Assad Was a Ruthless Dictator

Irritated by the obsequious respect accorded Hafez al Assad upon his demise, the JINSA Board of Directors unanimously passed a resolution Sunday, making the following points:

Irritated by the obsequious respect accorded Hafez al Assad upon his demise, the JINSA Board of Directors unanimously passed a resolution Sunday, making the following points:

Hafez Al Assad was a dictator and mass murderer who earned the sobriquet, “The Butcher of Hama” for his killing of 20,000 of his own citizens in 1984. The American media referred to him often since his death as “The Lion of Damascus” (it was Mr. Assad’s own favorite phrase) despite the fact that the Syrian people suffered terribly from his repressive regime, which allowed virtually no civil or human rights. Syria degenerated economically and socially from one of the wealthiest and most advanced of Arab societies in the 1940s to one of the poorest and most backward in terms of health, longevity, literacy and other international standards.

Assad never recognized the sovereignty of Lebanon. Syria invaded in 1976, killing thousands of Lebanese and imposing Syrian rule over two-thirds of the country in the guise of “stabilizing” it during a Civil War he helped foment. The Syrian army remains there today, producing and exporting illegal drugs; despite having signed the Taif Accord and agreeing to leave. Assad’s Iranian connection included allowing Iran easy access to Hizballah, ensuring that southern Lebanon would remain in turmoil and that Israel – as well as Lebanese civilians — would suffer the consequences.

Assad harbored fugitive Nazis, as well as Palestinian, Kurdish and other terrorists. He thus subverted the chances of a secure and durable peace both with Israel and Turkey, and undermined U.S. policy in the region. He rejected offers of peaceful resolution of Israeli-Syrian differences – both territorial and political — over the past 30 years, and the government-controlled media in Syria was a veritable fountain of anti-Semitic vitriol and Holocaust-denial.

Terrorists operating from Syrian-controlled territory were responsible for the Marine Corps Barracks bombing in Beirut, killing 240 American soldiers, and the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut killing scores of others.

And, Assad deliberately insulted American officials including Secretaries of State and the President of the United States. The Board expressed its hope that the Syrian people would finally get a government that puts the economic and social well being of the people ahead of military conquest and repression. The Board also urged the American government to go slow in its overtures to the next ruler. In addition, the Board urged Congress and the Administration to make clear that the core of the Syrian-Israeli problem is the historic failure of the Syrian government to recognize the legitimacy of the State of Israel and to provide Israel with the “secure and recognized boundaries, free from threats or acts of force,” that are the core of UN Resolution 242.