The most obnoxious people under the sun are the Syrian opposition. While the latter brings together loyal patriots, radical fundamentalists and terrorists, the common trait among them all is obnoxiousness. Since late 2010, I have not made any contact with the Syrian regime, not even by phone. I wrote my first article about the protests, which began peaceful, on April 1, 2011, and predicted that the regime would be able to contain the crisis. However, the regime did not, and moved instead from mistake to mistake, until the deaths numbered in the tens of thousands. After that, I always described the Syrian revolution in these terms: “the brutality of the regime and the divisions of the opposition." Well, this is one hundred percent accurate, but the Syrian supporters of the opposition interpreted it to say that I was equating between the killer and the victim. I even read the comments of people who asked me how much money did Bashar al-Assad promise to give me. However, talk about receiving money from the Syrian regime is simply out of question. Since day one, the supporters of the opposition said “your silence is killing us", as though they had a deal with people to support them, but the people reneged on their promise. The oppositionists then accused all those who do not carry arms with them to be “equating between the killers and the victims." Personally, I hold the regime and the opposition equally responsible, and I have not changed my view about the obnoxiousness of the opposition, which was the subject of my article on August 28, 2011. Every previous and subsequent act by the Syrian opposition has proven that it is indeed obnoxious, and to the bone. By contrast, I recall that the Egyptian revolution was accompanied by a lot of lightheartedness, when the youths of the revolution managed to maintain their sense of humor even in the darkest times. If there is any solace about the obnoxiousness of the Syrian oppositionists, it is that they are not alone. For instance, the accusations about material interests against me were also used by some of the supporters of the Kuwaiti opposition. I had quoted the opinions of the Emir of Kuwait, the Prime Minister and former Speaker on the recent elections, but one opposition supporter decided that I was bragging about my connections. When brought to his attention the fact that I only quoted newsmakers, his response was that I was just writing to make money. I will try to tease him and say that he should not measure me with the same yardstick he measures himself. Furthermore, I pay the highest income tax tare in England, which means that my salary is in the top bracket. I have no other income, so if he finds something else on me, I say “congratulations to him." Better than all the above is reader Ayman Dalati, who follows all what I write and differs with me on the subject of Egypt and the new regime, which is his right. Yet, I noticed that in his enthusiasm for this regime, he misquoted me, or ignored the facts I cited even though they are indisputable. Indeed, Dr. Mohamed Morsi had promised to achieve certain things in the first hundred days of his presidency, but achieved none of them in two hundred days. The problems, especially the economic ones, increased instead. Moreover, the Egyptian economy had seen huge growth in the first decade of this century (according to IMF figures specifically), but corruption kept the benefits limited to the top of the pyramid instead of reaching the masses. It was the duty of the new regime to fight corruption and protect the economy, but it ended up fighting both and made the situation even worse. In any case, I am with President Mohamed Morsi against the government of Israel and the Likudniks of America. On January 9, 2013, I wrote about remarks attributed to Morsi, in which he attacked Israel and the Jews, whom he described as apes and pigs, and called for the liberation of all of Palestine. Today, there is a Likudnik American-Israeli campaign, with the participation of the Israel lobby and the whole gang of evil, against the Egyptian president. I had said that I support the two-state solution, and still accept a Palestinian state on 22 percent of the land of Palestine. However, this does not negate the fact that Palestine is the land between the Sea and the River, as Khaled Meshaal said in Gaza, and before him Mohamed Morsi. Here is a short lesson to President Morsi and every Arab who wants to make statements or write. I attack the government of Israel frequently, and accuse it of being a neo-Nazi and fascistic occupation power that murders women and children. This is an opinion and it is my right to express it. But if I describe all Jews with the terms I used about the government of Israel, then this would be anti-Semitism, in clear violation of laws in the East and the West. Thus, attacking individuals is an opinion, but attacking an entire people is racism or anti-Semitism, if the target is the Jewish people. Concerning the Jews, a fair commentator must mention the active Jewish peace groups, when he or she condemns the criminal government of Israel. This is what I always do, and protect the objectivity of my article and myself against legal prosecution. I speak out of experience with the law in Britain, and I have never lost a single case I brought or was brought against me, so I hope that my advice will be heeded. [email protected]
