[Jerusalem Post] Herb Keinon - According to foreign new reports, the Israel air force excursion into Syrian skies was all about stopping nuclear proliferation, via North Korea, in the Middle East. If indeed the alleged sortie had to do with a nuclear shipment from Pyongyang, then Israel's stock has to go up because it will be seen as the force that will not allow nuclear proliferation in the region. It is interesting to note the resounding lack of condemnation - either in Europe or even in the Arab world - to Israel's alleged attack. The alleged North Korean nuclear connection will put Damascus - already not in the world's good graces - even more on the defensive. It's one thing to harbor terrorists who want to destroy Israel, but it is something different entirely to get into the same nuclear bed with North Korea. The Syrian-North Korean connection could move Syria from being just an unpopular state to being a pariah regime. The allegations of a North Korean-Syrian connection could make the time ripe for the world to place certain conditions on Syria's being accepted back into the international fold: kicking the terrorist organizations out of Damascus, first and foremost Hamas and its leader Khaled Mashaal, and an end to the support and the supply of weapons to Hizbullah.
2007-09-18 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive