Geopolitical maneuvering by foreign nations up to the Geneva II conference leads to intensified clashes between rival mercenary brigades. Reports indicate that the Palestinian Hamas is attempting to draw Palestinians into the Syrian war.
The newly formed Army of Mujaheden (AOM) has declared war against Al Qaeda in the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The AOM, which is primarily funded by the Muslim Brotherhood governed Turkey, Libya and Qatar, is proclaiming its war against the predominantly Saudi Arabia funded ISIL as “A New Revolution”, claiming that after three years, the “revolution” has returned to its true path.
The Role of Saudi Arabia and Qatar in the Recruitment and Deployment of Mercenaries and the Functions of the Infighting.
While both the predominantly Saudi Arabia – backed, Al-Qaeda backed and the predominantly Qatar – backed Muslim Brotherhood – linked mercenary brigades ultimately are functions of a war on Syria which fulfills the geopolitical ambitions of the core NATO members USA, UK and France as well as Israel, the infighting between these two main groupings is in no way a new phenomenon. In fact, this infighting is fulfilling several functions for these core stakeholders.
- Increasing the recruitment potential for mercenaries by including both Muslim Brotherhood affiliated individuals and organizations and Wahhabi or Salafist individuals and organizations.
- Expanding the political aspect of the anti-Syrian alliance by including both sides.
- Plausible deniability and respectability for core NATO members USA, UK, France and the possibility for their governments to claim that they are supporting the “moderate armed opposition” and not the most radical brigades.
The repeated use of this strategy has been observable sine June – July 2012, when the predominantly Qatar and Turkey backed, Muslim Brotherhood dominated brigades in Syria led two, decisive defeats, which then necessitated the subsequent, internationally organized and substantial recruitment efforts for Wahhabi / Salafist fighters from African, Middle Eastern and Asian countries. The situation became widely known as Washington’s Salafist quagmire.
What is a novum, however, is that the Palestinian, Qatar dominated Muslim Brotherhood organization Hamas, appears to launch a propaganda campaign on behalf of the Army of Mujaheden (AOM), thus aiming at drawing Palestinians from the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and Syria as well as from Palestine into the war against the Syrian Arab Army.
Hamas Realignment with Qatar in 2007 and its officialAlignement against Hezbollah in June 2013.
Hamas began turning its back on Syria and the Syrian government as early as 2007, when the Hamas faction led by Khaled Mashal realigned itself with Qatar and the international Muslim Brotherhood, while covertly preparing to abandon its alliance with Iran, Syria and Hezbollah later on.
The Lebanese Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya underwent the same realignment, also in 2007, and for the samereasons which are tied to the discovery of the world’s largest known gas reserves, which are located in the Persian Gulf, and which are shared between Qatar and Iran.
Abou Marzouk
In June 2013, Hamas took the step against Syria and Hezbollah one step further, when the leading Hamas official Dr.Abou Marzouk issued a public statement on his Facebook page, in which he addressed Hezbollah.
On his Facebook page, Marzouk unequivocally demanded that Hezbollah withdraws from the Syrian theater. Marzouk, met with harsh criticism, later on attempted to spin his statement as if it meant that Hezbollah should rather focus on fighting Zionism.
His explanations however, were not given much credence among those who are aware of two things; 1) that Syria is the only Arab Country which has consistently and consequently opposed Zionism and paid a heavy price for it; 2) that Israel is heavily involved in financing and arming the mercenaries which are fighting against the Syrian Arab Army and the Damascus government.
Hamas linked Maan News Agency glorifies Army of Mujaheden (AOM) in Syria as “The Real Revolution”. The latest evolution of the Hamas U-Turn against its former ally Syria came on 4 January 2014, when the Maan News Agency, which is closely associated with Hamas and Qatar, published an article titled “Syrians launch new “revolution” against Al-Qaeda group”.
The article features the new, Qatar – backed mercenary brigade (AOM) as an organization that opposes the Saudi Arabia -backed ISIL, while simultaneously glorifying the subversion of Syria. By implication, the article is glorifying the geopolitical Middle East project of the core NATO members USA, UK and France as well as Israel’s geopolitical project in the Middle East as a “revolution”.
The article then quotes several statements made by people who are featured as “Syrian activists” from their respective Facebook pages. These statements, by “activists”, which are named by their names, are glorifying the noble fight against the al-Qaeda terrorists and the fight for the new, the real revolution in Syria.
Providing a number of Facebook accounts of purported activists is recognized as a standard recruitment practice. The article is thus enabling all Palestinians in Lebanese refugee camps and in Syria, as well as Palestinians in Palestine and the diaspora worldwide, to attain all the information that is required to let themselves become ensnared in a new recruitment network.
Senior Hamas legislator Yahia Mousa “Hamas will pay a heavy price… “
For those who understand the full implications, it must have become obvious that this latest evolution represents an acute danger to the Palestinian cause, as Syria remains the only country which consequently and consistently has and will support the Palestinian cause.
The development also represents a potential confrontation between Palestinians and Hezbollah, which, regardless whether one agrees with Hezbollah’s political or religious views or not, is the best guarantor for the safety of Palestinians in Lebanon.
A massacre of Palestinians of the character and magnitude like that in Sabra and Shatila in 1982 is unthinkable as long as Hezbollah maintains an appropriate measure of political and military influence in Lebanon.
Mahmoud Zahar – Facebook
Finally, the development should indicate that Hamas, unless it undergoes a radical renewal from within. Such a renewal could be led by forces such as the renown Hamas legislator Yahia Mousa who, in July 2013, warned against the involvement of Hamas militants into the domestic affairs of Palestine’s neighbor Egypt.
Other forces within Hamas who could represent such a renewal from within would be Mahmoud Zahar and circles around his person.
Zahar sharply criticized Marzouk’s statement about Hezbollah and was, along with 23 other Hamas representatives arrested by Hamas forces at the Rafah border crossing, in June 2013, when they attempted to leave Gaza for talks with the Iranian government and Hezbollah officials in Lebanon.
Absent such an urgent reform from within, the can be little doubt that Hamas, ultimately and unequivocally has positioned itself as a part of the NATO and Zionist agenda in the Middle East.
Dr. Christof Lehmann is the founder and editor of nsnbc. He is a psychologist and independent political consultant on conflict and conflict resolution and a wide range of other political issues. His work with traumatized victims of conflict has led him to also pursue the work as political consultant. He is a lifelong activist for peace and justice, human rights, Palestinians rights to self-determination in Palestine, and he is working on the establishment of international institutions for the prosecution of all war crimes, also those committed by privileged nations. On 28 August 2011 he started his blog nsnbc, appalled by misrepresentations of the aggression against Libya and Syria. In March 2013 he turned nsnbc into a daily, independent, international on-line newspaper. He can be contacted at nsnbc international at nsnbc.wordpress@gmail.com