As the death toll in Syria reaches at least 2400, according to some estimates, and bodies of young men who have been tortured and murdered after their arrest are returned to their families with horrific signs of mutilation, the United Nations is “concerned”. Bashar el-Assad has been slaughtering his own people in the streets now since March. He had a good teacher: his father, Hafez el-Assad, in response to a revolt in Hama in 1982, murdered between 10,000 and 20,000 Syrians, most of them civilians. Some six months after the beginning of the 2011 revolt in Syria, King Abdullah of Syria has “condemned the crackdown on anti-government protesters in Syria on Sunday, saying there is "no justification for the bloodshed."

The Arab Spring, which began in Tahrir Square and appeared to have signaled a new era of democracy is not delivering on its promises. Earlier this month, while Egyptians contemplated Mubarak ‘s prosecution, that country’s soldiers and anti-riot police beat up young people who were taking part in a peaceful demonstration in Tahrir Squareto protest the slow pace of reform following Mubarak’s ouster. Chaos continues to reign in Libya as Gaddafi has no qualms about fighting to the end even if it means destroying soldiers and civilians alike in a massive bloodbath in his bid to retain power. Yemen has seemingly faded from media attention. Iran spreads its poison and its weapons in the region.

For decades, Israel has been demonized as the country that has been standing in the way of peace in the region. Any thinking person would look at the events of the last several months in the Middle East and North Africa and realize once and for all that this is nothing but a myth perpetuated by the other countries in the region in order to untie them against a common enemy and even more importantly to deflect their countrymen’s interest away from the situation on the ground in their own countries. The world has clearly demonstrated its double standard when it comes to its reaction to Israel compared to the chaos currently reigning in the Middle East and North Africa. As Israel defends itself from those who seek to destroy it – and recent declarations from Hamas make that perfectly clear – every action of self defense is scrutinized and highly criticized. At checkpoints, where, for instance, female suicide bombers have disguised themselves as pregnant women, it is a sad necessity to search all those who cross into Israel.  For those who live in Sderot and now Ashkelon and even Beersheba, under the constant threat of rocket fire, life is far from normal. How long would it have taken for the US or Canada to have retaliated in a “Cast Lead” type of operation if a Canadian or American town were under this constant barrage, its citizens – men, women and children traumatized, as Sderot is on a near-daily basis? 

However, for decades, the media is quick to take Israel to task on every action it takes. Even when the reporting has not been substantiated, the United Nations is quick to condemn. However, as the slaughter continues now for months, the world watches and the UN is “concerned”. The Middle Eastern countries and the Gulf States, after months of silence are embarrassed into half-hearted proclamations of criticism, as they contemplate fearfully their own uncertain future.Turkey “lectures” Assad. Let us not forget that since 1967, much pressure has been put on Israel to negotiate peace, first with Hafez el-Assad and then with his son, Bashar el-Assad. Can anyone now realistically expect Israel to have believed that either of these men would have acted in good faith?

The Save a Child’s Heart organization in Israel has saved more than 2,600 children with congenital heart defects from 36 countries including Iraq, Jordan, Sudan, and the Palestinian Authority. As well, Israel itself issues permits to more than 10,000 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip every year to enable them to seek medical attention at Israeli hospitals. Recently, a seven-month old baby from Gaza with a congenital heart defect was brought to Israel with his family and successfully operated on. To give you an idea of the double standard that Israel faces right here in Winnipeg, I had a “discussion” with a supporter of Israel Apartheid Week this past spring a the U of M regarding this medical treatment for Gazans in Israel. His response? “That’s because Israel prevents Gaza from having any decent hospitals!” I guess you just can’t win.