Syria complains to UN over Israel

Syria has lodged an official complaint at the United Nations regarding Israel's outrageous violation of Syrian airspace, a violation which the US are amazingly said to be "happy" about.

Sources in the U.S. government and military confirmed to CNN's Barbara Starr that the airstrike did happen, and that they are happy to have Israel carry the message to both Syria and Iran that they can get in and out and strike when necessary.

This really does say a lot about the complete breakdown of respect for international law since Bush and the current gang of cowboys took charge of the White House. They are letting it be known that they are "happy" that Israel violated the air space of another sovereign nation, an act that - were it to have occurred the other way around - would be referred to as an invasion.

But, in the upside down world of the Bush administration, we don't have to overly concern ourselves with such niceties as international law as the world is split into good guys and bad guys and we, fortunately, are the good guys, so any action we take is automatically beyond reproach.

CNN are claiming that the Israelis were attacking Iranian arms being transferred through Syria and heading towards Hizbullah in Lebanon. This is an extremely generous reading of events on the part of CNN as even the Israelis are refusing to comment on what did and did not take place here. One can only imagine that if their motives were that clear cut that they would be screaming them from the rooftops. Their silence speaks volumes.

And, of course, this action took place at the very moment when the Israelis are said to be seeking peace with Syria.

Josh Landis sums up the hypocrisy of the Israeli position perfectly:

We've set up a strict double standard for ourselves and the Arabs. We believe Israel is entitled to breach Syrian airspace, or Lebanese airspace, because - well, because they're bad and we're good. But if they breach ours? If Syrian jets dared fly over Israeli territory, everybody knows what would happen - we'd shoot them down without a moment's hesitation. And afterward we'd complain to the whole world, we'd say, "You see? The Arabs are trying to kill us all, just like the Nazis." Yet if, on the other hand, Israeli jets fly over Syria - and get away with it? Wink, wink. The little country with the big heart has done it again. Damn, we're good.

When "our" side violate international law the US "is happy", when others do so they demand that they be punished with the full might of the same laws that the US and its allies ignore with impunity.

Is it any wonder that the US's standing in the world is at its lowest point for decades with a President who openly allows such hypocrisy?

The US used to lead the world by example. Under the neo-cons that premise has been long ago abandoned.

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