Syria

[Eli]

There are some beaches on the very north edge of the sea, and some wild beaches close to it. I've been to the beach where You had to pay, and I was disappointed - it was, I think, 5 JD (7 dolars) for one person, and there's nothing in exchange - not even a place to sit on. There were showers, but on one shower pillar there should be 4 showers I believe - only one was working.

You forgot to blame the Israeli occupants for that.

[Spiffor]

Very cool pics, thanks Heresson

[Heresson]

Originally posted by Mercator
Awesome pictures, Heresson!

How long are you staying? Is all the travelling around part of your studies or do you just have enough opportunities (and money) for holidays?

It is not part of my studies. The Institute of Arabic Teaching for Non-Arabic Speakers (or whatevr is it called in English) organises some tours to the most popular tourist places for the students, but You have to pay for it anyway. I receive money from Polish state and also from my parents, and I spend the money from my parents for life here and renting a house, while the money from the state I use for travels.

Originally posted by Eli

You forgot to blame the Israeli occupants for that.

I do not, though in a sense the creation of Israel and its further policy brought instability to the entire region, not allowing it to prosper as it could, damaging it when it comes to that its states had to ally with SU to contain Israeli agressions, that the wars didn't allow foreign investments and decreased tourist activity.

Israel is directly blamed for f.e. destroying (by bombardemnt and blowing it up) Beaufort castle, which the only part of the Kingdom of Jerusalem except for Tyre that was not captured by Saladin, and for tortures in Khiam, etc.

Also, it is responsible for having its boarder so close to Noir Garde and Chateau Neuf castles that I don't know if I'll be able to visit them

Thanks, Spiffor

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Heresson

Israel is directly blamed for f.e. destroying (by bombardemnt and blowing it up) Beaufort castle, which the only part of the Kingdom of Jerusalem except for Tyre that was not captured by Saladin

Maybe the govt of Syria should have allowed the govt of Lebanon to negotiate a peace with Israel, so a unilateral withdrawl would have been unnecessary.


Israel gets criticized even when it withdraws from occupation.

[Heresson]

It hasn't withdrawn from Sheba farms which belong to Lebanon. Also, why should Syria allow or promote something that is definitely against its interests? Peace treaty of Israel with any arab state is against interest of Syria, because makes Israel's position against Syria stronger. Also, up to withdrawal of Syrian troops, Syria could use Lebanon to by-pass Golan Heights.
Why do You expect Syria to do something that is profitable to Israel only?

[Eli]

Originally posted by Heresson
It hasn't withdrawn from Sheba farms which belong to Lebanon. Also, why should Syria allow or promote something that is definitely against its interests? Peace treaty of Israel with any arab state is against interest of Syria, because makes Israel's position against Syria stronger. Also, up to withdrawal of Syrian troops, Syria could use Lebanon to by-pass Golan Heights.
Why do You expect Syria to do something that is profitable to Israel only?

Then why should Israel withdraw from the Golan Heights for a peace with a backward ****hole such as syria? Why do you expect Israel to act against it's interests?

The bleeding heart "end the occupation, because it makes puppies cry" argument was so much better.

[Heresson]

By your post, You admitted not only that peace is against Israel's interest, but also, that You keep Golan not to protect yourself from possible Syrian threat, but for other reasons.

[Eli]

Originally posted by Heresson
By your post, You admitted not only that peace is against Israel's interest, but also, that You keep Golan not to protect yourself from possible Syrian threat, but for other reasons.

No, I admitted that peace at the cost of giving up the Golan Heights is against the Israeli interest. I will happily support peace if Syria renounces it's claims on the Golan.

And of course there are other reasons. There are Israelis living there and uprooting them would be a headache, it's a nice good land for tourists, and I kinda like the closeness of the border to Damascus. Makes the Syrians think twice before playing their Lebanese vassals against Israel.

[Heresson]

So You think it's OK for Israel to take any part of Arab land, force out its citizens, fill it with its own and claim as part of itself? As it was not enough to take over 70% of Palestine for people that were in definite most not even borned in it, and their children and grandchildren at best.
- why should Syria renounce its "claims" - and claims of all the world byt Israel - that Golan belongs to it?
- that there are Israeli settlers, that's fault of Israel itself that placed them there against international law, and it is no excuse for keeping it
You know the same good as I do that Israel wants Golan for its water resources.
And why should not Syria use its "Lebaneese vassals", as You call Hizb Allah, against Syria, when Israel still occupies both Syrian and Lebaneese territory, not only Palestinian?

[Eli]

Either you talk about nice, lofty ideals of what's right and to whom land really belongs to and how sucks it is to be a refugee, etc, or you talk about hard interests.

Remember where the argument started. You defended Syria's not allowing Lebanon to negotiate with Israel claiming it's against Syria's interests, which is a pretty heartless position. How can you justify actively preventing two nations from trying to sign peace?

And then when it's time to talk about Israel, "good" and "right" suddenly matter, and Israel is blamed for not doing the "right"* thing and instead focusing on it's interests.


* - And i'm not going to argue over who's right. We've done it so much here that I get a headache at the thought of it.

[Fake Boris]

do you enjoy yourself besides taking pictures?

[Hueij]

Heresson, you are one lucky guy. Thanks for sharing your pictures, they are wonderful.

[Heresson]

Originally posted by Eli
Either you talk about nice, lofty ideals of what's right and to whom land really belongs to and how sucks it is to be a refugee, etc, or you talk about hard interests.

Remember where the argument started. You defended Syria's not allowing Lebanon to negotiate with Israel claiming it's against Syria's interests, which is a pretty heartless position. How can you justify actively preventing two nations from trying to sign peace?

And then when it's time to talk about Israel, "good" and "right" suddenly matter, and Israel is blamed for not doing the "right"* thing and instead focusing on it's interests.


* - And i'm not going to argue over who's right. We've done it so much here that I get a headache at the thought of it.

Peace between Lebanon and Israel is not fully "right" in my opinion, because
- I doubt Israel would return Sheba
- because it strenghtens Israel's position towards Palestine, which allows Israel to deal even more cruelly with them.
-because Israel would be even less willing to return Golan, which return I find right.

Right and wrong matters when it comes to my stand on Syrian politics. Annihilation of Israel would not be just today, not after all these years. Any attempt to do it I do not find "good". Any attempt to get back part of one state's territory from occupational forces that have no right to it I find justified, unless it harms civil population unnecessarily.

Originally posted by Oncle Boris
do you enjoy yourself besides taking pictures?

I've wasted my stay here, to be honest. I do not have many friends, because I stay with non-Arabs mostly. I haven't been attending to history lectures at University, I haven't read much of Yahya al-Antaki chronicle and haven't done anything for my MD. I got drunk a couple of times, which I've never done in Poland, I've seen nice places, and played a lot of computer games until my comp got broke.
Sometimes it's very nice, but pretty often I meet very unpleasant people trying to deceive me.
The lessons were pretty boring lately, and I don't think the grades will reflect our work anyway (to a point I actually hope they will not, I hope they'll be better than that).

[Ecthy]

You're an idiot. I guess you even voted Lepper

[Heresson]

I have not and would never do it. And please, don't let my person stop your search for someone who's interested in your opinions.