Syrian Revolution Digest – Monday 12 November 2012

November 13, 2012

Recognition & Aftermath!

Syrian Revolution Digest – November 12, 2012

Syrian opposition is beginning to get the regional and international recognition it needs. But will this recognition go beyond “humanitarian and non-lethal assistance?” The Obama Administration does not want us to expect much beyond that in terms of overt assistance. The heavy lifting, it seems, will have to be done by others. Will the Brits go for it?

Today’s Death Toll: 155

The Breakdown: Toll included 5 children and 3 women: 50 in Damascus and suburbs, 38 in Aleppo, 35 in Hassakeh, 9 in Deir Ezzor, 7 in Raqqah, 6 in Homs, 5 in Idlib, 4 in Daraa, and 1 in Banyas.

Other Developments: LCC also documented 124 points of random shelling by regime forces: 53 by artillery, 47 by mortars and 24 by missiles. The fiercest shelling was reported in Damascus and Suburbs with 63 points, followed by Aleppo with 46, and Idlib with 32. Rebels clashed with loyalist militias in 75 points destroying several military vehicles in Raqqah and shooting down a plane in Alboukamal (LCC).

News

Gulf states recognise Syria opposition

New Mayhem on 2 Borders as Syrian Opposition Unifies

Israel fires into Syria for second day, scores ‘direct hits’

Syrian jets, helicopters hit rebel town near Turkey

Parents of American Journalist Missing in Syria Appeal for Help

Man arrested at Heathrow airport on suspicion of Syria terrorism links Police investigating alleged terrorism linked to Syria arrest 24-year-old man arriving on flight from Bahrain

David Cameron starts to force the pace on Syria conflict The PM’s risk calculus appears to have changed – and European officials do not know what to make of his new stance

Special Reports

The Survivor

Barack Obama called for Syrian’s Bashar al-Assad to step aside more than a year ago. Here’s why he’s still in power.

Inside Syria, rebels offer cautious support for unified council

Fighters on the front lines of the Syrian war expressed optimism about the new council formed out of Syrian opposition groups.

Mistrust of Syria’s Muslim Brotherhood lingers

* Brotherhood says will not monopolise new coalition

* Group said to control SNC, channel funds to supporters

* Qatar, Turkey have backed Brotherhood in Syria opposition

Syrian opposition says west has promised military aid

New National Coalition claims its ‘accountability and unity’ has assuaged concerns about arming rebels

After the election, a new push on Syria

With the U.S. election out of the way and growing concerns about the rise of jihadist groups within Syria, Western powers are now engaging groups fighting inside Syria, rather than the exiled and ineffectual Syrian National Council. The ultimate goal may be to create a safe zone — a slice of liberated Syria — where the opposition can form an interim government.

Look At How Syria Neighbors Are Drawn Into Its War

Syria’s neighbors are increasingly being drawn into the country’s civil war in a variety of ways, whether militarily or due to an exodus of Syrians fleeing the fighting at home. The spillover has raised concerns that the nearly 20-month-long conflict between Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime and rebels trying to topple him could endanger the entire Middle East.

What is The National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces?

Khatib will be supported by three vice-presidents: Riad Seif, a prominent dissident who had once been tapped to lead the new body; Suhair al-Atassi, a leading female opposition figure; and a yet-to-be-named Kurd. The new group is also backed by the SNC’s new leader, George Sabra, a Christian.

Meet Syria’s new opposition leader

Sheikh Ahmad Mouaz al-Khatib is seen as moderate and charismatic, but some worry about his political inexperience.

Preacher takes opposition lead

Those sceptical about his chances of reinvigorating and bringing together Syria’s opposition are doubtful less about the man himself than the possibility of anyone pulling off the task he has taken on. “[He is] a figure who has long managed to bridge . . . communications between secular and Islamist groups on the ground,” wrote Ammar Abdulhamid, a US-based anti-regime activist, on his blog. “As such, he is a potentially unifying figure, and his touch will be needed in the days and months, if not years ahead.”

Ammar Abdulhamid & Khawla Yusuf: The Shredded Tapestry: The State of Syria Today

Press Releases: Formation of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces Press Statement | Mark C. Toner | Deputy Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson | Washington, DC | November 11, 2012

The United States congratulates the representatives of the Syrian people on the formation of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces. We look forward to supporting the National Coalition as it charts a course toward the end of Assad’s bloody rule and the start of the peaceful, just, democratic future that all the people of Syria deserve. We will work with the National Coalition to ensure that our humanitarian and non-lethal assistance serves the needs of the Syrian people. We also commend the Government of Qatar for its steadfast leadership and support of this conference.

Video Highlights

After three months of trying, local rebels finally managed to get the body of their colleague, executed by pro-Assad militias in Deir Ezzor City. His body has already turned into skeletal remains http://youtu.be/Je30mL3eTdA

Leaked video shows pro-Assad militias openly looting homes in the Damascene suburb of Douma. They are making fun of how little they are getting, while mimicking how rebels speak when they showcase the weapons they earn after a successful battle with militias. The poor looting the poor while fighting so a dictator can retain power and continues to enrich himself http://youtu.be/JSME6zSmscs , http://youtu.be/sUa1WQnjkko Posing for the camerahttp://youtu.be/z1uynuHGg7E

Regime tanks taking part in pounding Harasta Suburb in Damascus http://youtu.be/stBdCz9ij20 Same in Yaldahttp://youtu.be/fvRr2fjl1gc while MiGs pound Saqba http://youtu.be/qbU8gbZzgls , http://youtu.be/jLej_KNQOe8 AndHamouriyeh http://youtu.be/wlfeFFJvstg Rebels and loyalist militias clash in nearby Arbeenhttp://youtu.be/9u0IkOsuCjE , http://youtu.be/cPXDsdQPcj0 New massacre in Dhiyabiyehhttp://youtu.be/kc1nCPXt5vk , http://youtu.be/0KvTG3KY8oM

Rebels clash with loyalist militias in Aleppo City: Boustan Al-Qasr http://youtu.be/NXbkcEJhMko ,http://youtu.be/6H3gofO__uc Khan Al-Assal http://youtu.be/yL8PtzH5vmA , http://youtu.be/DNj5hql94aY

Sounds of clashes in Deir Ezzor City http://youtu.be/qMgKraXsTvc

Remains of the downed helicopter in Alboukamal, Deir Ezzor Province http://youtu.be/sHAl4NmoLno ,http://youtu.be/mxesCV3rtn4 The plane has been pounding the town before it was shot downhttp://youtu.be/I7vTIBcztFw

Israel Considering Escalated Response to Hamas in Gaza

November 13, 2012

By Emily Schneider
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

JERUSALEM, Israel – Border clashes in Gaza are ongoing this week and Israel’s Prime Minister warned that Israel was “prepared to escalate” its response.

Trails of smoke in the sky after the launch of rockets from the northern Gaza strip towards Israel on November 11, 2012. (Photo courtesy of Rueters)

Six Palestinians have been killed and over twenty injured in the recent clashes between Israel and the Gaza strip. Four Israeli soldiers on an army patrol were also wounded. Tuesday, a 13-year-old Palestinian boy was killed in a clash between Palestinian and Israeli forces.

According to Israeli sources, over fifty rockets were fired from Gaza into or towards Israeli cities since last Saturday. Israeli schools near the border have been closed and people are being told to stay inside and be at the ready to proceed to bomb shelters if need be.

Hamas officials claim that Israel had fired at a funeral in Shijaia, near Gaza city, and five funeral attendees had died as a result. A suspected Islamic Jihadist was killed in a separate Israeli strike.

A statement by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) said, “The Hamas terror organization is solely responsible for any terrorist activity emanating from the Gaza Strip.

“The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to harm Israeli civilians, and will operate against anyone who uses terror against the state of Israel,” it added.

Hamas militants are just as perturbed about the recent attacks on citizens. They issued their own statement via a text message to the AFP, saying, “Targeting civilians is a dangerous escalation that cannot be tolerated. The resistance has the full right to respond to the Israeli crimes.”

Interior Minister Eli Yishai on Tuesday called on the UN and the international community to take immediate action to stop rocket fire from Gaza, before Israel was forced to respond to the attacks to protect its citizens.

In a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Yishai said, “before Israel determines the timing and strength of its response, I request your immediate intervention to deter and stop the terrorist activity of the decision-makers in Gaza.

Israel’s Prime Minister is also trying to end the violence before it gets any worse. Benjamin Netanyahu said, “The world must realize that Israel won’t sit by idly in the face of attempts to attack us. We are prepared to escalate our actions.”

Netanyahu met with his security cabinet Tuesday to discuss options, after the Israeli Air Force hit three targets overnight. Targeted killings of Hamas commanders in Gaza is one of the options being considered.

The last large-scale operation by Israel in the Gaza strip was in the winter of 2008-2009. It is unclear whether a similar operation is being considered now, but if it is, it could strain already tense relations with neighboring Egypt.

For further information, please see:

Israel National News – Youth Take to Streets, ‘Don’t be Scared, Hit Gaza Terrorists’ – 13 Nov. 2012

JPost – Peres: Gaza Will Only Achieve Normalcy if Rockets Stop – 13 Nov. 2012

BBC – Gaza: Palestinians Killed and Israeli Soldiers Injured – 11 Nov. 2012

Rueters – Israel Says May Escalate as Hamas Joins Gaza Clashes – 11 Nov. 2012

New Syrian Coalition Recognized by GCC

November 12, 2012

By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

DAMASCUS, Syria — Last Monday, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), comprised of six Gulf states, decided to recognize the National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces (NCORF) as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

Syria’s newly formed coalition of rebels were recognized by the Gulf Cooperation Council as Syria’s legitimate representative. (Photo Courtesy of Al Arabiya)

The move is welcomed by both Western and Arab enemies of President Bashar Al-Assad, who hope that the recognition will finally unify “a fractious and ineffective opposition.” Washington said it would back the coalition “as it charts a course toward the end of Assad’s bloody rule and the start of the peaceful, just, democratic future.”

“The states of the council announce recognizing the NCORF… as the legitimate representative of the brother Syrian people,” GCC Chief Abdullatif Al-Zayani said in a statement last Monday. He also said that he hoped the move creates “a general national congress to pave the way to build a state ruled by law and open to all its citizens.”

The Arab League, who suspended Syria’s membership a year ago, recently granted the NCORF ” observer status, hesitating to recognize the coalition as Syria’s sole representative. Even though this means that the Arab League does not yet fully recognize the NCORF as the Syrian leadership, Al Jazeera reporter Jacky Rowland said that the “observer status is a good step.”

Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs believes that the NCORF having full recognition by the GCC is beneficial for it, since it removes any obstacles in the coalition’s attempts to secure arms for rebel fighters. Mouaz Al-Khatib, the coalition’s newly recognized leader, says that it had already received promises of weapons, but did not say from whom.

Al-Khatib, a former imam, was unanimously elected by the NCORF to lead it. In a recent address, he called for unity between various sectarian and ethnic groups, saying “[w]e demand freedom for every Sunni, Alawi, Ismaili, Christian, Druze, Assyrian… and rights for all parts of the harmonious Syrian people.”

Hezbollah, head of Lebanon’s Shiite group and a key ally of Assad, criticized the coalition’s recognition as a “U.S. invention whose refusal to negotiate would only lead to more destruction.”

Meanwhile, Israel reported that its military tanks took “direct hits” by Syrian artillery units after an area near an Israeli army post was hit by Syrian mortar shells on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights for the second consecutive day. Also, A Syrian government aircraft bombed the town of Ras Al-Ahn, an opposition stronghold located on the border of Turkey. Civilians were seen fleeing across the border to the Turkish settlement of Ceylanpinar. NATO has assured Turkey that it will “do what it takes to protect Turkey.”

For further information, please see:

Al Arabiya — Arab League Recognizes Syria’s new Opposition Bloc — 12 November 2012

Al Jazeera — GCC Recognizes new Syrian Opposition Bloc — 12 November 2012

BBC News — Syria Crisis: Gulf States Recognize Syria Opposition — 12 November 2012

Reuters — New Syria Opposition Seeks Recognition; Israel Fires from Golan — 12 November 2012

Times of Israel — A Syrian Coalition is Born — 12 November 2012

Syrian Revolution Digest – Sunday 11 November 2012

November 12, 2012

Good, but will it be good enough?

Syrian Revolution Digest – November 11, 2012

In Doha today, Syrian opposition groups have finally taken the first real step towards unifying. It has only taken them 20 months, 100,000 deaths and a million refugees to do it. Why? Because it has taken the Obama Administration that long before they finally decided to put some effort into it. At a time when so many opposition members have fallen back onto the habit of brandishing their anti-American sentiments in order to prove their patriotic credentials, it’s America’s intervention that finally helped us take our first serious step towards achieving the long-desired and necessary unity. The world is such funny place, funny and cruel. Be that as it may, this was a good step in the right direction, but will be good enough to stave off disaster? We don’t have long to wait to know.

Sunday November 11, 2012

Today’s Death Toll: 90

The Breakdown: Toll includes 10 children and 3 women: 35 in Damascus and suburbs, 18 in Aleppo, 14 in Deir Ezzor (most in Alboukamal), 12 in Idlib, 9 in Daraa, 1 in Hama and 1 in Homs (LCC).

News

Assad opponents agree to unite

Syrian opposition groups unify, boosting prospects for outside support

Syria bombards rebel area near Turkish border Most of the inhabitants of Ras al-Ain, an agricultural town that has been Arabised under the nationalist rule of President Bashar al-Assad’s Baath Party from its Kurdish name of Seri Kaneh, fled to Turkey when rebels captured the area in a push to seize control of frontier regions from Assad’s forces.

IDF fires warning missile at Syria for first time since 1973 Army sends message to warring factions after errant mortars from 18-month Syrian conflict land on Israeli side of Golan Heights.

Israel drawn into Syria fighting for first time Israel takes its first action in Syria’s civil war after a stray mortar shell hit a military outpost in Golan Heights.

Rebels warn Israel against Syria interference Free Syria Army says Israeli fire in response to Syrian shell hit near northern border was meant to ‘aid Assad’s criminal regime.’

UN urges restraint from Israel, Syria after shelling Ban Ki-moon makes plea for calm after IDF fires warning shot into Syria for first time since ’73 war, Syrian shells land in Israel.

UK troops ‘may be sent to Syria within months’: Humanitarian crisis could force us to act, says top soldierGeneral Sir David Richards’s comments come after PM said he would consider military options to remove dictator Bashar al Assad, Said international community would need support from people inside Syria, British troops could provide food, shelter and medical supplies to refugees, Could intervene during this winter when more lives are at risk.

Special Reports

Archaeologists Explore Site on Syria-Turkey Border

Despite the Syrian war, archaeologists are hard at work at the site of an ancient city called Karkemish. The strategic city’s historical importance is long known to scholars because of references in ancient texts. Despite the dangers, archaeologists say they felt secure during a 10-week season of excavation on the Turkish side of Karkemish.

Syrian exile: ‘My mother is dead. And it was my father who killed her’

When Loubna Mrie joined the revolution, she incurred the wrath of her father, an Assad loyalist.

Ammar Abdulhamid & Khawla Yusuf: The Shredded Tapestry: The State of Syria Today

Yes, electing a cleric to head the new opposition coalition might seem like step backward. Indeed, some activists have expressed concern over the precedence that this development will set for the future. But things Syrian, as we all must have learned by now, are often not what they seem. Sheikh Mouaz Al-Khateeb, a Damascene cleric and one of the main figures that led the early revolutionary fermentation in the Damascene suburb of Douma and elsewhere, is not only a moderate, but a figure who has long managed to bridge in communications between secular and Islamist groups on the ground. His views on critical issues such women and minority rights have also been reasonable enough to allow for the possibility of actually reaching workable compromises that can satisfy both Islamists and secularists. As such, he is a potentially unifying figure, and his touch will be needed in the days and months, if not years ahead.

More importantly though is the fact that Mouaz will not be in it alone. His deputies include Suheir Al-Atassy, another respected figure from the early days of the revolution, a secular figure, and a staunch woman’s rights activist. His other deputy is Riad Seif himself, the main figure behind the new initiative for unification. The Coalition full name is Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces.

One brave in-country activist described the development on Facebook: Syrian political culture dictated that we put a secular face on what is essentially an Islamist council (i.e. the SNC under the leadership of George Sabra), and an Islamist face on what is essentially a secular coalition. However, I wouldn’t go as far as describing the Coalition as “secular,” if the list of 63 names we have for its members is correct, then Islamists have one third of the seats. With traditional and tribal elements occupying an equal number of seats, secularists, including representatives of minority groups, are actually a minority in the Coalition. But that’s to be expected, secularists in the strict sense of the word, have always been a minority.

Indeed, we should not let our emotions blind us from the truth of it all: in realty, Coalition membership is, for the most part, a virtual who’s who list of the same tired and drab personalities that have plagued opposition work since the beginning of the revolution. So, much work and many pitfalls lie ahead for the new management. The selection of Mouaz, Suheir and Riad is only the beginning of a long, complicated and traitorous process, including the formation of a transitional government and of a military council to unite all major rebels groups inside the country.

The SNC, or rather, the Muslim Brotherhood will continue to play a tough game in the background pushing for greater representation and attempting to manipulate the process. The SNC already have 22 seats, including all eleven members of tis recently (s)elected Executive Committee. The Brotherhood also obtained more seats for itself through people who were included in the Coalition not as MB or SNC members but considered under the rubric of “national personalities” and representatives of local councils.

Gulf States are said to have already recognized the National Coalition and the Arab League will likely follow their lead. Embassies might be handed over to the opposition soon as well, meaning the Coalition will have to start picking its diplomats, a process that promises to turn into another cockfight.

The National Coordination Body has not been included in the new coalition, and dialogue with the regime has been rejected a priori and made a condition for membership.

Meanwhile, the streets of Syria will continue to move to a different beat. The real decision-makers, rebel leaders and local activists, are not involved in the Doha process, and should they decide to support, this will happen for an interim period that will end when they decide it’s time for it to end.

This is BBC’s take on this development:

One source at the meeting told Reuters that the SNC had agreed only under pressure and that it had been given a deadline of 10:00 (07:00 GMT) to sign up or risk being left out.

The new body had been proposed by Mr Seif with the backing of the US, which had signalled its frustration with the SNC.

“We signed an agreement to create [a] coalition of 60 members of the Syrian opposition,” he said.

Delegates said the body would carry representation for ethnic Kurds, Christians, Alawites and women. Of the 60 places, 22 will be reserved for the SNC.

Protester Sentenced To Four-And-A-Half Years for “Mass Disorder”

November 12, 2012

By Alexandra Sandacz
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

MOSCOW, Russia – On Friday, Maxim Luzyanin was sentenced to four-and-a-half years for “mass disorder” and violence against the police. Luzyanin was one of the first individuals arrested in May during a protest of Vladimir Putin’s inauguration.

Maxim Luzyanin was sentenced to four-and-a-half years for his participation in the violent May protest. (Photo Courtesy of RT)

Although Judge Andrei Fedin said “Luzyanin’s correction was not possible without isolating him from society,” Luzyanin’s lawyers maintain that the sentence was “harsh” and plan to appeal.

Furthermore, several opposition members were “unhappy with the length of the prison term, and expected a shorter sentence due to the defendant’s cooperation with investigators.”

Luzyanin, one of the “Bolotnaya 17”, was the only protester to plead guilty. Luzyanin cooperated with the investigators who looked into the causes of the violence in May. His sentence of four-and-a-half years created fear in the other detained individuals.

Prominent Russian opposition activist, Alexei Navalny, stated, “This is either a sign that they will give long sentences to those who will not agree to a deal with investigators, or a sign of the widespread Russian and worldwide practice when the first to confess and cooperate gets immediately a long sentence, to scare the rest to death.”

Dmitry Agranovsky, the defense lawyer for the other’s in the “Bolotnaya 17”, said he was “disappointed” with Luzyanin’s sentence, and he would put forth the appropriate effort to obtain a shorter jail term for his own defendants.

He continued, “There is a chance that others on trial will make the conclusion that it does not matter whether you cooperate with the investigation or not, you will still get a harsh sentence. I believe if the defendant cooperated, the court has to go lightly on him.”

However, Vladimir Putin, who has held a position of power in Russia since 2000, pushed various laws through parliament, such as increasing fines for protesters.

Russia’s investigative committee released a statement that said, “Those who think they can with impunity organize riots, plan and prepare terrorist attacks and other acts that threaten the lives and health of Russians, you underestimate the Russian special services’ professionalism.”

Since the violent protest in May, opposition groups deceased protests and now explore future strategies.

For further information, please see:

RFE/RL – Russian Court Hands Down Prison Sentence to ‘Bolotnaya’ Protester – 12 November 2012

Reuters — Jailing of protester underlines harsh Russia crackdown: Navalny – 10 November 2012

RT — Russian Court Issues first ‘Bolotnaya’ verdict: Protester Jailed for 4.5 years – 10 November 2012

The Independent – Anti-Putin protester jailed for four and a half years – 9 November 2012