WarSclerotic

We have no beef with Israel, Syrian Islamist rebel group says | The Times of Israel.

The Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade, which operates near the border, praises Israel’s medical assistance for refugees, fighters

A Syrian rebel group operating along the Israeli border in the Golan Heights said it has no quarrel with Israel, and that its fight is with President Bashar Assad, not the Jewish state — and it will remain that way.

Speaking with The Times of Israel by telephone in Arabic, a spokesperson for the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade — the militia that kidnapped UN peacekeepers in March and May — said, “We are only here to fight Assad; we want nothing from Israel and we want Israel to know this.”

Laeth Horan’s overarching message to Israel throughout the conversation was one of nonbelligerence, surprising considering the group’s overt Islamist agenda. Analysts, however, were split over whether the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade and other Sunni Free Syrian Army outfits would really bury the hatchet with Israel.

“There is nothing between us and Israel. We only have demands of Assad, even after the war,” Horan said. ”The Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade has no international aspirations; we are only in conflict with the Assad regime.”

He said that despite his group’s proximity to the Israeli border and the contested Golan Heights, which Israel has held since the 1967 Six Day War, there “is nothing between us and them” and wouldn’t be, “even in 10 years’ time.”

Earlier in June, an unnamed spokesperson for a Syrian rebel group operating near the Turkish border told Israel Radio that his group “hopes for peace and security with Israel after the downfall of the Assad regime,” but that it doesn’t want Israel to interfere in the revolution.

The best weapon Israel can grant the rebels is its recognition of the justness of their cause, the Syrian rebel told correspondent Eran Singer.

Horan, in his conversation with The Times of Israel, went so far as to offer rare praise for Israel’s efforts to provide medical assistance for Syrians injured near the border with Israel in clashes between Assad forces and rebels.

“The medical help that the refugees got from Israel is a very good thing,” he said.

To date, Israel has admitted over two dozen Syrians into its hospitals for treatment, and the IDF has set up a field hospital on the border for treating relatively minor cases. During June 6 clashes between Syrian rebels and Assad forces at the Quneitra border crossing, the IDF treated 20 Syrian rebel combatants for injuries suffered during the gunfight, according to a recently published UN secretary-general’s report.

Horan said his group operates in the area girded in the west by the Israel-Syria border; in the south by the Jordan-Syria border and the Yarmouk River, from which it takes its name; and the city of Daraa, where the uprising against Assad began two years ago.

He denied the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade’s involvement in an attack on the Quneitra border crossing between Syria and Israel, and said he was unaware which rebel group was responsible.

A Syrian rebel group captured the Quneitra crossing on June 6, and reportedly inflicted “heavy losses” on government troops holding the crossing and were able to destroy four tanks. Assad forces then rallied and drove the rebels back. Some of the fighting took place a mere 200 meters from Israeli territory.

Regarding his group’s kidnapping of UN personnel and unlawful confiscation of their vehicles on multiple occasions in the past several months, Horan said it was done in order to safeguard the peacekeepers from Assad forces. He admitted the UN’s armored vehicles and trucks were in the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade’s possession — albeit briefly. He claimed they were destroyed by the Syrian army.

Syria analysts reacted to the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade’s statements with varied responses. Professor (emeritus) Moshe Maoz of the Hebrew University said that their statements were likely sincere and that, like other rebel groups, they may be willing to strike a compromise with Israel after the fall of Assad.

Maoz contended that Israel should covertly assist “mainstream” Sunni rebel groups of the same stripe as the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade against the government through humanitarian aid, so as to encourage a partnership in a post-Assad era. In a recent article in the Haaretz daily, Maoz wrote that Israel “should publicly express support for the Free Syrian Army and the civil leadership of the mainstream Muslim rebels, both secular and religious (including the Muslim Brotherhood).

“In this way Israel would signal to the Sunni rebels and countries that it wants to join a regional strategic alliance, which will act to topple the Assad regime and will also weaken Iran and Hezbollah,” Maoz wrote.

Speaking with The Times of Israel, Maoz dismissed the threat radical groups like Jabhat al-Nusra may pose in a post-Assad Syria, noting that “by and large they’re foreigners,” and that their aspiration of a pan-Islamic state incorporating Syria is “not the agenda of most Syrians.”

Syria analyst Aymenn al-Tamimi, the Shillman-Ginsburg fellow at the Middle East Forum, in contrast, said he was skeptical of the sincerity of the protestations of nonbelligerence.

The Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade may exhibit a “mainstream” blend of Free Syrian Army and Sunni Islam traits, but it has also demonstrated a willingness to cooperate with al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra and has “accused the ‘Israeli enemy’ of acts of provocation and aggression from the ‘occupied Golan’ against their territory,” Tamimi noted.

Although their expressed priority is getting rid of Assad loyalists, “if the regime falls or is driven out of Daraa, there is no way they could ignore the Golan issue,” Tamimi added.

“The vast majority of Arab Syrians at the very least don’t want Israel to exist, so I wouldn’t take it as sincere,” he said of the spokesman’s comments. “It’s probably directed to Western audiences,” Tamimi said.

The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit reacted to the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade’s statements by saying, “The Syrian civil war is an internal issue. Israel is not involved in this conflict, but the IDF is naturally prepared for any eventuality.”

Activists storm Muslim Brotherhood HQ as protests continue | The Times of Israel.

Organizers call on labor unions to strike in solidarity; demonstrators say they will continue until new elections announced

By Hamza Hendawi July 1, 2013, 12:02 pm

Opponents of Egypt’s Islamist President Mohammed Morsi protest outside the presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt, on Monday, July 1, 2013. Arabic reads: “Revolution continues, June 30, victory.” (photo credit: AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

CAIRO (AP) — Protesters stormed and ransacked the Cairo headquarters of President Mohammed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood group early Monday, in an attack that could spark more violence as demonstrators gear up for a second day of mass rallies aimed at forcing the Islamist leader from power.

An Associated Press journalist at the scene said protesters managed to breach the compound’s defenses and storm the six-story building, and later carted off furniture, files, rugs, blankets, air conditioning units and portraits of Morsi. One protester emerged with a pistol and handed it over to a policeman outside.

Footage on local TV networks showed smashed windows, blackened walls and smoke billowing out of the fortified villa. A fire was still raging on one floor hours after the building was stormed. One protester tore down the Muslim Brotherhood sign from the building’s front wall, while another hoisted Egypt’s red, black and white flag out an upper-story window and waved it in the air in triumph.

The Brotherhood’s headquarters, located in the eastern district of Cairo of Muqatam, had been the scene of clashes since Sunday evening between armed Morsi supporters barricaded inside the building and young protesters pelting it with firebombs and rocks. Security officials said at least eight protesters were killed in the violence. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

It was not immediately clear whether the Brotherhood supporters holed up inside who had been battling the protesters late Sunday fled the building overnight.

Morsi’s critics view the Brotherhood headquarters as the seat of real power in Egypt, consistently claiming that the Islamist group’s spiritual leader, Mohammed Badie and his powerful deputy, Khairat el-Shater, were the ones actually calling the shots in the country, not the president.

The Brotherhood has in recent weeks fortified the building’s walls in anticipation of the massive opposition protests in which millions took part on Sunday in a display of anger and frustration with the Islamist leader on the anniversary of his inauguration. At least 15 people were killed in clashes Sunday, including the eight in front of the Brotherhood’s Cairo headquarters, and hundreds injured. Egypt’s state television put the death toll at 16. There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy.

On Monday, anti-Morsi protesters were gearing up for a second day of demonstrations.

Some protesters spent the night in dozens of tents pitched in the capital’s central Tahrir Square and in front of the president’s Ittihadiya Palace. They have vowed to stay there until Morsi resigns. The president’s supporters, meanwhile, continued their sit-in in front of a major mosque in another part of Cairo.

The anti-Morsi demonstrators are calling for widespread labor strikes to start Monday in an attempt to ratchet up the pressure on the president, but it was not immediately clear whether unions would respond to the call. Organizers are also calling for sit-ins at the Cabinet building, interim parliament, and another presidential place where Morsi has been working since late last week.

Sunday’s protests were the largest seen in Egypt in the 2½ years of turmoil since the ouster of autocrat Hosni Mubarak in February 2011.

Fears were widespread that the collisions between the two sides could grow more violent in coming days. Morsi made clear through a spokesman that he would not step down and his Islamist supporters vowed not to allow protesters to remove one of their own, brought to office in a vote deemed free and fair.

During the day Sunday, thousands of Islamists massed not far from the presidential palace in support of Morsi, some of them prepared for a fight with makeshift armor, sticks and shields.

The anti-Morsi protesters aimed to show by sheer numbers that the country has irrevocably turned against him, a year to the day after he was inaugurated as Egypt’s first freely elected president. But throughout the day and even up to midnight at the main rallying sites, fears of rampant violence did not materialize.

Instead the mood was largely festive as protesters at giant anti-Morsi rallies in Tahrir and outside the Ittihadiya palace spilled into side streets and across boulevards, waving flags, blowing whistles and chanting.

Fireworks went off overhead. Men and women, some with small children on their shoulders, beat drums, danced and sang, “By hook or by crook, we will bring Morsi down.” Residents in nearby homes showered water on marchers below — some carrying tents in preparation to camp outside the palace — to cool them in the summer heat, and blew whistles and waved flags in support.

“Mubarak took only 18 days although he had behind him the security, intelligence and a large sector of Egyptians,” said Amr Tawfeeq, an oil company employee marching toward Ittihadiya with a Christian friend. Morsi “won’t take long. We want him out and we are ready to pay the price.”

The massive outpouring against Morsi raises the question of what comes next. Protesters have vowed to stay on the streets until he steps down. The president, in turn, appears to be hoping protests wane.

For weeks, Morsi’s supporters have depicted the planned protest as a plot by Mubarak loyalists. But their claims were undermined by the extent of Sunday’s rallies. In Cairo and a string of cities in the Nile Delta and on the Mediterranean coast, the protests topped even the biggest protests of the 2011′s 18-day uprising, including the day Mubarak quit, Feb. 11, when giant crowds marched on Ittihadiya.

It is unclear now whether the opposition, which for months has demanded Morsi form a national unity government, would now accept any concessions short of his removal. The anticipated deadlock raises the question of whether the army, already deployed on the outskirts of cities, will intervene. Protesters believe the military would throw its weight behind them, tipping the balance against Morsi.

The country’s police, meanwhile, were hardly to be seen Sunday. In the lead-up to Sunday, some officers angrily told their commanders they would not protect the Brotherhood from protesters, complaining that police are always caught in the middle, according to video of the meeting released online.

“If the Brothers think that we will give up and leave, they are mistaken,” said lawyer Hossam Muhareb as he sat with a friend on a sidewalk near the presidential palace. “They will give up and leave after seeing our numbers.”

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

Egypt: Protesters issue ultimatum to Morsi – Israel News, Ynetnews.

Tamarod movement demands that president resign by Tuesday evening, threatens to organize civil revolt following Sunday’s pass protests. Demonstrators call for widespread labor strikes

Roi Kais, AP

Egypt’s Tamarod movement (Arabic for ‘rebel’) has presented President Mohammed Morsi with an ultimatum – step down by Tuesday at 5 pm or face a civil revolt.

In a statement issued Monday morning, the movement threatened it would call on the masses to storm the presidential palace in Cairo if the president does not resign.

However, the palace appears undaunted by the threats. A source who spoke with the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper said that Sunday’s protests should not be taken as an indication of the extent of support for Morsi.

Sunday’s mass protest in Tahrir Square (Photo: AP)

He estimated that the protests will slowly die down and denied reports that the president is planning to make concessions to appease the protesters.

Protesters have stormed and ransacked the Cairo headquarters of Muslim Brotherhood Islamist group.

An Associated Press video journalist at the scene says protesters stormed the six-story building in an eastern Cairo district Monday morning, leaving the heavily fortified villa with furniture and files.

Footage on local TV networks showed smashed windows and smoke billowing out of the building. One protester was seen removing the Muslim Brotherhood sign from the building’s front wall.

Meanwhile, Egypt’s Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper reported that 14 people were killed and 900 were injured since protests began on June 30, according to healthy ministry data. The figures apparently also refer to the weekend demonstrations. Egyptian medical sources say at least five were killed on Sunday alone.

Sunday morning saw young Egyptians disrupting traffic around Tahrir Square with several hundreds still on site.

14 people killed during protests (Photo: Reuters)

Protesters are gearing up for a second day of action, after hundreds of thousands thronged the streets of Cairo and cities around the country and marched on the presidential palace.

Some spent the night in dozens of tents pitched at the capital’s central Tahrir Square and the palace, positions organizers say they will hold until Morsi resigns.

Protesters call for labor strikes (Photo: AP)

Protesters are calling widespread labor strikes to start Monday, although unions have yet to give a read out regarding how much they plan to participate.

Aside from renewed presence at Tahrir and the palace, organizers are also calling for a sit-in at the Cabinet building, interim parliament, and another presidential site where Morsi was staying during Sunday’s rally.

Bloodshed in Arab world means reduced threats to Israel, at least for now – Diplomacy & Defense – Israel News | Haaretz Daily Newspaper.

Internal fighting around Middle East has given Israel strategic breathing room that enabled the government to enact limited budget cuts in the IDF. Extra caution is necessary but this isn’t our war: the less we intervene, the better.

Protesters opposing Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi wave Egyptian flags and shout slogans against him in front of the presidential palace in Cairo June 30, 2013 Photo by Reuters

The revolution devours its children. Two and a half years into the Arab Spring, the basic will that brought the downfall of some Arab leaders and the revolt against others − the will to improve the economic situation and civil liberties of Arab citizens − has deteriorated into civil war between ethnic groups and religions, from Libya to Iraq. The events of recent days − mostly in Egypt but not only there − are a sad reminder. Taking into consideration the ongoing bloodshed in Syria and the fear of further escalation in the streets of Cairo, some Arab pundits are slamming what they believe is a suicidal tendency of the Arab nations.

The millions protesting in Egypt, a year after Mohammed Morsi was elected president, are the most obvious example of the shattering of the dream of improvement after the fall of the old dictators, as far as ordinary citizens are concerned. In Syria, of course, the situation is much worse. Last week, a Syrian human rights group based in London said that the civil war has now claimed more than 100,000 lives. At present, President Bashar Assad’s forces are preparing for a renewed attack on Homs, still mostly under rebel control, shelling civilian neighborhoods heavily before the final incursion.

Lebanon is slipping into a war of its own, although the scope of this conflict is still limited. In each of the past weeks, there were at least five deaths and dozens of injured in skirmishes between the various ethnic groups. Last week the tension reached its peak, following a confrontation between Sunni extremists and Lebanese security forces in Sidon. Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir, the most aggressive adversary of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, has been abducted, injured or has gone underground. Still, the criticism of Hezbollah’s conduct, openly sending battalions to Syria, as well as of the Lebanese government’s inaction on this matter, keeps growing. The anger at Hezbollah is expressed by bolder actions by its rivals, who shot rockets at Shi’ite villages in the Beqaa Valley and even, once, at the organization’s stronghold, the Dahiya neighborhood in Beirut.

Recently, tension burst out between Hezbollah and Hamas activists in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, following Hamas’ late support of its Sunni brethren in Syria. The international press barely mentions Iraq, where Sunnis and Kurds are fighting the Shi’ite prime minister. Jordan, too, is rumbling as a result of the Syrian civil war and the waves of refugees fleeing the fighting in Syria and Iraq.

How should Israel react to all this? The country’s leaders and the IDF commanders − in many way these two groups often overlap − were educated and raised on the lesson of a historical trauma and an ethos of action. The trauma is the 1973 war − the IDF last week began marking its 40th anniversary − when the Egyptian and Syrian armies surprised the IDF, which learned to be on a constant state of alert. This ethos will always prefer action to inaction. The IDF educates its officers to deal with a developing threat, and often to take preemptive action.

Still, the historical trauma is, at present, less relevant, and it seems the right thing to do would be to ignore the action reflex. The bleeding confrontations in the Arab world are not necessarily good for Israel; they might also have negative implications, such as the strengthening of extremist Sunni groups inspired by al-Qaida in the Sinai peninsula and in the southern Golan Heights. Still, as far as Israel is concerned, the immediate result of the Arabs being preoccupied with themselves is a decrease in the conventional warfare threat. Visiting the Syrian border last week, one could see that Assad’s military presence is almost non-existent, with most tanks busy massacring civilians in Homs and Damascus. The Egyptian army is preoccupied with the implications of the internal struggle, and is growing more dependent on U.S. aid, thus making it less likely to initiate direct confrontation with Israel in the foreseeable future.

This modest strategic breathing room enabled the government to enact temporary, limited budget cuts in the IDF. In the short run it requires extra caution, especially on the Syrian front. This isn’t our war: the less we intervene, the better.

‘Israel’s lobbying efforts to stop S-300 missiles shipment to Syria were not in vain’ | JPost | Israel News.