Israel’s Plan for Syria – The Somalia Model

Israel’s Plan for Syria – The Somalia Model
By ISRAEL SHAMIR; July 30, 2012 – Counterpunch – by blackandred 30 July, 2012

Moscow – Israel retains its ability to control the Syrian ‘Islamist’ rebels. Netanyahu is not worried about Syria’s possible disintegration. Despite the received wisdom claiming that Israelis prefer a stable and familiar Assad to the great unknown of Islamic guerrillas, the new and sensational information we received points out to the opposite, namely: Israelis prefer the Somalisation of Syria, its break-up and the elimination of its army, as this will allow them to tackle Iran unopposed.

This is implied in a secret file recently leaked by a person(s) apparently close to the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Lieberman. It contains a record of conversations between Bibi Netanyahu, Avigdor Lieberman and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the latter’s recent visit to Israel. Israelis seem to have no doubts about its authenticity. Counterpunch received the original file, and here are the highlights of this conversation (in our translation from Hebrew):

•Netanyahu asked Putin to facilitate Bashar Assad’s departure. “You can appoint his successor, and we shall not object, said the Israeli Prime Minister. “There is one condition – the successor must break with Iran.

•Putin responded: we have no candidate for Bashar’s successor. Do you?

•No, we don’t, replied Netanyahu, but we shall tell you our preference soon.

Apparently, Israel can influence the rebels, inasmuch as it can bear on them to accept a successor acceptable to Tel Aviv. This means that the rebels’ chain of command goes beyond unruly field commanders, beyond Qatar and Saudi Arabia, beyond Paris and Washington, all the way to Israel. It is well known that the rebels seek friendship [see video directly below] with Israel, but nobody thought that Israel was able to control them to such an extent. …more