an apartheid-state monster from the Mediterranean to the Jordan, and later, perhaps, into a bi-national Arab-majority state from the Jordan to the Mediterranean.

Does this mean that we must give up the struggle for social justice? Certainly not. The fight for social solidarity, for better education, for improved medical services, for the poor and the handicapped, must go on, every day, every hour.

But to be successful this struggle must be a part – politically and ideologically – of the wider struggle for the future of Israel, for ending the occupation, for peace.

By Uri Avnery

Syrian rebels get influx of arms with gulf neighbors’ money, U.S. coordination

Post author By admin
Post date May 23, 2012
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Syrian rebels battling the regime of President Bashar al-Assad have begun receiving significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks, an effort paid for by Persian Gulf nations and coordinated in part by the United States, according to opposition activists and U.S. and foreign officials.

Obama administration officials emphasized that the United States is neither supplying nor funding the lethal material, which includes antitank weaponry. Instead, they said, the administration has expanded contacts with opposition military forces to provide the gulf nations with assessments of rebel credibility and command-and-control infrastructure.

“We are increasing our nonlethal assistance to the Syrian opposition, and we continue to coordinate our efforts with friends and allies in the region and beyond in order to have the biggest impact on what we are collectively doing,” said a senior State Department official, one of several U.S. and foreign government officials who discussed the evolving effort on the condition of anonymity.

The U.S. contacts with the rebel military and the information-sharing with gulf nations mark a shift in Obama administration policy as hopes dim for a political solution to the Syrian crisis. Many officials now consider an expanding military confrontation to be inevitable.

Material is being stockpiled in Damascus, in Idlib near the Turkish border and in Zabadani on the Lebanese border. Opposition activists who two months ago said the rebels were running out of ammunition said this week that the flow of weapons — most still bought on the black market in neighboring countries or from elements of the Syrian military — has significantly increased after a decision by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other gulf states to provide millions of dollars in funding each month.

Syria’s Muslim Brotherhood also said it has opened its own supply channel to the rebels, using resources from wealthy private individuals and money from gulf states, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, said Mulham al-Drobi, a member of the Brotherhood’s executive committee.

The new supplies reversed months of setbacks for the rebels that forced them to withdraw from their stronghold in the Baba Amr neighborhood of Homs and many other areas in Idlib and elsewhere.

“Large shipments have got through,” another opposition figure said. “Some areas are loaded with weapons.”

The effect of the new arms appeared evident in Monday’s clash between opposition and government forces over control of the rebel-held city of Rastan, near Homs. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebel forces who overran a government base had killed 23 Syrian soldiers.

Administration officials also held talks in Washington this week with a delegation of Kurds from sparsely populated eastern Syria, where little violence has occurred. The talks included discussion of what one U.S. official said remained the “theoretical” possibility of opening a second front against Assad’s forces that would compel him to move resources from the west.

Syrian News on May 17th, 2012

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Post date May 23, 2012
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DAMASCUS, (SANA)- President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday issued Decree No. 169 for 2012 which includes the names of the elected members of the People’s Assembly for the first legislative term for 2012.

The Higher Committee for Elections on Tuesday announced in a press conference the final results of the parliamentary elections for the first legislative term for 2012.

Head of the Committee, judge Khalaf al-Azzawi, said that the results reflected broad representation of the Syrian people with its different parties and sectors and highlighted the special position and presence of women in the Syrian community as the number of elected women members in the People’s Assembly reached 30.

Eleven Army, Law-Enforcement and Civilian Martyrs Laid to Rest

PROVINCES, (SANA)- The bodies of 11 army, law-enforcement and civilian martyrs were escorted on Wednesday from Tishreen Military Hospital in Damascus, Aleppo Military Hospital, Deir Ezzor Military Hospital, Homs Military Hospital and Police Hospital in Harasta to their final resting place.

Solemn processions were held for the martyrs who were killed in the line of duty in Damascus Countryside, Aleppo, Deir Ezzor and Daraa.

The martyrs are:

Brigadier General Nizar Abdo al-Hussein, from Homs.

Captain Hussein Ali Dawood, from Damascus Countryside.

Sergeant Major Walid Ahmad al-Abdullah, from Deir Ezzor.

Sergeant Ali Ibrahim al-Zeer, from Homs.

Conscript Mahmoud Saleh al-Khudr al-Mohammad, from Aleppo.

Conscript Shafe’ al-Sayyad, from Homs.

Conscript Ahmad Alaa Eddin Dukmak, from Aleppo.

Conscript Rami Ahmad Nashawi, from Aleppo.

Policeman Issa Suleiman Balloul, from Homs.

Civilian Issa Attiya al-Jassim, from al-Quneitera.

Civilian Raed Munir Suleiman, from Homs.

The martyrs’ families expressed pride in the martyrdom of their sons who sacrificed their souls for the sake of defending Syria’s stability and pride.

They expressed confidence in Syria’s ability to overcome the crisis thanks to the sacrifices of the Syrian army. They called for dealing firmly with the armed terrorist groups and confront all those who try to tamper with the homeland’s security and stability.

Terrorist Groups kill and Injure Law-enforcement Members in Homs, Daraa

GOVERNORATES, (SANA)_Armed terrorist groups continued perpetrating massacres and targeting law-enforcement members and citizens, and vandalizing public and private properties.

A sniper shot dead Hussein Ibrahim Sharbo, a law-enforcement member, near the Old Clock in Homs city.

A source in the governorate told SANA correspondent that Ma’an Abboud, 39 years old, and his son Yaarub, 9 years old, and Muntajab Abdul-Latif, 35 years old, from al-Zahraa neighborhood were injured by shrapnel from two mortar shells shot by armed groups from al-Khalidiieh neighborhood, also causing material damage to house and shops.

In Daraa, an armed terrorist group attacked with RPG al-Nazihin neighborhood in the city, killing a child, Hala Muhammad Rashid, 3 years old, and injuring 16 citizens, some seriously.

An armed terrorist group also broke into the house of Sheikh Moussa Ahmad al-Awda in Zayzoun town and shot him dead.

An armed terrorist group assassinated on Wednesday Engineer Hassan al-Ali and injured his colleague Subhi Jweid while they were heading to their workplace in the Operating and Maintenance Directorate, affiliated to the General Establishment for Land Reclamation in Deir Hafer in Aleppo.

SANA correspondent quoted a source in the governorate as saying that 4 terrorists in a car targeted the two engineers’ car in Aleppo. Engineer al-Ali was martyred and his colleague Jweid injured.

The source indicated that the engineering units dismantled an explosive device that an armed terrorist group glued to the bottom of a car in front of the house of a law-enforcement member in al-Fardous neighborhood in Aleppo.

In Idleb, an armed terrorist group detonated an explosive device in a petrol station near Salqin city in Idleb countryside, causing great damage to the station.

SANA correspondent quoted a source in the governorate as saying that the station is owned by Mustafa Jalkhi from Salqin city. No human injuries were reported.

72 persons, from Aleppo, Idleb and Damascus give themselves up to the authorities

72persons, from Aleppo, Idleb and Damascus who were involved in the latest events but didn’t commit crimes, gave themselves up with their weapons to the authorities Wednesday.

The authorities settled their cases and released them after they pledged not to bear any weapon or participate in acts of chaos.

Italy Sends 5 Observers to Syria, Observers Continue Tours in Homs and Deir Ezzor

ROME/SYRIAN PROVINCES, (SANA) – Italian military sources announced on Wednesday that five Italian observers arrived last night in Damascus including a woman to join the UN Observer Mission in Syria.

The Italian news agency, AKI, reported the source as saying that the Italian Cabinet had approved sending observers to join the UN Observer Mission in Syria within the framework of the plan of UN envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan.

International Observers Tour Hospitals and Neighborhoods in Different provinces

A team of international observers on Wednesday met the Governor of Homs and toured the hospitals of Charity and Social Services, al-Za’eem and the Red Crescent in the city accompanied by Director of the Health Department.

The team also visited al-Fruqlus town in the countryside of Homs province.

The international observers in Deir Ezzor province visited the Military Hospital and toured some of the city’s neighborhoods.

Another observers’ team visited Tartous where they met its governor and inspected the work in al-Basel Hospital.

In Aleppo, another team inspected the site where Engineer Hassan al-Ali was martyred at the hands of an armed terrorist group.

The tem also visited al-Hamadaniya police station and the Military Hospital.

In Lattakia, the observers met its Governor, Abdelkader Mohammad al-Sheikh.

A member of the delegation said that this visit is mainly about logistics and providing the needs of the office which they will set up in the province. For his part, al-Sheikh briefed the delegation on life in the province which is going on as normal despite some incidents caused by terrorists in some areas.

He pointed out to the weapon smuggling and infiltration of armed groups taking place in Lattakia province through the borders with Turkey or by sea.

Al-Sheikh also called for providing the delegation with everything it needs to carry out its tasks.

Three Terrorists, a Libyan and Two Tunisians, Confess to Infiltrating into Syria to Carry out Terrorist Attacks in Coordination with al-Qaeda

DAMASCUS, (SANA)-Three terrorists, one of them Libyan and the two others are Tunisians confessed that they infiltrated into Syria through the Turkish borders in order to carry out terrorist attacks in coordination with al-Qaeda and militias of so-called the free army.

Libyan terrorist Fahd Abdul-Kareem Saleh al-Freitis said in confessions broadcast by the Syrian TV Tuesday that he took part in the latest events in Libya, then he went to Istanbul in Turkey where he contacted with a person called Abu Ahmad, from al-Qaeda, who asked him to come to Antakya near the Syrian borders.

Al-Freitis added that he infiltrated into Syria on foot, later a car for Abu Ahmad took him to the Syrian port of Lattakia. “When we arrived in Lattakia, we stayed there for several days. Then we met Abu Ahmad who works with the free army to take us to al-Mujahedin,” the Libyan terrorist said.

Tunisian terrorist Osama Mukhtar Hazli confessed that he also went to Libya to participates in the events there. “When I was staying in Libya, one of my friends called Ridaa told me that he will go to Syria.. I told him that I wish to travel with him.. Later Ridaa came along with Sami and Walid,” Hazli added.

“We all went to Turkey where we phoned Abu Ahmad who pledged to guarantee our entrance to Syria.. He asked us to come to Antakya, he had relation with a person called Abu Talha who possesses a Jihadist group affiliated to al-Qaeda in Syria,” the Tunisian terrorist said.

“After entering Syria, we went to Lattakia and met Abu Ahmad who would take us to Abu Talha or the free army in order to travel to Idleb,” he added.

For his part, terrorist Majdi bin al-Ayashi al-Ayari, from Tunisia, confessed that he also went to Libya to take part in the fighting… later he joined a camp for al-Qaeda where he trained who to use weapons.

“Later, I went to Turkey where I contacted Abu Ahmad who told me to travel to Antalya… After arriving there, one of the persons took me by car and help me infiltrate into Syria… I went to Lattakia where a taxi for Abu Ahmad was awaiting me to get there,” Al-Ayari said.

He added “when we arrived there, they took us to one of the houses where I found several persons, of Arab nationalities… Abu Ahmad welcomed us and told us that one of the smugglers will take us in the next day to join al-Mujahedin.”

Gen. Mood: Those Who Use Violence against the Syrian People and International Observers Should Reconsider Their Acts

DAMASCUS, (SANA)- Head of the international observer mission to Syria, Gen. Robert Mood, on Wednesday said all those who are using violence against the Syrian people or against the international community represented by the observers should reconsider their acts as they will not contribute to realizing the aspirations of the Syrian people.

In a press statement reported by the United Press International, Gen. Mood praised the cooperation provided by the Syrian government to the international observers in this regard.

He talked about the incident which happened to one of his teams in Khan Sheikhoun town in the province of Idleb, in which two of their vehicles broke down.

“This is definitely not the kind of violence we want,” said Gen. Mood, expressing hope that this kind of violence would not be repeated.

He noted that the observer team have just left Khan Sheikhoun and were on their way back to Damascus.

Head of the international observer mission thanked the Syrian authorities for their cooperation, applauding the Syrian government’s role in facilitating and coordinating the transport of the two hit vehicles and the team’s departure from the town of Khan Sheikhoun.

On Tuesday, a team of the observers were hit in an explosive device blast targeting one of their vehicles in Khan Sheikhoun town in the Idleb, which caused damage to two vehicles, while no one was harmed.

Visiting Russian Delegation to Produce Documentaries about Events in Syria

TARTOUS/LATTAKIA, (SANA) – Members of the Russian delegation visiting Syria underlined on Wednesday that they have shaped a clear image about the situation in the country, examining the fierce campaign targeting the Syrians upon being compared to the reality.

The delegation members, who came to produce documentaries about the events in Syria, pledged to be committed to objectivity and impartiality in documenting the facts related to the crisis.

Head of the delegation, Viktor Barabash, clarified that the Russian people realize the specialty of the Syrians who are an example of amity, expressing hope that the Syrians will remain united in defending their homeland and rejecting the foreign agendas.

For his part, Tartous Governor, Atef Naddaf, stressed the importance of Russian delegation’s expected project in documenting the situation in Syria away from distortion which has been utterly adopted by anti-Syrian media campaigns seeking to spread hatred among the Syrians and disfigure their image before the Arab and international public opinion.

Naddaf hoped that these documentaries would be soon displayed on Arab and international TV channels to convey the reality to the world.

Russian Media Delegation Visits Lattakia

The Russian media delegation also visited the city of Lattakia, meeting its governor and the head of al-Baath Arab Socialist Party branch in the city.

During this meeting, the delegation members said that what they witnessed firsthand and the testimonies of wounded soldiers, families of martyrs and citizens made them more aware of the conspiracy against Syria, adding that they sensed the Syrians’ determination to supporting reforms and preserving the country.

They voiced commitment to portraying facts as they are and relay reality with transparency, objectivity and credibility.

For their part, Lattakia’s Governor Abdelkader Mohammad al-Sheikh and head of al-Baath Party branch Mohammad Shreiteh voiced the Syrians’ appreciation of Russia’s stances in support of the Syrians’ choices.

The delegation members toured Lattakia and visited families of martyrs, offering them condolences and listening to their testimonies.

The Russian delegation includes thirteen members of different specializations including directors, journalists, professors, photographers, reporters and others.

Iran Stresses Cooperation to Make Success of Annan’s Plan to Avoid Problems in the Region

TEHRAN, (SANA)- Iranian Foreign Minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, on Wednesday stressed the importance of cooperation among the region’s countries to make a success of the plan of the UN envoy to Syria Kofi Annan to avoid more problems in the region.

In a statement to the Iranian students news agency ISNA, Salehi expressed hope in the success of Annan’s plan to resolve the crisis in Syria, calling upon all countries interested in the Syrian issue not to take actions they would later regret.

He warned that the repercussions of not solving the Syrian crisis through dialogue would include the region entirely.

The Iranian Foreign Minister stressed the importance of giving the Syrian government the chance to implement Annan’s plan, lauding the good reform steps made by the Syrian leadership particularly those of the new constitution and the recently conducted parliamentary elections.

Salehi noted that the Syrian government has expressed complete readiness to conduct dialogue with the opposition, voicing hope that no measures will be taken that would cause problems to the region.

Washington Post: Influx of Arms to Armed Syrian Opposition with Gulf States’ Money and U.S. Coordination

WASHINGTON, (SANA)- The Washington Post newspaper said that the Syrian opposition have begun receiving significantly more and better weapons in recent weeks, an effort paid for by Gulf nations and coordinated in part by the United States.

The newspaper added, according to opposition activists and U.S. and foreign officials, that the flow of weapons, most still bought on the black market in neighboring countries, has significantly increased after a decision by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other gulf states to provide millions of dollars in funding each month, after armed opposition figures warned two months ago that they were running out of ammunition.

The article titled ‘Syrian rebels get influx of arms with gulf neighbors’ money, U.S. coordination’ noted that Obama administration officials emphasized that the United States is neither supplying nor funding the lethal arms, which includes antitank weaponry. Instead, they said, the administration has expanded contacts with opposition military forces to provide the gulf nations with assessments of rebel credibility and command-and-control infrastructure.

“We are increasing our nonlethal assistance to the Syrian opposition, and we continue to coordinate our efforts with friends and allies in the region and beyond in order to have the biggest impact on what we are collectively doing,” the Washington Post quoted a senior State Department official as saying.

The newspaper said that “the U.S. contacts with the rebel military and the information-sharing with gulf nations mark a shift in Obama administration policy.”

It cited Mulham al-Drobi, a member of Syria’s Muslim Brotherhood’s executive committee, as saying that the Brotherhood also said it has opened its own supply channel to the rebels, using resources from wealthy private individuals and money from gulf states, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The newspaper added, according to another opposition figure that “large shipments have got through,” and that “Some areas are loaded with weapons.”

Other opposition figures were quoted as saying that they have been in direct contact with State Department officials to designate worthy rebel recipients of arms and pinpoint locations for stockpiles.

Mehmanparsat: Two of the Iranian Engineers Abducted by Terrorists in Syria Released

TEHRAN, (SANA) – Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparsat on Wednesday said that two of the Iranian engineers who were abducted by terrorists in Syria were released and that they will return to Iran soon.

In a statement, Mehmanparsat said that efforts have resulted in releasing these two engineers who were delivered to the Iranian Embassy in Ankara, voicing satisfaction over this and hoping that the rest of the Iranians abducted by terrorists in Syria will also be released soon, especially the engineers who were in Syria to help the Syrian people.

Israeli Occupation Authorities Violate Intl Pacts by Continuing to Build Settlements in Syrian Golan amidst World Silence

QUNEITRA, (SANA) – The Israeli occupation authorities in the occupied Syrian Golan started constructing the first Zionist settlement five Km to the west of Quneitra city right after a month of the beginning of June aggression of 1967.

Moshe Dayan, the Israeli War Minister in the late 60s of the last century, is the one who came up with the idea of constructing settlements in the occupied Golan, saying ” We are going to consolidate a new settlement reality on Golan territories which cannot be changed in the future.”

Dayan’s remarks came after displacing 153 thousand Golan people in the aggression of 1967, as most of the 37 Israeli settlements are spread in the middle and southern parts of Golan.

Mohammad al-Mahameed, a researcher in the affairs of the occupied Syrian Golan from the occupied al-Bteiha area, said the Israeli authorities concentrate on the middle and southern sectors of Golan for building the settlements since the northern part is a rough and mountainous area and not suitable for agriculture.

He clarified that the occupation authorities and the Israeli settlers invest 80,000 dunums in agriculture and 450,000 dunums in pastures, which annually need 30 million cubic meters of water supplied from Tabaria Lake in the southern sector of the occupied Golan.

He noted that more than 20, 000 Zionist settlers benefit from these seized areas where they plant different kinds of fruitful trees and build ranches and barns that include 6,000 cows and 20,000 sheep.

The Syrian librated prisoner Atta Farhat from the occupied village of Baqatha pointed out to the Zionist gang’s intentions behind building settlements in Golan in the course of fulfilling the dream of the Torah state and controlling Golan water sources and natural resources after displacing the original inhabitants, particularly after the Knesset’s unjust decision to annex the Golan to the artificial entity.

Hassan Fakher-Eddin from the occupied Majdal Shams village pointed out to the Israeli criminal acts including destroying the occupied Syrian villages and deporting the people by force in an attempt to change the features of the villages and eliminate the trace of the Arabs from them.

Popular Commission for Liberation of Golan: Israeli Decision on Oil Exploration in Golan Violates International Decisions

In another context, the Popular Commission for the Liberation of the Occupied Syrian Golan stressed that the Israeli entity’s decision on exploring oil and gas in the Golan is considered a flagrant violation of the international conventions and human rights in the occupied Arab territories.

The commission said in a statement on Wednesday that this decision comes in the framework of desperate attempts to exploit the current events in the region and the international silence on the Israeli violations that are aimed at changing the demographic situation in the occupied Arab lands, contrary to the international decisions which prevent changing the nature of occupied regions or the use of their natural resources, that are considered the property of the original inhabitants.

It highlighted the Zionist practices and violations in the occupied Syrian Golan, including the burial of nuclear waste, burning cultivated lands, providing farmers with harmful agricultural drugs, seizing vast areas for military purposes, stealing the Golan water and maltreating the Golan prisoners, in addition to the increasing danger of mines which claimed the lives of many and left several others maimed.

Syrian News on May 15th, 2012

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Post date May 23, 2012
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Decrees on Granting Transitional Period for Real-Estate Assessment, Setting up Nursing Syndicate

DAMASCUS, (SANA)- President Bashar al-Assad on Monday issued the legislative decree No. 36 for 2012, on granting a transitional period until 31/12/2012 during which those who are assigned to carry out real-estate assessment are to continue their duties.

President al-Assad also issued a decree on setting up a syndicate for nursing and medical and health professions.

Al-Azzawi: Parliamentary Elections’ Results to be Announced Tuesday

DAMASCUS, (SANA)- Chairman of Higher Committee for Elections, Judge Khalaf al-Azzawi said that the final results of the People’s Assembly elections, held on May 7th, will be announced on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. at the auditorium of the Palace of Justice in al-Mezzah.

In a statement to SANA on Monday, al-Azzawi added that the Committee received all the results of the constituencies after discussing and studying all the objections.

The parliamentary elections took place on May 7th as they were repeated at two electoral centers in Hasaka, two other centers in Damascus and in 14 centers in Damascus Countryside due to some violations of the rules of the elections general law.

Eleven Army and Law-Enforcement Martyrs Laid to Rest

DAMASCUS/ LATTAKIA, (SANA)- The bodies of eleven army and law-enforcement martyrs were escorted on Monday from Tishreen and Zahi Azraq Military Hospitals in Damascus and Lattakia and the Police Hospital in Harasta to their final resting place.

Solemn processions were held for the martyrs who were killed while in the line of duty in Damascus and its Countryside, Homs, Daraa and Lattakia.

The martyrs are:

Lieutenant Colonel Qais Nizhat al-Sarrout, from Hama.

Sergeant Major Ihab Muiassar al-Ali from Idleb.

Sergeant Major Mohammad Jaber Dawa, from Tartous.

Sergeant Major Ramadan Youssef Balloul, from Homs.

Sergeant Major Moussa Munir al-Shamali, from Homs.

Sergeant Fadi Anis Abbas, from Lattakia.

Sergeant Abdullah Mohammad al-Ahmad, from Deir Ezzor.

Sergeant Tarek Ibrahim Rojiea, from Lattakia.

Corporal Mohammad Abdul-Razzak Ezzat, from Aleppo.

Conscript Abdel-Hakim Abdel-Qader Ibrahim, from Raqqa.

Conscript Tarek al-Hussein, from Deir Ezzour.

The martyrs’ families expressed pride in the martyrdom of their sons who sacrificed their souls for the sake of defending Syria’s stability and pride.

They expressed confidence in Syria’s ability to overcome the crisis thanks to the sacrifices of the Syrian army.

They called for dealing firmly with the armed terrorist groups and confronting all those who try to tamper with the homeland’s security and stability.

Armed Terrorist Groups Assassinate Two Officers in Juober and Daraa, Clan Elder in Deir Ezzor

PROVINCES, (SANA)- In the framework of targeting the national intellectuals and expertise, an armed terrorist group on Monday assassinated Colonel Ahmad Salman Moalla in Jouber District in Damascus. A source told SANA reporter that an armed terrorist group, composed of 5 members, opened fire on Colonel Moalla near his home causing his immediate martyrdom, as the group escaped.

In Daraa, an armed terrorist group assassinated a Lieutenant Colonel at the Criminal Security Branch and his driver in Daraa.

SANA reporter quoted a source at the province as saying that gunmen riding Kia and Van cars opened fire on Lieutenant Colonel Qais Sarrout when he came out of a barber shop at al-Mahatta area in Daraa al-Balad, causing his immediate martyrdom. The body of his driver was found in al-Sweidan Street in the city.

In Idleb, an armed terrorist group assassinated Osama Baher Ghandour at Ezmarin town in Idleb countryside.

SANA reporter quoted a source at the province as saying that six terrorists broke into an agricultural pharmacy in which Ghandour was working and opened fire on him.

The terrorists shot randomly to intimidate the people before running away.

Terrorist Group Assassinates Elder of Al-Okaidat Clan, His Son and Driver and Deir Ezzor

An armed terrorist group assassinated sheikh Abdelaziz Rashid al-Hafal, one of the elders of al-Okaidat clan in Deir Ezzor, along with his son and his driver.

A source at the province told SANA’s correspondent that the terrorists opened fire on sheikh al-Hafal, his son Ra’ad, and his driver Jalal Hasan al-Mohammad, on the road to Deir Ezzor near al-Sour area, killing them instantly.

A team of UN observers visited the site where the incident took place.

Another terrorist group murdered sheikh Mahmoud Hasan al-Ghannash, another elder of al-Okaidat clan, last week, injuring his daughter who was with him in the car at the time of the attack.

Gatilov: Russia Will Foil Any UNSC Resolution on Military Intervention in Syria

MOSCOW, (SANA) – Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said that Russia will foil any UN Security Council resolution that allows military intervention in Syria.

In a statement to journalists in Moscow, Gatilov said ” We will not allow the passage of any blurry resolution, particularly if related to using force…we generally hope that the military scenario would not be taken; we do prefer reaching a political solution.”

He added, ” I think there is no danger of a serious interference by force for the time being,” pointing out that the west has become more self-restraint.

Gatilov stressed that the Security Council is not considering any resolutions concerning Syria and there is no need for that, noting that the international community increasingly tends for the implementation of the plan of UN Envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan.

Gatilov added that al-Qaeda and other allies stand behind the attacks which hit Syria in the past few days, considering that the conflict in Syria is being long-termed if compared to the former period.

He pointed out to the wide popular support to the Syrian Government by its people.

He added that Moscow does not see prospects for commencing direct talks between representatives of the Syrian Government and the opposition in the near future without ruling out the failure of the conference scheduled on May 16th in Cairo with the aim of unifying the Syrian opposition which is greatly scattered.

Concerning the Syrian-Russian military cooperation, Gatilov underlined that his country does not intend to stop its technical and military cooperation with Syria, pointing out that all weapon shipments are legal, asserting that Russia does not send offensive weapons but merely defensive ones.

The Russian official concluded” It is not correct to leave the Syrian Government without defensive weapons in a time when the opposition is being supplied with arms.”

Russian Foreign Ministry.. reports about training Syrian armed men in Kosovo contract with efforts of Annan

The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed concern today over reports about contacts between representatives of the Syrian opposition and the authorities in the so-called Kosovo, underlining that these plots contract with efforts of the UN Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan.

“Such intentions contract with the internationally-backed Annan’s plan… shifting Kosovo into an international training field to prepare fighters for different armed formations could become a dangerous factor to hinder stability which go beyond borders of al-Balkan area,” a statement for the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The statement called on the international sides which work in Kosovo to take all necessary measures to prevent those intentions from being implemented.

EU to Continue Supporting Annan’s Mission in Syria

BRUSSLES, (SANA)_European Union Foreign Ministers announced that they will continue supporting the plan of the UN Envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, indicating that the plan is not dead.

The Italian AKI News Agency quoted on Monday the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, as saying that the plan includes important points, vowing ”We will continue to back Annan’s plan so long as we are convinced of its effectiveness.”

In statements on the sidelines of the EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, Ashton said ”We are waiting for Annan’s next report on the mission and we are working to provide all necessary conditions for its success.”

She said that the EU is committed to providing necessary help for the UN Observer Mission, especially vehicles and cars offered by the member states to the observers. On the European assessment of the situation in Syria, Ashton said that the EU reiterates its rejection of violence.

The source said that Italy will send 12 monitors to Syria, 5 of whom are due to arrive today.

Saud al-Faisal Anticipates UN monitors’ report to declare that confidence in their work decreased

DAMASCUS, (SANA)- Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal anticipated a report by the UN monitoring mission in Syria, considering that “confidence in the efforts of the UN began to decrease to a great degree.”

His remarks at a press s conference Monday came under the pretext of the continuation of violence perpetrated by the armed terrorist group, backed by his kingdom with money and weapon to foil the mission of the UN Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan.

The Syrian media which presents a real image of what is happening in Syria was also attacked by al-Faisal, considering the media comments about the gulf intervention in the Syrian affairs as “unfair accusation”, ignoring his clear call in Tunis to arm the Syrian opposition and provide it with weapons and money.

UN Observers Visit Douma, Neighborhoods in Homs, Deir Ezzor

PROVINCES, (SANA) – A team of UN observers on Monday visited the town of Douma in Damascus countryside, while another team of observers visited al-Qusour and al-Khaldieh neighborhoods in Homs.

A third team visited Deir Ezzor and met with its governor Samir Othman al-Sheiklh, who briefed them on life in the province and the crimes perpetrated by terrorists.

Observers also visited the site of the assassination of sheikh Abdelaziz Rashid al-Hafal, one of the elders of al-Okaidat clan in Deir Ezzor, who was killed by terrorists along with his son and his driver in Deir Ezzor.

On a relevant note, media officer of the UN observer mission Hasan Saqlawi said in a statement in front of the UNRWA headquarters in Damascus that the number of the observer mission’s members has reached 250, 189 of them military personnel.

Russian Academic and Media Delegation Stresses Support to Syria

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – Members of the Russian academic and media delegation visiting Syria stressed the support of the Russian leadership and people to Syria in the face of the crisis.

Meeting Deputy Foreign and Expatriates Minister, Fayssal Mikdad, the delegation members expressed confidence in Syria’s ability to get out of the crisis thanks to its people’s rallying around its leadership and their support for real reforms taking place in the country.

The members said that after inspecting the reality of the events in Syria, they will convey these facts to the Russian people, calling for increasing visits of foreign delegation to Syria to expose the reality and convey it to the outside world away from misdirection and instigation led by some Arab and western media.

They said that they witnessed the positive political, economic and constitutional changes taking place in the country, stressing dialogue as the only way out of the crisis.

The meeting focused on the situation in Syria, the US and western attack it faces, and Russia’s role in support of Syria against the conspiracy.

Mikdad said that the attack against Syria aims at implementing Israeli policies because of Syria’s stances in support of the Palestinian cause and its resistant role to liberate the occupied Arab lands.

He stressed that the comprehensive national dialogue is the only way to come out of the crisis.

Mikdad said that Syria’s people and leadership appreciate Russia’s support to Syria in international forums and its policy which isbased on the UN charter, international law and humanitarian law, hailing the role of China and developing countries.

He briefed the delegation on the events in Syria that have been taking place since one year and two months, indicating to the reforms carried out in political, economic and social life.

Mikdad said that “every reform step taken in Syria was confronted with more escalation in violence and terrorism which indicates that what has happened was plotted by the US and western intelligence, in cooperation with some Arab countries which announced their support to terrorism and bloodshed in Syria.

He added that Syria provided unprecedented facilitations to the UN observer mission to Syria and the plan of the UN Envoy, Kofi Annan, stressing its commitment to the relevant international resolutions as it wants this mission to be neutral and objective in revealing the truth.

Mikdad said that the army, law-enforcement members and civilians are the ones who suffer from the terrorist operations, the last of which are the twin terrorist bombings that took place in al-Qazzaz region in Damascus, claiming the lives of dozens and injured hundreds of children, elderly people and students who were on their way to their schools and universities unlike what was alleged by Artab and western media which serve foreign agendas.

He indicated to the strategic Syrian-Russian relations, which are based on the interests of the people of the two countries, and aspirations to enhance them in the political, economic, military and social domains.

Fakoush Appreciates Russian stance toward crisis in Syria

Member of the Regional Leadership of al-Baath Arab socialist Party Shahnaz Fakoush appreciated the Russian stance towards Syria and its strategic vision of the current events as well as its backing to the national dialogue and the comprehensive reform program in the country.

Meeting members of the Russian delegation, Fakoush briefed them on the crimes of the armed terrorist groups in Syria, backed by the US, western countries and their tools in the region.

For their part, the Russian journalists expressed their solidarity with Syrian in the face of the conspiracy, underlining that they will convey what they really saw in Syria to the Russian and world public opinion.

Later, the delegation visited the sites of al-Qazza twin blasts and al-Jamarek, inspecting the volume of destruction and damages because of the explosions. They condemned the terrorist acts Syria is exposed to, saying that these acts are unaccepted violation of the human rights and international laws.

Grand Mufti of Syria Underlines Importance of Media in Enlightening Society

DAMASCUS, (SANA)_Grand Mufti of Syria, Dr. Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, underlined the important role of media in enlightening society and educating people.

During his meeting on Sunday with the Russian media delegation currently visiting Syria to make documentaries on the events, Hassoun said that Syria is being targeted by a fierce campaign intended to sow sedition and undermine national unity in Syria to serve the interests of colonial countries.

Hassoun hailed the Russian stances which respect the principles of law, justice and human rights. Mufti Hassoun reviewed with the Russian delegation the situation and events in Syria and the media misleading campaigns against it, stressing that Syria won’t bow no matter the terrorism, violence and foreign interference.

He called upon Arab and foreign countries to stop backing the armed terrorist groups and interferences in the Syrian internal affairs.

The delegation members expressed support to the unity of Syria and following through with the reform steps, stressing the importance that media be used in serving the truth.

They also condemned the terrorist bombings in Damascus, pointing out to the role of clergymen in showcasing the true nature of the Syrian people.

Patriarch al-Khouri Underlines Role of Media in Relaying Reality of Events in Syria

During a similar meeting with the Russian media delegation, Greek Orthodox Patriarchal Assistant Bishop Luca al-Khouri underlined the role of honest media in relaying the true image of what is happening in Syria, especially in light of the immoral media war which distorts facts and seeks to sow discord among countrymen.

Patriarch al-Khouri pointed out to the role of youth and their unity in the face of the conspiracy against Syria and the media campaigns targeting its role, affirming that Syria will emerge from the crisis stronger and that its future is full of prosperity and development.

He underscored the state of national unity, love, fraternity and respect among the various spectrums of the Syrian people, which has always been a role model in the region.

He also lauded the unique relations between Syria and Russia.

Zionist Entity Steals Oil from Occupied Syrian Golan

DAMASCUS, (SANA) – The Zionist entity has decided to resume oil exploration operations in the occupied Syrian Golan. This act is a violation of the international law and conventions as the UN Security Council has repeatedly stressed through dozens of resolutions that all measures taken by Israel in the occupied Syrian Golan are null and void.

The Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth revealed a decision taken by the Israeli Energy Minister, Uzi Landau, and secretly approved by the Zionist Cabinet to resume oil exploration in the occupied Syrian Golan after about 20 years from halting it.

The decision highlights the Zionist entity’s disregard for the international law and the international consensus that it must abide by the international legitimacy, particularly the Security Council No. 497 which considers Israel’s decision to impose its laws and jurisdiction on the Syrian Golan as null and void.

The Newspaper said that Landau’s extremist right-wing ideas have contributed to taking such decision which aims at increasing oil production, while several Arab regimes are providing Israel with large amounts of oil and gas.

Rector of Damascus University Briefs Russian Media Delegation on the University’s Role

DAMASCUS,(SANA) – The meeting of Damascus University professors and a Russian media delegation visiting Syria on Sunday centered on the academic, developmental, scientific and cultural role of the University through its colleges, institutions and branches in Damascus, Daraa, Quneitra and Sweida.

Rector of Damascus University, Mohammad Amer al-Mardini, presented a review about the history of the University which was established more than a hundred years ago, its scientific and literary branches and higher institutes.

He underlined that the University provides scientific cadres for the development process in both the job market and the scientific research.

Mardini pointed out to the University’s readiness to receive students and staffs from the Russian side with the aim of exchanging expertise and qualifying students in the fields of media and science.

Head of the Russian delegation pointed out that he witnessed essential changes in the country since his visit to Syria last year including the new Constitution and several important laws in addition to holding the parliamentary elections.

Participants in ‘Syrian Family’ Meeting in Quneitra Stress Support to Reforms, Rejection of Foreign Interference

QUNEITRA, (SANA) – Participants in the Syrian Family meeting held on Sunday stressed the need to put an end to the terrorist acts committed by the armed terrorist groups, which are supported and funded by some international, regional and Arab countries.

The Meeting was held in Quneitra under the title ‘Religion is for God, Homeland is for All’.

The participants also stressed the need to enhance national unity and reject all forms of foreign interference attempts in the internal affairs.

They expressed rejection of the acts of sabotage and vandalism carried out by the armed terrorist groups, hailing the role of the Syrian army in defending the homeland and preserving law.

The participants highlighted that the plot against Syria aims at weakening its pan-Arab role, adding that the awareness of the Syrians and their adherence to national unity will foil the conspiracy.

They said that the Syrians, as one family, made the whole world hear its rejection of foreign interference attempts in the Syrian internal affairs and adherence to national sovereignty.

Syrian News on May 14th, 2012

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Post date May 23, 2012
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DAMASCUS, (SANA) – Huge masses of people and official figures escorted on Saturday the martyrs who were killed by the terrorist twin blasts which hit Damascus last Thursday from al-Othman Mosque in Damascus.

After prayers, the bodies of the martyrs were draped in Syrian flags and carried on shoulders amid the masses of people who expressed their condemnation of the terrorist acts committed by the armed terrorist groups.

Hassoun: Syria’s Martyrs Are All Our Children and Relatives

Presiding upon the prayers, Grand Mufti of the Republic, Dr. Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, said “the martyrs of Syria, who are in the thousands, both civilians and military personnel, are all our children and relatives… their blood is our blood.”

He called upon those who commit such terrorist acts to fear God and refrain from shedding blood.

Mahmoud: Escalating Terrorism Against Syrians Dangerous Violation of Annan Plan & UNSC Resolutions on Counter-Terrorism

The escalation of terrorism through booby-trapped vehicles filled with tons of explosives to target the Syrian people, their properties and institutions of the state is a continuation of the bloody terrorist coalition approach between armed groups and al-Qaeda with the regional and western states which back them with money and weapons, Minister of Information Dr. Adnan Mahmoud said.

Participating in the funeral, Mahmoud said that this escalation is a dangerous breach of the UN Security Council resolutions on on counter-terrorism and of the UN envoy Kofi Annan’s plan to stop violence which requires concrete steps towards armed groups and the states which support them to thwart Annan’s mission.

Minister Mahmoud added that Western countries and the United States that led alliances to start wars on the pretext of fighting terrorism, have now created an alliance with terrorism experienced by Syria.

“The bloody terror inflicted on the Syrian people will strengthen their national will and make them more determined to go ahead in the comprehensive reform process, focus on national priorities, build a modern state based on the national partnership between the various spectra of society and its national trends and forces and to continue confronting the conspiracy hatched against Syria and its national resistant role.” The Minister concluded.

Al-Sayyed: Takfiri Fatwas and Murder Were Never Part of Islam

In turn, Minister of Religious Endowments (Awqaf) Mohammad Abdelsattar al-Sayed said that takfiri fatwas that justify the murder of innocents were never part of Islam which is a religion of mercy.

In statements to SANA, several relatives of martyrs denounced the terrorist crimes which claim the lives of innocents and destabilize Syria, stressing that terrorism is targeting Syria because it stood up to the conspiracies against the Arab nation.

They said that terrorists don’t belong to any religion nor to humanity, affirming that their crimes will not undermine the determination of the Syrian people.

They also called upon those who support the terrorists to refrain from doing so, in addition to inviting Syrians to maintain constant vigilance and remain united to foil the conspiracies of terrorists.

President al-Assad Decrees on Formation of Supreme Constitutional Court

DAMASCUS, SANA_ President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday issued the legislative decree No. 35 for the year 2012 stipulating for the formation of the Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC).

According to the decree , the court consists of seven members, one of them shall be named president in a decree passed by the President of the Republic. The duration of membership of the SCC shall be four years renewable.

The decree sets the conditions required of each member and the specializations of the court.

The Supreme Constitutional Court is an independent judicial body and based in Damascus. It issues its judgments on behalf of the Arab people in Syria.

The president of the Court and its members take an oath before the President in the presence of the People’s Assembly Speaker.