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The Forum > Article Comments > Israel invited to help destroy chemical weapons in Syria > Comments

Israel invited to help destroy chemical weapons in Syria : Comments

By David Singer, published 30/9/2013

How do you monitor the possession of chemical weapons when most state parties have an incentive to ignore their existence?

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Hi David Singer

Resolution 2118 http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2013/sc11135.doc.htm is certainly a step forward for the UN given all UN Security Council Resolutions have been vetoed since the beginning of the Civil War in 2011.

Like any complex resolution (representing a consensus international political decision) there are some gaps and inadequacies that you point out.

I assume the title of your article "Israel invited to help destroy chemical weapons in Syria" just means the possibility of Israel supplying information on who has got - and where are CWs in Syria. Actual Israeli boots on the ground to help in the CWs location and destruction would of cause be an undesirable "red rag" to the Assad regime and Islamic opposition forces.

Israel may well share what intelligence it has with the US - permitting the US to utilise the intel within confidential UN Security Council negotiations.

The devil remains in the detail of how a small army of presumably UN technicians and their UN guards:

- can destroy the CWs

- watch Syrians destroying the CWs

- or ship out the CWs

All in the world record time of 9 months.

Destruction factories and/or complex handling facilities might need to be set up in the middle of a civil war.

Getting opposition forces or transborder Hezbollah that may possess CWs to honour the Resolution might well be difficult.

One probably needn't respond to any ritualistic negative posts that might appear on this thread :)

Regards

Pete
Posted by plantagenet, Monday, 30 September 2013 10:37:25 AM
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No mention of Israel's chemicals or 200+ nukes.
Posted by Arjay, Monday, 30 September 2013 11:51:39 AM
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Dear Arjay,

<<No mention of Israel's chemicals or 200+ nukes.>>

That's correct, they are well-guarded and were never used.

- Viva La Diference!

Israel's objectives and policies are a totally separate issue to the right of the Israeli people to live safely, defending themselves.
While I am with you in objecting to the former, I do agree with the latter and in the Middle-East, if you don't have this kind of weapons, then you are good as dead.

(I wonder what Australia has too and never told its citizens)
Posted by Yuyutsu, Monday, 30 September 2013 12:10:23 PM
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Talk about waving a red flag in front of a bull!

Why would anyone in their right mind invite Israel, the most hated nation in the Middle East, to destroy chemical weapons belonging to a close Arab neighbor (one which Israel bombed recently) when Israel has an arsenal of both nukes AND chemical weapons?

It defies commonsense. It defies logic. It defies reason. It's no wonder that the Middle East is a powder keg that has a lit fuse attached.

This is surely another attempt by Singer to further exacerbate regional tensions and to get the U.S. more involved in Israel's dirty work.
Posted by David G, Monday, 30 September 2013 12:16:22 PM
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Intriguing comment, Yuyutsu:
"...in the Middle-East, if you don't have this kind of weapons(nukes from the context?), then you are good as dead."
Would you be referring to all the countries in the Middle East, or only Israel?
Posted by halduell, Monday, 30 September 2013 1:36:41 PM
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Two items slightly off topic.

1. Real life spy story

The US threat to Syrian may be one issue encouraging the recent conciliatory sounds from the Iranian President on Iran's alleged lack of nuclear weapon intentions. Israel may be testing Iranian sincerity by publicising the unmasking of an Iranian "illegal" spy in Israel. The illegal is Ali Mansouri alias Alex Mans.

Mansouri-Mans told Shin Bet interrogators that he was approached in 2012 by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and offered up to $1 million to spy on Israel on behalf of the Iranian government. He reportedly agreed and was then asked to travel to Israel as a Belgian citizen and develop business contacts in Tel Aviv. Mans used his business activities in order to gather photographic intelligence of “sites that interest Iranian security officials”, including the United States embassy in Tel Aviv and several sections of the Ben-Gurion International Airport. see http://intelnews.org/2013/09/30/01-1349/ of 30 Sept 2013.

2. Prisoners of War - fiction

The other matter is the series return of that Israeli inspiration for Homeland called Prisoners of War (SBS One, Weds 2 October). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoners_of_War_(TV_series) . Great show with many themes including the inadvisability of being a long term Israeli prisoner in a Syrian gaol.

Cheers

Pete
Posted by plantagenet, Monday, 30 September 2013 5:24:28 PM
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"another attempt by Singer to further exacerbate regional tensions and to get the U.S. more involved in Israel's dirty work".

My my, I did not realize that David Singer had such power and influence!
Posted by Prompete, Monday, 30 September 2013 5:30:36 PM
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Your ignorance is shared by much of the world, Prompete! And Israel wants to keep it that way!
Posted by David G, Monday, 30 September 2013 6:08:23 PM
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Why is nothing said about destroying chemical weapons in possession of the terrorist associated 'opposition'?

It can be considered that after Assad's CW arsenal is destroyed there will then be another CW attack, again blamed on Assad, with accusation he held back some CW.

I don't understand why the US and UK are virtually supporting the rebel terrorist 'opposition'.

The way to democracy is via elections, not violence by the opposition.

Does anyone have evidence the associated opposition rebels and terrorists do not have CW?
Posted by JF Aus, Monday, 30 September 2013 9:00:50 PM
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Hi JF Aus

Re your comment: "Why is nothing said about destroying chemical weapons in possession of the terrorist associated 'opposition'?"

David's article does address opposition possession of CWs

"...the resolution also offers something of substance to prevent anti-Assad forces using chemical weapons in Syria and to committing the United Nations to search for and locate any such chemical weapons."

ultimately location of "rebel" CWs should lead to destruction or shipping out (to Russia and/or the US) of those CWs.

Re "I don't understand why the US and UK are virtually supporting the rebel terrorist 'opposition'." and "The way to democracy is via elections, not violence by the opposition."

This is a major world issue that has been in the papers for 30 months - best to read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_civil_war first.

"Does anyone have evidence the associated opposition rebels and terrorists do not have CW?"

The requirement to prove non-possession of CW was something the Bush Administration required of Iraq in 2002-2003. It is third world countries and non-state groups from them that are unreasonably required to prove they DON'T have something.

Cheers

Pete
Posted by plantagenet, Tuesday, 1 October 2013 10:08:43 AM
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