Wishful Thinking 2 (Syria edition)

Fresh off discussing how the media, including Ynet in Israel, misstated what Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said about a two-state solution, here we are with the new Syria version. It seems that many people want to insist that nobody can really be a radical, and the radicals are quite ready to delude them in that respect.

YNet reports that Syrian president Bashar al-Asad:

"says Hamas and Hizbullah will never threaten Israel with his country's help" in an interview in al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper.

Is that what the Syrian president said? For here is the precise quote "They both will never attack Israel through Syria under any circumstances."

Not exactly the same thing. Syria never let's terrorist groups attack from its soil--and that's been the policy more than 40 years--because Damascus knows that Israel will retaliate against Syria if that happens. So the simple alternative is: let them attack through Lebanon, which can't defend itself against either terrorists or Israel. If and when Israel retaliates against facilities on Lebanese soil, Syrian leaders don't lose much sleep.

And, of course, when Asad says that Hamas won't attack Israel through Syria, that's because it attacks Israel from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Syria supplies weapons to both Hizballah and Hamas which have been used to attack Israel.

So to say that Syria won't let anyone attack from its own territory is nothing new and is in no way saying it won't help them attack Israel. Syria gives terrorists safe haven, training, bases, equipment, guns, and money to do so, no matter where the terror squads depart from on the morning of their mission. 

Now one needs just sit back and wait for the media around the world to report that Syria has promised not to sponsor terrorists attacking Israel and is now a truly peacenik government. Let me know when you see these reports.