Tension in the occupied Golan is an attempt to trap Israel into the Syrian crisis, says Sabra

Tension in the occupied Golan is an attempt to trap Israel into the Syrian crisis, says Sabra

Georges Sabra, the leader of the main opposition group of the Syrian National Council, said the tension in the occupied Golan is an attempt to trap Israel into the Syrian crisis.

“What is happening in the occupied Golan is part of the Syrian regime’s quest to stir things up in the region. It started with the confessional aspect of the conflict then the violence, followed by many attempts across the borders with Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan. It is attempting to play the card of regional instability through the Golan Heights”.

In an interview with Al Arabiya, Sabra added that the whole world knows that the Syrian regime did not open fire in the past 40 years, not firing a single shot to liberate the Golan, and if Israel is to respond to the regime actions, then the whole world will acknowledge who protects this regime and who stands against bringing it down.

Sabra said that everybody remembers how Hafez Al-Assad’s regime entered Lebanon, and how this happened with approvals from the United States and Israel. He added that the Syrian people and their revolution will work hard in order to save Golan through all legal means.

The opposition and the Regime

In response to British Prime Minister David Cameron’s comment on the possibility of granting Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad a safe exit, Sabra said, “I would personally prefer to see Assad in the accusation cage, trialed by the Syrian people over what he committed, confirming that what’s required is not the physical departure of Assad as an individual, but his departure, along with his regime and its pillars.”

Sabra said that in his conversation with the regime, the Syrian people have decided not to get into any dialogue with it, saying that this is a strict decision nobody has the right to change.

In a response to Ahmad Moaz Al-Khateeb, head of the national coalition of Syrian opposition’s refusal to have talks with Russia, Sabra said dialogue with international powers is part of political action, and if politics is without dialogue then what would be left of it?

The opposition and Iran

Sabra said as long as Iran remains in its stance in considering the Syrian regime battle as its own, then Iran is not qualified to be a mediator, and there are no political negotiations with it unless Iran changes its policy and stance.

“We are part of the Arab world and want to bring Syria back to the Arab’s safe heaven that it left because of the tyrant regime. We don’t want to consider Iran as an enemy, but unfortunately the Iranian regime is considering the Syrian people as its enemy,” Sabra said.

Arming the Opposition

The head of the National Syrian Council complained that the concerned countries are putting restrictions against arming the opposition, part of these restrictions being related to the ban over exporting arms to the region.

This left people questioning why the ban is applicable only on the Syrian people and doesn’t apply to the arms that flow to the Syrian regime from Russia and Iran. One of the obstacles is questioning the party that will receive these weapons, and the demand of having a unified military structure.

In this context, Sabra said Syria is heading towards establishing a unified military command of all military and revolutionary councils to take this responsibility.

“What hurts us is that we are asking for weapons to destroy our own arsenal. This is the biggest tragedy perpetrated by the Regime against Syria and its people,” Sabra said.