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Eyewitnesses

Dr. Bouthaina Shaaban

When the orchestrated Western terrorist war against Syria broke out in early 2011 and mercenaries from all over the world started pouring into Syria through Turkey, Western countries decided to withdraw all their correspondents and news agencies from Syria. They replaced them with what they called “eyewitnesses”, paying them a sum of money in exchange for sending misleading reports that served the scene they decided to promote, regardless of facts and events on the ground. They also appointed an agent who resides in Coventry, UK, who called himself the “Director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.” His false reports and misrepresentation became a major source of news on Syria by most Western media outlets, along with al-Jazeera, the Qatari news outlet. Later, Qatar’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs admitted that Qatar had paid more than 137 billion dollars to fund the terrorist war on Syria and that the war was carried out based on a Western plan led by the United States to serve the Zionist entity. Coordination between Western and complicit Arab Intelligence took place in the “Military Operation Center; MOC” located in a neighboring country.

However, none of those eyewitnesses mentioned the terrorist destruction of the National Hospital in Homs, which served thousands of people of the governorate and countryside, or the destruction of “al-Kindi” Hospital in Aleppo, one of the most important medical facilities in the Middle East. Nor did those eyewitnesses mention the targeting of the oldest mosque minarets, the ancient church icons, and buildings in Maaloula, and Sednaya or Saint Mary of the Holy Belt Cathedral in Homs (Um al-Zennar), or the minaret of the Umayyad Mosque in Aleppo.

They paid no attention to the looting and demolition of historical sites and ruins in Palmyra, Raqqa, and Latakia. They didn’t mention how terrorists prevented farmers from growing their crops and displaced them to neighboring countries. They never mentioned a word about targeting organizations for seed multiplication and cattle husbandry. In other words, no one of those hired eyewitnesses mentioned any of the crimes perpetrated by Western intelligence agencies against all aspects of life that ensure the citizens’ livelihood and continuity.

All this was done under flimsy media and political pretexts, the truth of which was revealed today, so that everyone knows that the goal was to destroy the Syrian State and all the components of its strength, dignity, and stability. The misleading Western and Arab media, reliant on the Zionist forces, were the main aid for terrorists to continue perpetrating their crimes with systematic Western political coverage and funding.

Today, we recall all these images… we, the Syrians; the real and truthful eyewitnesses who are deeply concerned about every inch of our beloved country and the Arab homeland. These images have resurfaced in our minds with great pain as we witness the deliberate and relentless targeting of hospitals, schools, mosques, and churches in Gaza and the ruthless destruction of these dear places above the heads of its people who are seeking shelter from the heinous, racist, and brutal Zionist bombardment. Our minds recall strongly these images as we witness the cruel targeting of medical teams who risk their lives to save human lives and media personnel who defy the dangers of death to convey the truth of what is happening, hoping to awaken the conscience of the public opinion and stop the machinery of killing and evil aggression.

Watching these heartbreaking images, we recall how we used to leave our homes and bid farewell to our families every morning, not knowing who would return and who might die under the terrorist shelling of our cities, institutions, schools, and hospitals. These images are reminiscent of Muhammad al-Durrah, the innocent child who was seeking shelter in his father’s arms from Israeli bullets targeting them in 2000, and the victims of the Sabra and Shatila massacre. Today, we witness an unprecedented crime of murdering thousands of children and tens of thousands of civilians in Palestine, demolishing their homes over their heads, to stop their resistance against the hateful Israeli occupation. Even worship places were not spared from the Zionist crime, as they destroyed one of the oldest churches in the world and perpetrated a massacre against Muslims and Christians who sought shelter inside.

The systematic genocide carried out in Palestine by the organized Zionist terrorism with Western financial and military support is not only a Palestinian, Arab, Islamic, or Christian issue; it is a humanitarian concern and people worldwide bear witness to it and shoulder historic responsibility for it too. The catastrophe in Palestine today is far more horrifying than what South Africa endured during the apartheid era; it is a blatant genocide waged by foreigners who came from Western countries with their extremist beliefs and their savage aggression against the Palestinian people, who only strive to live in peace and security on their land, just like all the people on Earth. Responsibility here lies not only on Arabs and Muslims but on all people worldwide. We are aware of the honorable Western, American, and Jewish voices that stand for human life and speak out to stop the crimes and ethnic cleansing. However, this is no longer enough, as the horrible aggression today is against God’s creation on earth, against His spirit, and against His divine essence.

Standing against the brutal and unjust Zionist genocide in Palestine today is a moral obligation for every human being on this planet. The news we hear and receive about the miserable situation of Palestinian prisoners in Zionist jails, who are facing the harshest brutal assault by the Zionist jailers, should shake the conscience of every person who believes in humanity and its sanctity. They targeted and killed thousands of children, with hundreds still buried under the rubble. “Israel” bombed even the wounded ones in hospitals and perpetrated a Zionist genocide, supported financially and militarily by Western governments. The issue today is no longer limited to the holy al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre; it is the issue of the lives of helpless people and children who have been imprisoned in a geographical spot dominated by a hateful and brutal foreign occupation that is perpetrating genocide against the indigenous people in order to empty the land and seize it.

Palestine represents today the most significant challenge humanity is facing in the 21st century. It is a challenge for every free and honorable people wherever they may exist on this planet. President Gustavo Petro of Colombia set an honorable example for those who claim to bear responsibility worldwide when he took a decisive stance against these heinous crimes, stating: “1540 children (the number has now increased to over 2,704) in Gaza have been killed under the eyes of the so-called “democratic” governments and news agencies in Europe and the United States. Hospitals are still receiving warnings of possible evacuation due to bombings, and schools, too, have been turned into shelters after more than one million Palestinians have been displaced, without any shelter or refuge to protect them.”

Taking a genuine stand against this Zionist genocide is a fundamental and essential condition for standing against the organized, funded, and armed terrorism led by multiple Western parties in this world. The flow of money, weapons, and media support by the United States and European governments to those responsible for this genocide is a form of complicity and a genuine factor in its continuation, resulting in the harvesting of more innocent lives yearning for life, peace, and security.

Today, the spirit of Nelson Mandela calls upon you, the free people of the world, and says, “It is time for you today to combine your forces and efforts, just like when you unified your words and actions to free me from Robben Island and end the horrible racist rule in South Africa. Today you should unify your nations, governments, men and women, youth and elderly, to stop the ugliest genocide and the most heinous terrorism committed against isolated innocent civilians, and you are capable of doing so.”

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