|
Introduction
In recent months, Syrian liberal and prominent
oppositionist Dr. Kamal Al-Labwani has been promoting a public initiative
calling on Israel to provide military and diplomatic assistance to the Syrian
opposition in its struggle against the Assad regime, as a preparatory move
for peace and normalization with the future Syrian regime. According to a
report in the London daily Al-Arab,
the initiative was prepared together with Arab and regional elements, and in
cooperation with elements in the U.S. Congress, and has received the blessing
of senior officers and commanders in the Free Syrian Army (FSA). As part
of his efforts to promote the initiative, Al-Labwani attended several secret
meetings in Germany on the matter, and has even expressed his willingness to
visit Israel "if doing so would serve the Syrian people, peace, and the
peoples of the region."
In response to the initiative, presented over the past few
months by Al-Labwani in a series of articles and print and TV interviews with
Arab, Israeli, and Western media, the Syrian regime accused him of
encouraging "the Israeli enemy" to occupy Syrian lands, and of
treason against the homeland. Positive comments about the initiative by
Israeli Labor Party leader Isaac Herzog were presented by the official
Syrian news agency SANA as proof of Israel's support of the
"terrorists" operating in Syria and of the scope of "the
cooperation, coordination, conspiracy, and explicit plotting between the
so-called 'Syrian opposition' and the Zionist entity, with the hopes of
wearing down the Syrian state's forces and bringing about its
destruction."
Al-Labwani (b. 1957), a practicing physician, has been one
of Syria's leading liberal human rights activists for over two decades. He
was imprisoned from 2001 to 2004, for promoting democratic reforms in Syria
as part of the Damascus Spring, and again from 2005 to 2011, for
"damaging national security" by visiting Washington, D.C., meeting
with U.S. administration officials, and discussing democratization in Syria
with them. During his second spell in prison, he was released early from
a 12-year sentence as part of the regime's attempts to mollify domestic
public opinion in the face of increasing protests. Following his release,
Al-Labwani attended nonviolent protests in Syria calling for regime change;
shortly thereafter, fearing arrest or worse, he fled to Jordan, and from
there applied for and was granted Swedish political asylum.
Since then, Al-Labwani worked mostly in Turkey as part of
the Syrian National Council, and, after it was dismantled, as a member of the
general secretariat and founding committee of the National Coalition for
Syrian Revolutionary and Oppositionist Forces. In early 2014, he withdrew
from the national coalition, accusing it of administrative and financial
corruption and of imitating the Assad regime's culture of tyranny. Since
then, he has been operating independently.
The following report will review the details of
Al-Labwani's initiative, his attempts to market it to intra-Syrian public
opinion, and some of the reactions – both supporting and hostile – that it
sparked among Syrian oppositionist circles.
Dr. Kamal Al-Labwani (image:
memritv.org)
Al-Labwani's Plan: An
Israel-Enforced No-Fly Zone In Southern Syria
In recent months, in a series of articles and print and TV
interviews with Arab, Israeli, and Western media, Al-Labwani presented his
initiative for cooperation between the Syrian opposition and Israel, which
would lead – after the civil war ends and the current regime is removed – to
a warm peace and normalization between the two countries.
According to Al-Labwani, the initiative is a response to
the impasse in the Syrian civil war, which is the result of the military
status quo on the ground and the failure of the U.S.-, Russia-, and
U.N.-sponsored Geneva talks. He says that cooperating with Israel, which
possesses military might and international political influence, particularly
in the U.S., could help the Syrian opposition tip the military and diplomatic
balance of power in its favor, stop the ongoing bloodbath in Syria, and
ultimately vanquish the Assad regime. Therefore, he says, the Syrian
opposition's can at this time choose "between either long-term anarchy
and the ongoing suffering and torture [of the Syrian people], or a plan that
the West accepts, and which could create a counterbalance to the allies of
the [Assad regime], defeat their project in Syria, and rehabilitate the
region in a manner befitting its residents." A plan that includes peace
with Israel, he added, will be positively received in the West.
The main military role that Al-Labwani intended for Israel
as part of the proposed cooperation is the creation of a no-fly zone in
southern Syria, which Israel would enforce without violating Syrian airspace.
Under his plan, Israel would shoot down any Syrian jet within 60 seconds of
takeoff with its anti-aircraft systems, which cover an area of over 100
kilometers from the Golan Heights to Damascus. This area encompasses
Al-Suwayda, Daraa, the southern Rif Dimashq governorate and the Syria-Lebanon
border. NATO, for its part, would be charged with attacking the Assad
regime's air bases. As for Israel's diplomatic role, it would be tasked,
Al-Labwani says, with removing its objection to ousting the Syrian regime and
consenting to its Western allies' provision of arms to the opposition forces.
Al-Labwani pointed to a number of important strategic
assets for Israel that his initiative would include that would make it a
joint interest for both sides: On the security level, it would thwart
Hizbullah's plan to establish outposts in Syria similar to the ones it holds
in South Lebanon, outposts from which extremist Sunni groups could attack
Israel on a daily basis on Hizbullah's behalf without this organization
having to do dirty its own hands. On the domestic Syrian level, the move
would prevent Syria from continuing to slide into extremism, zealotry, and
anarchy – all of which endanger Israel as well. On the political level, the
Syrian opposition would take the option of military action against Israel off
the table, and, following the establishment of a legitimate government in
Syria, work towards a peace agreement with Israel, provided that an
arrangement can be made regarding the Golan Heights. On the cultural level,
the agreement would result in warm, peaceful Israel-Syria relation, and could
open the door to normalization of the Jewish presence in the Middle East.
As for the fate of the Golan Heights under a future
agreement between the sides, Al-Labwani remained somewhat vague on what the
exact details would be. In an interview with Al-Arab, he implied that the Syrian opposition would be better
off relinquishing the Golan Heights in return for Israeli cooperation in
toppling the regime, or even "selling" it to Israel, than losing
all of Syria – including the Golan Heights, which it doesn't control anyway –
in the event that the civil war lasts for many more years and leads either to
the country's collapse or to Assad's victory. However, in another interview
a few days later, on Orient News TV, which is affiliated with the Syrian
opposition, he backtracked, stating that any potential future peace agreement
between Syria and Israel would be conditional upon the Golan Heights' return
to Syria in accordance with U.N. Resolution 242. In any case, Al-Labwani
said, Israelis living in the Golan Heights would be able to remain there as
part of a future agreement: "The Golan will be a platform to solve all
regional problems at once. We wish the Golan to become an international
paradise of peace, and that its tourist attractions will open up to the
entire world. Those among the [Israeli] settlers who want to stay [there] can
do so, and those who want to leave for Israel or elsewhere can do so as
well."
Justification For The
Initiative: Pragmatism And Paradigm Shift
Al-Labwani explained that he decided to place his
initiative "on the table" publicly, openly, and transparently, so
as to spark public discourse on a crucial issue once "forbidden to even
think about" – that is, changing the dogmatic rejection of relations
with Israel. Using several arguments, Al-Labwani attempted to combat the
immediate doubts raised by the initiative, recruit widespread public support
for it, and respond to criticism by its opponents.
Solving The Crisis Requires
Thinking Realistically And "Outside The Box"
Al-Labwani acknowledged that he himself had initially had
some difficulty overcoming "the psychological barrier" related to
his proposed plan: "I do not want to condemn anyone. I myself worked
hard to rid myself of the prevailing dogma that is passed down from
generation to generation, and is elevated to the level of sanctity and taboo
– a dogma that calls to perpetuate conflicts, as opposed to burying them. I
only relinquished this [way of thinking] because of the circumstances. I am
not claiming to be courageous – just realistic, which is not always honorable
or bold. We now must propose some solution for the suffering, groaning
people.
"As politicians, we must search for a way to save [the
Syrian people] from the slaughter it is carrying out with its own two hands.
This can only be achieved by thinking outside the box and outside this dogma
that we inherited [from previous generations]...
"This is my wakeup call. You are welcome to suggest
alternatives that do not include swearing fealty to [Al-Qaeda leader] Ayman Al-Zawahiri or following [Hizbullah leader] Hassan Nasrallah,
but please remain within the confines of reality."
Peace With Israel Is A
Precondition For Widespread Cultural Change
Al-Labwani described peace with Israel as part of a
widespread move that was necessary in order for Syria to revive as a
democratic, free, and progressive country. In an article titled "Israel
– Our Historic Enemy?!", Al-Labwani argued that breaking free of the
culture rooted in the conflict with Israel is a precondition for promoting
liberalization in the Arab world. He wrote:
"Should the Arab world, as nationalists suggest,
sacrifice its development, culture, democracy, and future generations, and become
mired in crises and extremism for the sake of the Palestinian problem? Should
we continue to use the Palestinian problem to cover up the corruption,
tyranny, and backwardness suffered by Arab regimes? Should we, like Iran and
the terrorist organizations, plot an all-out war against the Jewish state
with nuclear and chemical weapons, so that no one will ever again be able to
live in the 'Promised Land?'...
"Our problem in Syria, and that of Arabs in general,
is not people like Bashar or Al-Qadhafi, but rather the [patterns] of
culture, logic, and political wisdom that birthed these regimes and leaders,
which include rejection of the other, fanaticism, lack of freedom,
totalitarianism, fascism, idolatry, and a herd mentality, as well as
personality cults, tyranny, corruption, barbarism, and crime... Without
changing these cultural patterns, and without external assistance, [the
Syrian people] will remain embroiled in pointless conflicts for a long time.
"It is this that spurred me to present a new vision
based on a different logic, while searching for regional and international
leverage to promote it. This will help us rebuild our societies and countries
in a way that is different than the one we rebelled against. Since everyone
in the Middle East defines themselves with regards to their position in the
Arab-Israeli conflict, let us first define this conflict; the proposed
solution for this complex problem will naturally reflect on the other
historic topics and conflicts...
"I read an article by Yassin Sweiha on the Al-Gumhouriyya website; in it, he
reviews my initiative to change the political thought process and search for
a culture of peace. He concludes that this is a dangerous initiative that
could change our historic identity. Since we are the enemies of Israel, [he says,] if we reconcile with it,
what will happen? We will lose our identity!... This reminds me of the
American movie in which the two protagonists, criminals, imagine that they
are pursued by the secret police. They escape in a car and attempt to evade
it. They only discover that they are imagining this when their car drives off
the Brooklyn Bridge, as they float in the air before plunging into the
waters."
|
No comments:
Post a Comment