The Palestinian keffiyeh: All you need to know about its origins

 A closer look at the origins of Palestine’s iconic headscarf and how it transcended borders

Palestinian women masked with traditional keffiyeh near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank (AFP/Abbas Momani)

By Indlieb Farazi Saber

28 May 2021 13:53 UTC 

A distinctly Palestinian black-and-white chequered piece of cloth, the keffiyeh is described by some as the nation’s unofficial flag.

Long synonymous with the Palestinian cause, the simple square-metre fabric, traditionally folded diagonally into a triangle and worn draped over the head of rural Palestinian men, is today securely fashioned around the necks of human rights activists, anti-war protesters, sports stars and celebrities; transcending gender, religion and nationality.

Muhammad Walid, 49, from Jerusalem says he remembers seeing his father and uncles wear the keffiyeh in his earliest memories.

“The older generations would wear it on their heads,” he says. “I started wearing it as a teenager, but around my neck. For me, it represents the Palestinian struggle and cause.”

It’s a similar story for Riad Halak, 62, also from Jerusalem, who says: “It’s a tradition of Palestine. I started wearing one when I was 11 years old, and I still wear it today on special days like the Nakba. It’s part of my identity.”

While the keffiyeh’s status as an icon of Palestinian nationhood is undisputed, its origins lie further east, in what is now Iraq.

A mural depicts the Dome of the Rock and a woman wearing the keffiyeh (AFP/Jaafar Ashtiyeh)

The word itself means “relating to Kufa,” a reference to the Iraqi city south of Baghdad that sits along the Euphrates river, but little else is known about the roots of the keffiyeh. One account suggests it came about in the seventh century, during a battle between Arab and Persian forces near Kufa. The Arabs were said to have used cords made from camel hair to secure their headdresses and in order to recognise their comrades in the heat of battle. After their victory, the headgear was kept on as a reminder of their triumph. 

Others say the fabric, sometimes called the hata in the Levant, has origins that pre-date Islam and can be traced back to Mesopotamia, when it was worn by Sumerian and Babylonian priests around 5,000 years ago. 

“Its origins are open to speculation,” Anu Lingala, author of A Socio-political History of the Keffiyeh, tells Middle East Eye. “Until very recently, these types of designed objects were not taken seriously as subjects of academic research. The exception was for designed objects that were associated with elite status and wealth, whereas the keffiyeh was traditionally associated with working classes.”

Shorthand for the struggle

Although no longer linked to social status, the keffiyeh’s modern roots in Palestine are among the fellah, or rural workers, as well as the Bedouin. The two groups would wear the garment over their heads to cover the backs of their neck and protect themselves from the heat of the summer sun and the cold during the winter.

According to Lingala: “Covering one’s head was an important principle in traditional Palestinian culture.

Israel-Palestine: British media coverage ‘skewed’ and ‘biased’, report finds

“[The keffiyeh] afforded breathability through air pockets created by folds in the fabric,” she says.

The more educated, urban Palestinians, or effendi, would wear the fez or tarboush, a deep-red felt hat popularised by Ottoman ruler Mahmud II and adopted by locals as a standard form of dress. 

Cultural historian Jane Tynan has written about the scarf’s significance in the book Fashion and Politics. She says: “The Ottoman Empire’s dress codes had the effect of erasing ethno-religious identities, but would have been worn as a norm by urban dwellers.”

After the Turkish empire’s loss of its Near Eastern territories during the First World War, and the Arab Revolt against British colonial rule in 1936, Palestinian nationalists also used the keffiyeh as a means of covering their faces to hide their identity and avoid arrest, spurring unsuccessful calls among the British to ban the headscarves. Instead, in a “pivotal moment in Palestinian culture,” Palestinians united in adopting the fabric as a sign of solidarity. The symbol remained a staple icon of Palestinian nationhood after the Nakba and the establishment of the state of Israel.

“Palestinians of all social classes abandoned the fez and united around wearing the keffiyeh, making it difficult to identify the revolutionaries,” Maha Saca, head of the Palestinian Heritage Centre in Bethlehem, tells Middle East Eye.

Tynan, an assistant professor in design history and theory at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, says that “from its function in the revolt as a tool to disguise the identity of the wearer from British authorities, the keffiyeh became shorthand for the Palestinian struggle”. 

Yasser Arafat, the late leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, is said to have arranged his keffiyeh to resemble the map of pre-1948 Palestine (AFP)

Lingala makes a similar point: “As Palestinians’ collective identity and right to the land continued to be increasingly threatened… they sought to hold onto items that represented ‘cultural continuity’.”

Years later, in the 1960s, the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat popularised the garment among a global audience. According to Saca: “Abu Ammar [Arafat] would never be seen at any event without it.”

His keffiyeh was always carefully positioned on his head, with the longer end of the fabric placed over his right shoulder – some say it was laid out to resemble a map of pre-1948 Palestine. 

Muhammad Walid, from Jerusalem, says his keffiyeh represents the Palestinian struggle (Muhammad Walid)

When Israeli occupation authorities banned the Palestinian flag from 1967 until the Oslo Accords in 1993, the scarf took on a potent symbolism, according to Ted Swedenburg, professor of anthropology at Arkansas University.

“Portable and visible symbols” were important to Palestinians, Swedenburg says, adding that with the flag banned by the occupation for alomost 30 years, the keffiyeh, “to which so much rich symbolism and history was attached, served as an everyday, portable, visual expression of Palestinian identity”. 

Wheat, olives and honey

The distinct black stitching on the white cotton keffiyeh is said to have many symbolic meanings, and although none have been verified, Palestinians have no shortage of interpretations.

It has been described by some as “a fishing net, a honeycomb, the joining of hands, or the marks of dirt and sweat wiped off a worker’s brow”. Others suggest the design represents ears of wheat, in reference to Jericho, one of the first known cities to cultivate the grain.

Palestinian performance artist Fargo Tbakhi adds “barbed wire” to the list, explaining the pattern could depict “that ever-present symbol of the occupation,” although he relates most to the fishing net design, also called the fatha (opening).

“[I see it] as a symbol of our identity, a model for being Palestinian, it articulates one possible futurity for our people,” he writes in the Los Angeles Review of Books.

“A fishnet is an image of collectivism, of entanglement and dependence: in a net, singular strands become something larger, stronger. As one strand, I am always yearning to be knotted together with others, so that we are better able to hold, to catch.”

Palestinian author Susan Abulhawa tells Middle East Eye that the patterns on the keffiyeh “speak to Palestinian lifeblood, in the same way that the patterns of tatreez [Palestinian embroidery] is a language unto itself, telling stories of location, lineage, occasion, and historic significance”.

The black stitching is sometimes also referred to as a honeycomb design, in recognition of the region’s beekeepers; some rural Syrians (where the cloth is also worn) say the pattern symbolises the joining of hands and the marks of dirt and sweat wiped off a worker’s brow. 

A recent tweet included another interpretation of the design, a representation of Palestine’s olive trees, which show “strength and resilience”:

Share this post to educate people on our traditional Kuffieyeh  pic.twitter.com/R3jvs0DWp1— mars | FREE PALESTINE (@peachesfrompali) May 17, 2021

Abulhawa agrees: “The ‘bird-like’ motifs along the border are interconnected olive leaves, referring to the significance of the olive tree in Palestinian life.” 

Olives, in all forms – olive oil, olive-oil products (such as soap), and olive wood – were hugely important aspects of Palestinian culinary, social and economic life, Abulhawa explains. 

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian   

The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Blog!

Sheikh Qassem to Al-Ahed: Berri Taking Steps to Form Government; the Syrian Elections Are a Success Story

 28/05/2021

Source

By Mayssaa Moukaddem

Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri is taking steps to form a new government. That’s according to Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary General, His Eminence Sheikh Naim Qassem, who said that “hopes for solution” are resting on these steps.

“We need the results to appear directly this week,” Sheikh Qassem said in an exclusive interview with the Al-Ahed News.

“The country carrying on without a government means the continuation of economic and social chaos and a continuous deterioration,” he added. “Forming the government is the natural, necessary, and exclusive approach to the beginning of the solution in Lebanon.”

Sheikh Qassem also responded to the Governor of the Bank of Lebanon, Riad Salameh, in relation to the Al-Qard Al-Hasan Association. Hezbollah’s  deputy chief explained that “Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association is a charitable social institution that does not deal with banking matters and is not part of the banking system in Lebanon. Therefore, any observation that may be made by any party that considers itself to have the authority can follow it through the normal, legal channels and will find that this institution is a charitable institution, to which the accusation claimed by some does not apply.”

Regarding the elections in Syria, Sheikh Qassem asserted that “the massive turnout is proof of Syria’s recovery, and that the regime has a well-established position. This scene completely contradicts all previous bets on displaced Syrians serving as a tool to vote for someone other than President Assad, and having the president removed in a democratic and constitutional manner.”

Regarding the restoration of the relationship between Hamas and Syria and the role of Hezbollah in this regard, Sheikh Qassem noted that “the relationship was a subject of follow-up in recent months.”

“There has also been progress towards the possibility of restoring relations between them. But the honorable battle of Al-Quds Sword accelerated these steps. God willing, we will soon see a normal return of relations and repair the rifts.”

Sheikh Qassem affirmed that “the work of the resistance against ‘Israel’ does not belong to a sect, but rather belongs to the honorable Islamic, patriotic, national, and humanitarian resistance.”

“Anyone who is trying to drive a wedge between the resistance movements is acting in an absurd manner.”

Below is the full text of the interview:

1- First, all the supporters of the Secretary-General of Hezbollah are asking about the health of His Eminence, especially after his recent speech. Did you have contact with him after the speech? How can you reassure his supporters?

The Secretary-General of Hezbollah, His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, is fine, praise be to God Almighty. He was diagnosed with a mild condition in recent days that required him to rest for two to three days. But since his supporters have been waiting for his speech on May 25, failure to appear would have raised unnecessary questions. It was better for him to make an appearance, despite not fully recovering, to be on the side of his supporters who were waiting for his speech at this important and sensitive stage. And the Secretary-General is fine, God willing.

2- The head of the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, Yahya al-Sinwar, stated that “the rockets and planes deployed during the battle were sent in complete coordination between the resistance in Lebanon and Gaza.” What do you have to add regarding details of coordination between the resistance in Lebanon and Gaza?

It has become known that the level of cooperation between the Islamic Republic, Hezbollah, and the resistance in Palestine is high at the level of preparation, capabilities, training, and manufacturing. Therefore, any other details related to the coordination mechanisms remain a security matter, and we cannot disclose their details. However, it is clear that the battle that took place unfolded with close follow-up and permanent cooperation, thank God.

3- How did you read yesterday’s press conference where Al-Sinwar challenged the “Israeli” enemy to assassinate him, and then he publicly walked through the streets of Gaza despite the declared “Israeli” threats?

The “Israelis” usually make many threats in order to leave a psychological effect on their enemies, but it seems that they have not yet understood what the resistance and the resistance fighters are. They are confident in the victory of God Almighty and stand in the front row during confrontations alongside the honorable mujahideen. Hence, the public appearance of Al-Sinwar is a clear challenge to the “Israeli” enemy that their threats could not affect the resistance and its leadership.

4- To what extent can the equation referred to by the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, “Al-Quds versus a regional war,” be enforceable in the foreseeable future?

It is not possible to define anticipated times for wars that “Israel” might initiate or for developments that could lead to a comprehensive regional war. This matter has to do with field data that are not currently available, and the conditions are not favorable to them, but it must remain clear that we, as Hezbollah, are in a state of constant readiness for any calculated or unpredictable development.

5- Did the Al-Quds Sword battle contribute to repairing rifts that appeared between some Palestinian resistance movements and Syria? Does Hezbollah have a role in this?

The relationship between the Hamas movement and Syria has been the subject of follow-up in recent months, and there has also been progress towards the possibility of restoring relations between them. But the honorable battle Al-Quds Sword accelerated these steps. This was highlighted by the announcement of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to receive all the resistance fighters in Damascus, as well as the response of the Hamas leadership about expecting this from Syria, which has always been on the side of the resistance. God willing, we will soon see a normal return of relations and repair the rifts that have risen as a result of developments in Syria in the last stage.

6- What is your response to those who are trying to play on the sectarian chord to divide the resistance factions in the area?

The work of the resistance against “Israel” does not belong to a sect, but rather belongs to the honorable Islamic, patriotic, national, and humanitarian resistance. Therefore, whoever tries to drive a wedge within the relations of the resistance movements is acting in an absurd manner because the level of interaction and integration in the resistance work has been evident at various stages, especially at the last stage, where the level of interaction between the resistance fighters throughout the region is extensive without any sectarian dismissions.

7- After 21 years since the liberation of Lebanon, to what extent can it be said that the resistance is able to deter “Israeli” aggression and attacks?

Talking about Hezbollah’s resistance deterring “Israel” doesn’t need any further verification. “Israel” committed an aggression in 2006 with the expectation that it would crush the resistance in Lebanon, but it failed miserably. For the last 15 years (from 2006 to 2021), “Israel” is still deterred in every sense of the word. This is evidence of the effects that the liberation and the victory in the 2006 aggression left on “Israel”; it does not dare to launch an aggression in any way or form because it is fully aware that the resistance’s response will be very harsh, especially since its capabilities and methods developed extraordinarily in recent years. It is now in a much better position than it was during the liberation or following the 2006 aggression.

8- In the last two years, Lebanon entered an unprecedented phase of economic and monetary deterioration. In your view, does the path of salvation begin from the formation of the government? Do you bet on this matter, especially since there are those who doubt that a government will be born under the current circumstances? Following the disagreement between President Aoun and Hariri, [the government] will not be productive but tensions and mutual obstacles will move to the cabinet table.

There are two options in Lebanon, and there is no third. There is the option of the country carrying on without a government, and this means the continuation of economic and social chaos and a continuous deterioration without reaching any solution. The second option is to form a government so that there is an official body responsible in the country. Even if this government does not achieve everything that the Lebanese people aspire for, at least it introduces the first rescue steps on the path to a solution and begins with efforts to stop the deterioration we are in. Therefore, the formation of the government is the natural, necessary, and exclusive entry point for the beginning of the solution in Lebanon. Then, we must follow up so that the solution is effective. We must also address the gaps that slow the solution down or affect it. There are no other options in Lebanon.

9- After the Secretary-General of Hezbollah confirmed that Speaker Nabih Berri is the only party capable of solving disagreements between President Aoun and Hariri, do you know what he is preparing in this regard?

There are steps that Speaker Berri is now taking, which he hopes will create an opportunity for a solution, and we are helping and cooperating so are other parties. We need the results to appear directly this week.

10- While waiting for the formation of the government, who will the citizens that are looking for fuel, medicine, and basic needs turn to? Does Hezbollah have an alternative plan to protect societal security in Lebanon? Is there anyone who can guarantee that the street will not explode again in light of the continuous deterioration?

Social security is the responsibility of the state and not the responsibility of a particular party. No matter what any party does, it will not be able to achieve social security for the people. It may fill some gaps and address some problems, but there must be a responsible government that the Parliament will hold accountable and follow up with in order to take us to steps for social security and resolve chaos. Any betting outside the framework of forming a government is futile and a waste of time and unrealizable hopes.

11- Does Hezbollah have a project to benefit in a way from the continuous Iranian offers to Lebanon to help in several areas, including electricity, in case Lebanese officials continue to refuse or escape from it?

It is better to wait for the formation of the government, and we will try to help the state cooperate with Iranian, Russian, Chinese, and Western offers, which can speed up dealing with the electricity problem or other problems.

12- In an interview with Al-Hadath channel a few days ago, the Governor of Bank of Lebanon, Riad Salameh, said, “We learned from Washington about Al-Qard Al-Hasan’s connections, and we will investigate this, and the activity of this institution harms the banking system.” What is your response?

Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association is a charitable social institution that does not deal with banking matters and is not part of the banking system in Lebanon. Therefore, any observation that may be made by any party that considers itself to have the authority can follow it through the normal, legal channels and will find that this institution is a charitable institution, to which the accusation claimed by some does not apply.

13- Does Hezbollah support the removal of Riad Salameh from his position?

Any matter related to the governor of the Bank of Lebanon, remaining [in his post] or being ousted, requires a government to make this decision. Discussing this subject is a mere form of entertainment if it is not translated into a discussion within the government, which must take the right position on this issue according to the data presented to it.

14- How is Hezbollah’s relationship with Bkerke today?

The liaison committee between Hezbollah and Bkerke continues its regular and periodic meetings, and there is nothing new in this regard.

15- The Saudi media maintains that Hezbollah is part of the drug trade, and these allegations intensified among Gulf countries preventing Lebanese trucks from passing through their territories. Some Lebanese parties recommended accusing Hezbollah of harming Lebanon’s image and Lebanese production, what is your response?

The link between Hezbollah, drugs, the Gulf states, accusations, and evidence must be dismantled. First, Hezbollah does not trade in drugs and has nothing to do with it, neither from near nor from afar, and it prohibits drug trade and consumption. And the Lebanese security services are fully aware of the extent of Hezbollah’s contribution in providing aid and support when it comes to arresting people or raiding groups in different regions, where we have the ability to help the security services to do so.

As for Western allegations that talk about drug trafficking at the international level, they lack evidence. All the reports they announce say, “This person is close to Hezbollah, “it was leaked to us that Hezbollah may have a relationship,” and “here is an analysis saying that Hezbollah is the one benefiting.” No report dares to accuse Hezbollah directly because it has not been proven to anyone. But they are trying, in a twisted way, to pin it on Hezbollah, and so far, internationally and locally, this matter has not been proven and will not be proven because we are against drugs, drug trade, and anything related to drugs.

Secondly, the drugs seized in pomegranate shipments belongs to one or some drug traffickers, and it has absolutely no connection to Hezbollah. The measures taken by Saudi Arabia, or some Gulf countries are measures related to the shipment of drugs or other shipments. What does this have to do with Hezbollah and the position of the Gulf states with Hezbollah? Linking the matter to Hezbollah is part of the political rivalry and an attempt to tarnish the party’s image. We no longer comment on such accusations because we considered them both frivolous and degrading at the same time and based on unjustified hostility and accusations that do not have the slightest basis. So, if this matter is mentioned repeatedly and Hezbollah did not respond, it is because it has become one of the issues that do not concern us, and the people concerned know very well that we are outside the circle of drugs or the likes.

Does Hezbollah intend to file lawsuits against the media that deliberately insist on placing Hezbollah’s name in this file?

We may need to activate the entire judiciary in Lebanon if we wish to prosecute for every accusation because some throw around accusations a lot without evidence. We do not have the conviction to pursue every matter through the judiciary. We may pursue very specific and very restricted matters if we find that there is a benefit, but this is not our approach.

16- What is your reading of the high turnout in the presidential elections in Syria? And how did you interpret the tension between Lebanese factions over the turnout of the Syrians in Lebanon?

The massive turnout is proof of Syria’s recovery, and that the regime has a well-established position and that people, contrary to what they say about them in the West and some Gulf countries, are supporters of the structure and continuation of the regime. They are opposed to chaos and the fragmentation of Syria. This scene completely contradicts all previous bets on displaced Syrians serving as a tool to vote for someone other than President Assad, and having the president removed in a democratic and constitutional manner.

It became clear to all of them that this bet was unrealistic because even in the centers outside Syria where people have been displaced, the huge turnout was in favor of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. I consider this a success and a victory at the same time for Syria’s continuity and stability in the future. Anyone looking for a solution in Syria must deal with the regime and not with America, “Israel,” and those on their side, including Daesh and others who destroyed Syria.

As for those who tried to attack some voters in Lebanon, Hezbollah issued a statement and made it clear that these people attacked others who have the right to express their opinion. Therefore, this attack is unacceptable and rejected, regardless of their arguments. Unfortunately, some feel that the aggressor has a justification because the voter passed in front of him. This justification is illogical and unreasonable. In any case, they have offended themselves with this attack and highlighted the ugly racist image that no one embraces.

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian   

The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Blog!

Douma: Three Years On: How independent media shot down the false “chemical attack” narrative.

 May 28, 2021 

Eva Bartlett

Hassan Diab (left) in a hospital in Douma after being hosed down with water, though allegedly a victim of chemical weapons, Hasan would later testify there was no chemical weapon attack

Fantastic endorsement by the esteemed John Pilger. I’m humbled.

“This outstanding report from Syria by Eva Bartlett penetrates the ‘iron dome’ of Western propaganda, also known as news.

It is about a chemical attack that never happened in a country attacked, subverted and blockaded in your name.“

The article in question was published at Off Guardian, May 25, 2021

May 20 marked the start of the 2021 Syrian presidential elections. Syrians around the world outside of Syria will cast their votes—if their embassies haven’t been closed, or voting prohibited, in the countries they reside in that is.

As I wrote last week,

Western leaders hypocritically claimed concern for Syrians and wanted to ensure they live democratically – by funding and arming terrorists from around the world to slaughter them and destroy their homes, governmental buildings, and historic and cultural places–but continue to do everything in their power to make it difficult-to-impossible for Syrians to exercise their rights to vote for their president.

In closing Syrian embassies around the world, the regime-change alliance made very clear that they do not want the Syrian people to exercise their democratic right to vote in presidential elections past and future. They know that Syrians would come out in masses to vote for their president.

Otherwise, Syrians will, on May 26, vote in Syria. This is a historic moment: after 10 years of would-be regime change in Syria, ten bloody years of unnecessary war on Syria, Syrians voting, whether for Assad or not, are voting in defiance of the West’s attempts to install a puppet government.

In their attempts to overthrow President Assad, the West and allies have concocted accusation after accusation about alleged atrocities committed by Syria. Among the many fabrications, the more recent and perhaps notable was that of the April 2018, Douma “chemical attack” allegations.

The Douma “Chemical Attack”

Three years ago on April 7, France, the UK and the US (FUKUS) and their allies, along with the entirety of Western corporate media, alleged that the Syrian army had used chemical weapons on civilians in Douma, just northeast of Damascus.

The allegation was that a chemical agent airdropped onto the town had killed dozens of civilians.

As I wrote at the time, the West’s claims to have evidence to back these allegations was a transparent lie: what they had were dubious, unverified, video clips and photos shared on social media, provided by the Western-funded White Helmets and other partial and non-credible sources with affiliations to, and admiration for, Jaysh al-Islam and co-terrorist groups in eastern Ghouta.

One week later, the night before Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) inspectors were due to visit Douma (at the request of the Syrian government), FUKUS launched 103 missiles at Syria. Bombing within Damascus itself and putting the lives of Syrian civilians at risk.

They carried out this attack without waiting for any evidence at all, much less a full investigation by the OPCW. Far from a concern for the truth, or wanting to “protect” Syrian lives, FUKUS’ response was clearly about applying both political and military pressure to the government they had been trying to change for almost a decade.

Indeed, the immediate attribution of guilt to the Syrian government, alongside the promptness of the retaliation, suggests at least foreknowledge of the “attack”, if not outright responsibility for it.

Independent Media on the Ground in Syria

In contrast to the propaganda put forth from outside of Syria – by dubious propaganda outlets like Bellingcat, as well as most of Western media – a number of journalists actually went to the area in question and spoke with medical personnel and residents.

These include Russian and Syrian media, followed by foreign journalists including One America News Network, Vanessa Beeley, Robert Fisk, Germany’s ZDF, and myself.

We learned: there was no indication that any of the people brought in to the medical point had been exposed to a chemical agent; they were, instead, treated for normal shelling injuries, as well as for breathing difficulties due to the combination of smoke, dust, and their having taken refuge for extended periods in basements; they were all sent home after treatment, no one died in the makeshift hospital.

We also heard of the horrific suffering of civilians in eastern Ghouta, under the savage rule of Jaysh al-Islam, Faylaq al-Rahman, and the other terrorist factions occupying the region. In fact, most residents I spoke with were more desperate to emphasize how awful life had been under their rule than talk about what they clearly viewed as lies, the chemical allegations.

In one particularly notable early report, RT interviewed the 11-year-old boy, Hassan Diab, starring in the clip that went around the world: a clip showing Diab being hosed down in a chaotic hospital room, allegedly being treated for exposure to a chemical agent.

The boy told RT:

We were outside, and they told all of us to go into the hospital. I was immediately taken upstairs, and they started pouring water on me. The doctors started filming us here [in the hospital], they were pouring water and taking videos.

The Hague Press Conference

Diab and sixteen others — including a resuscitator, a paramedic who was working in emergency care, an emergency paramedic with the Syrian Red Crescent, a doctor with the emergency department — then spoke at The Hague.

Their testimonies dismantled the claims about a chemical attack in Douma.

But, as I recently wrote, instead of considering these Syrian sources, pundits and media sneered at the “obscene masquerade” regarding the testimonies.

Yes, the same media which uncritically endorsed the Twitter account of a seven-year-old English-illiterate Aleppo girl as gospel in the lead up to the liberation of Aleppo refused to consider the testimonies of seventeen civilians from Douma.

The same media refused the revelations of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) whistleblowers who spoke out, damning the final OPCW report for its glaring omissions – omissions that completely changed the narrative around Douma.

In October 2020, the UN Security Council itself refused to allow Jose Bustani, former general director of the OPCW, to speak. I urge people to read Bustani’s words on the cover up of OPCW expert findings around the Douma allegations.

It should be noted that it was largely due to the Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media that OPCW whistle-blowers spoke out, and thus that the report has been questioned. You can read some of their diligent research here.

As for Jose Bustani, for the sake of brevity, I will include just some of his words below, again encouraging readers to read his words fully.

[S]erious questions are now being raised over whether the independence, impartiality, and professionalism of some of the Organisation’s work is being severely compromised, possibly under pressure from some Member States.

Of particular concern are the circumstances surrounding the OPCW’s investigation of the alleged chemical attack in Douma, Syria, on 7 April 2018. These concerns are emanating from the very heart of the Organisation, from the very scientists and engineers involved in the Douma investigation.
[…]
If the OPCW is confident in the robustness of its scientific work on Douma and in the integrity of the investigation, then it has little to fear in hearing out its inspectors.

If, however, the claims of evidence suppression, selective use of data, and exclusion of key investigators, among other allegations, are not unfounded, then it is even more imperative that the issue be dealt with openly and urgently.

For more nuance and details on the OPCW scandal, the suppressing of critical evidence in order to suit the regime changers’ narrative of a chemical attack having occurred in Douma, read Kit Klarenberg’s April 2021 article, in which notes:

The report released to the public was trimmed to just 34 pages, with all ballistic, forensic and witness evidence gathered by the Douma FFM, which completely dispelled the notion of a chemical attack, and pointed directly or indirectly to a staged incident, removed […] the West and allies continue to push the official, and incorrect, OPCW story, now going as far as ensuring Syria no longer has a seat at the OPCW table.

Clearly, no matter how much evidence against, and testimonies that counter, the West’s claims about a chemical attack in Douma, FUKUS is hell-bent on cramming this narrative down our throats. All in the name, of course, of concern for Syrian civilians. The same civilians the West is strangling under increasingly brutal sanctions against the Syrian people.

Testimonies From On the Ground in Douma

While much is being made of the official OPCW report and the ensuing OPCW leaks which contradicted the chemical claims, it is important to also consider the many testimonies of Syrian civilians and medical personnel, not only on the issue of a chemical attack or not, but also on the details of their lives under the savage rule of terrorist groups.

Vanessa Beeley went to Douma in April 2018, going to the makeshift hospital where the dousing scene was filmed. “All said it was not a chemical attack. Civilians in area confirmed this also. Shops hve re-opened, rebuilding has started, nobody presented any symptoms of CW attack,” she tweeted at the time.

Her subsequent article included testimonies of medical personnel and civilians, including Dr Hassan Ouyoun, who noted that he had not issued any death certificates for the April 7 “chemical attack victims,” and raised a number of important points:

I didn’t give any death certificate as a result of a chemical poisoning incident. This is a point against the White Helmets. How was the death “evaluation” carried out? Who did the examination? Who identified the cause of death? How was the burial carried out without a certificate from a doctor?

Valid concerns. And yet, Western media and talking heads instead ran with the dubious footage and narratives supplied by the White Helmets and terrorist-affiliated allies.

I myself went by taxi to Douma in late April, 2018, also going to the by then infamous hospital room in question. I returned to the district in early May to visit neighbouring towns.

As I wrote after my visit, the man I spoke with, Marwan Jaber, said that while hospital staff were treating normal bombing injuries and breathing cases, “strangers” entered screaming about a chemical attack and started hosing people with water.

Patients’ symptoms were “not in line with the symptoms of a chemical attack. There wasn’t pupil constriction or Broncho-constrictions leading to death,” Jaber recalled. “The symptoms we received were all symptoms of choking, patients affected by the smoke and regular war injuries. They came here, we treated them, and dispatched them home,” Jaber said, noting that none, not one, had died.

Nor were any of the hospital staff affected, as one might expect they would be had a chemical agent been used. The staff, as seen in the video produced by the White Helmets, wore no protective clothing, as would have been necessary when dealing with a toxic chemical.

In Marwan Jaber’s opinion, the unfamiliar men who barged into the hospital screaming weren’t trained in medicine. He went so far as to doubt whether they’d finished high school.

Life Under Terrorist Occupation

Before walking around Douma and speaking with residents, I walked down some of the wide and very long, well-reinforced tunnels which Jaysh al-Islam terrorists used to move below ground, including in vehicles, to avoid detection from the Syrian army and allies.

Part of the labyrinth of tunnels Jaysh al Islam terrorists formerly occupying Douma used to evade detection and thus prolong the misery of civilians.
Longer video here: https://t.co/gRFP9Xqktk pic.twitter.com/fNyvZ5Zg3Y

— Eva Karene Bartlett (@EvaKBartlett) May 24, 2018

From my article:

As I walked around Douma, I asked residents about life there and especially about whether they believed there was a chemical attack in their town. Some replied they had no idea about an attack. But most replied decisively no, there hadn’t been any.

At a stand selling vegetables and fruits, Tawfeeq Zahran replied that he believed Jaysh al-Islam had spoken of a chemical attack to frighten them, to make them fear the Syrian army and government. Men around him nodded their agreement. They spoke more about their starvation under Jaysh al-Islam and about the public executions by sword that the terror group had routinely carried out.

A group of young men selling baked goods waved me over, handing me one. They also replied that they knew nothing of an attack. They were more concerned about the fact that, under Jaysh al-Islam, they couldn’t get the flour needed for their baked goods, much less food to live. This was a constant among every civilian I met: Their hunger and terror under Jaysh al-Islam’s rule.

Since most people I met in Douma and neighbouring villages wanted to speak about life under terrorist rule, I wrote a follow-up article focusing on that.

The chemical story was to them largely unimportant. But the terror they endured still haunted them, and likely will the rest of their lives.

Mahmoud Al Khaled, who spoke to Vanessa Beeley about the White Helmets’ involvement in organ theft, wasn’t the only Syrian civilian to speak about this. In December 2018, I wrote about a more than one-hour-long panel on the White Helmets at the United Nations on December 20.

That panel, along with the countless testimonies Vanessa Beeley and Maxim Grigoriev respectively collected, are essential listening and reading for those who want to understand the true nature of the White Helmets.

How any sensible person, much less any credible journalist or body, could rely on the White Helmets’ narratives regarding chemical attacks in Syria is truly baffling.

How the West Forgot Kidnapped Civilians and Ignored Executions

“Concern for Syrian civilians” has been the disingenuous rallying cry for all those pushing the Western war on Syria, from politicians to the press. But this “concern” only applies when it suits.

The Western media don’t actually care what civilians witnesses have to say about the so-called “chemical attacks”, the Western media don’t investigate what life is like for Syrian civilians living under terrorist occupation, or having their organs trafficked by Western-backed White Helmets.

And the Western media didn’t write about civilians kidnapped — used as slave labour, tortured, killed, and some freed when eastern Ghouta was liberated — because their scripts didn’t tell them to, or because they didn’t know: they weren’t in Syria, nor following Syrian media carefully.

Vanessa Beeley was, however, in Syria, and at the time tweeted:

Jaish Al Islam lied to secure their evacuation from #Douma. Only two buses have exited with kidnap victims. It is reported that remaining 3-5000 were executed prior to JAI surrender, many years before. All hope destroyed for waiting families. https://t.co/hY1H41xj6L— vanessa beeley (@VanessaBeeley) April 10, 2018

As it turned out, although thousands were expected to be released, Jaysh al-Islam terrorists had apparently executed the vast majority.

Al Masdar reported:

With expectation to free up to 5 thousands captives, it turned out that only 200 of them remained alive throughout years of captivity.

Sources said that Jaysh al-Islam manipulated the Syrian government and Russian mediators by providing fake lists of the captives with the objective to secure a surrender deal whereby it militants can safely leave their bastion to the country’s north.

Thousands of the kidnapped were executed by their captors or died of illness, hunger or fatigue while forced to dig tunnels.

Hundreds of distressed families desperately waited for their kidnapped relatives at al-Fayhaa Stadium in Damascus as the last 2 buses carrying around 100 captives arrived at the overcrowded facility.

The day of their release, abductees spoke to Syrian media: they were kidnapped by Jaysh al-Islam and al-Nusra in December 2013 from the industrial area of Adra, north of Damascus. They were kept in cages and humiliated, tortured, forced to dig tunnels, including children. Children and adults were starved, children deprived of education and even of sunlight.

Thousands of kidnapped civilians, brutalized, tormented, starved, and the majority executed or died in inhumane, unlivable, circumstances, and not a peep from Western media. The same media that claimed to have sources all over eastern Ghouta.

A search from the period of March to August 2018 revealed only Syrian, Chinese, Russian, and Iranian news sites reporting on the issue. Deafening silence from Western media. Vanessa Beeley was one of the only Western journalists who cared enough to report on it, although at the time, waiting at the site where the kidnapped civilians would be brought, in order to speak with them and share their horrific experiences.

At the time of the abductees’ release, the Guardian’s Istanbul-based Shaheen devoted a scant few sentences to mentioning the matter, referring to them as “kidnapped individuals and prisoners of war” with no mention that they were civilians, including women and children, no mention of their numbers, and none of the outrage that would have filled days of Guardian articles were they “kidnapped individuals and prisoners of war” taken by the Syrian army.

Reuters also made scant mention of the abductees, also merely referring to them as prisoners, with no indication that they were Syrian civilians, including children.

Terrorists’ Chemical Capabilities

Some, while aware that the OPCW lied about Douma, still believe the corrupted body investigated honestly about previous chemical claims.

But there is much to indicate that is not the case, and much to indicate that, in fact, it has been terrorist factions that have many a time used chemicals against civilians and against the Syrian army.

Journalist Sharmine Narwani, in March 2018, exposed the likelihood that a chemical lab which she visited in Eastern Ghouta was used to manufacture chemicals which terrorists used in staged attacks.

This week, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) liberated some Eastern Ghouta farmlands between Shifouniyeh and Douma and discovered a well-equipped chemical laboratory run by Saudi-backed Islamist terrorists. Not a single Western reporter showed up to investigate the facility.
[…]
It is now indisputable that Western-backed and Gulf-financed Islamist militants have the capabilities to produce the chemicals of war inside the battlefield – and not in the makeshift way that media suggests. This lab demonstrates that militants can amass foreign-made equipment, create production lines and procure difficult-to-obtain components.

When Vanessa Beeley went to Douma, she visited a chemical lab in an area controlled by Jaysh al-Islam, seeing a gas cylinder which looked similar to the famous Douma “chemical attack” cylinder.

#Douma – 2nd chemical weapon manufacturing site I visited yesterday. This site was in a Jaish Al Islam fortified, secure area where nobody could enter without passing their checkpoints. Similar cylinder to one claimed to have been used in alleged CW attack on 7/4. @21WIRE #Ghouta pic.twitter.com/6566x6St8l— vanessa beeley (@VanessaBeeley) April 24, 2018

Interestingly, a CNN journalist who was with the delegation Beeley was with chose to ignore the scene.

Just prior to #Douma alleged attacks, I visited terrorist bomb factories with @CNN Frederick Pleitgen #Ghouta. We saw evidence of armed groups using chemical weapons, when Pleitgen reported Douma, he said nothing, blocked me on Twitter when challenged.— vanessa beeley (@VanessaBeeley) April 21, 2021

Presumably, it didn’t fit in with his scripted narrative on Douma.

When she interviewed civilians in Hamouri, eastern Ghouta, a month before the chemical allegations, Beeley learned that terrorist factions and their White Helmet accomplices had intended to stage an attack then, but it was derailed by Syrian civilians who came out demonstrating with Syrian flags.

On the 6th of March, in Hamouriya, we decided to protest against Failaq Al Rahman and we raised the Syrian flag. We marched against the terrorist occupation. They (Failaq Al Rahman) and the White Helmets were preparing a chemical attack which they intended to blame on the Syrian Arab Army as they closed in on the militants. They were furious with us for our march and for raising the Syrian flag, because it ruined their plans.

Very hard to present a “chemical attack” with scenes of cheering, flag-waving, Syrian civilians…

Fast forward to Saraqib, Idlib, February 2020, not long after it was liberated, where Beeley saw a former al-Nusra training centre containing another chemical lab.

#Idlib #Saraqeb – former Nusra Front military training center, suspected used by #WhiteHelmets also. Contains chemical lab where I saw boxes of ball bearings, nitric acid & other chem ingredients – alongside number of small rockets that could be packed wth materials. Report soon. pic.twitter.com/9WD7SLtCKM— vanessa beeley (@VanessaBeeley) February 24, 2020

Meanwhile, there are numerous instances of terrorist factions using chemicals against Syrian civilians.

Narwani’s Ghouta article also noted:

In Syria, the trouble began in December 2012 when the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front (a former IS ally), took over the country’s only chlorine manufacturing plant, a joint business venture with the Saudis located east of Aleppo. Damascus issued an immediate warning to the UN: “Terrorist groups may resort to using chemical weapons against the Syrian people… after having gained control of a toxic chlorine factory.”

Three months later, in what is viewed as the first real CW incident of the Syrian conflict, 26 people – the majority of them (16) Syrian soldiers – were killed in the village of Khan Assal in Aleppo in a reported chlorine attack. The next day, the Syrian government requested that the UN investigate the attack.

A few days later, there was another alleged chemical incident in Adra, northeast of Damascus, followed by a reported attack in Saraqeb, and then in Ghouta in August – the CW incident that almost triggered US military strikes. A Jordanian reporter on the ground in Ghouta interviewed witnesses who said the Saudis had provided militants with chemical weapons and that some had been detonated by accident.

Saudi-backed Jaysh al-Islam, publicly admitted in 2016 to using toxic agents in mortar attacks against Kurds in the Aleppo neighborhood of Sheikh Maqsood. “During the clashes one of the Jaysh al-Islam brigades used [weapons] forbidden in this kind of confrontations,” the group said in a statement about the chemical attack, in which it claimed the perpetrator would be held accountable.

In November 2016, I spoke with the former director of al-Kindi hospital who told me of 65 casualties of what he and other doctors believed to be some sort of chemical attack, committed by terrorist factions.

In December 2018, Vanessa Beeley spoke with residents of the Khalidiyyah district of Aleppo where a week prior terrorists had committed a chemical attack, as well as in two other districts of the city.

In her upload of the residents’ testimonies, Beeley noted:

Nusra Front (rebranded as HTS) embedded in the Layramoun industrial area were responsible for the shelling of these districts with a total of 5 or 6 modified munitions containing toxic substances believed to be related to Amonium Nitrate (usually used as a chemical fertilizer).

Within hours of the attack, more than 150 civilians, including many children were treated for the effects of the toxic gas in the Aleppo hospitals – according to Dr Zaher Batal, head of the Aleppo Medical Association. Symptoms were streaming eyes, respiratory difficulty and tightness of the chest.

In March 2019, Vanessa Beeley wrote of a suspected chemical attack northwest of Al Suqaylabiyah, writing:

I was in Al Suqaylabiyah when this attack took place and I was able to visit the local hospital that received the 34 victims which included three children, one severely affected with respiratory problems. Victims complained of breathing difficulties, skin blisters, eye sensitivity, nausea and shock syndrome after the attack. One victim, Nawfal Tawbar, described the 1m high dense white smoke that enveloped the area after the mortars had exploded.

Clearly, there are numerous incidents of terrorist groups both having the capability to commit chemical attacks and their having actually done so.

Previous “Chemical Attack” Allegations

Douma was not first “chemical attack” the West accused the Syrian government of carrying out. Over the years there have been many others, all of which were marked by the same inconsistencies of narrative and evidence of foreknowledge that mark the “official story” on Douma.

At Khan Sheikhoun for example, as I wrote in my 2018 Douma article:

It is worth recalling that their report in the previous year, on the allegations of a chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoun, Idlib, contained “irregularities,” to put it mildly. The most glaring irregularity (mentioned in the annex section of their report) was the admission of 57 “victims” to hospital before any alleged attack even could have occurred. Another unexplained irregularity was sarin showing up in urine but not in blood tests from the same sample.

And at Ghouta, from the same article:

In 2013, the West and its media had accused the Syria government of a chemical attack in eastern Ghouta…These accusations were shot down by reports from investigative journalists, particularly Seymour Hersh, who concluded that terrorists possessed sarin and the workshops to manufacture rockets. Indeed, I saw one of these mortar and rocket workshops when in Saqba, eastern Ghouta. Massive amounts of missiles of varying sizes lay, as-yet unused, inside the workshop.

According to Mint Press News, Saudi Arabia also gave chemical weapons to terrorists in Ghouta for the 2013 attack. The Mint Press article cited anti-government fighters who said they’d been given chemical weapons which they didn’t know how to use, naming Saudi Prince Bandar as the source. So, in early May, I went to Kafr Batna where, in August 2013, hundreds of people had allegedly been treated at the Tuberculosis Hospital.

Mohammed al-Aghawani, administrator of the Tuberculosis Hospital which treated hundreds of alleged “chemical victims”, told me:

There was no chemical attack. I wasn’t at the hospital that night, but my staff told me what happened. Around 2am, there was suddenly noise, shouting, cars arriving at the hospital, bringing civilians. Some people, armed men, said there was a chemical attack. Some of them had foreign accents. They took people’s clothes off and started pouring water on them. They kept bringing people in till around 7am. Around 1,000 people, mostly children, alive, from nearby villages like Ein Terma, Hezze, Zamalka. Many people later said their children never came back.

Vanessa Beeley interviewed Ahmed Toumeh, a 42 year old from Hamouriya, about an alleged “chemical attack” in Zamalka in 2013:

Since the “chemical attack” in Zamalka in 2013 that supposedly killed 1300, people were fooled into not seeing it was an act between Nusra Front and their civil defence. When the chemicals were used, they had hospitals ready always two days before – they had information in advance of the supposed attacks. How could they know unless they were involved?

At that time (2013) there had been an earlier chemical attack by terrorist groups against the Syrian Army in Khan Al Asal. The Syrian government had invited UN investigators to Damascus. The same night the UN inspectors arrived, they (Nusra Front and White Helmets) prepared for the ‘chemical attack’ in Zamalka.

Everything was prepared. The video was filmed and produced, the water sprayers had been prepared two days in advance.

Many people were fooled by this act and from then on the White Helmets added to the image. They would film themselves rescuing children who were not hurt and they would take a wounded person and film him to change public opinion, to criminalise the Syrian government, portray the Army as destructive.

Shooting The Messengers

Those offering on-the-ground, substantive accounts countering the mainstream claims on Douma have been smeared and disregarded as Syrian or Russian propagandists. Ironically, most of those doing the smears have never set foot in Syria, much less Douma.

When Pearson Sharp, Vanessa Beeley, and myself shared our findings from Douma, we were predictably lambasted by Western corporate media like the BBC. And when others questioned the murky narrative, they too were smeared. As Vanessa Beeley wrote:

Academics, Professors Piers Robinson and Tim Hayward, came under concerted attack as did other members of the Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media when they analysed the events and questioned the veracity of it being a chemical attack. In the UK, the Times published no less than four articles labeling myself and the “rogue” academics as “Assad’s useful idiots,” timed to perfection on the day that the UK, US and France launched their unlawful bombing campaign against Syria. A bombing campaign that was fully enabled by the ignominious rush to judgement by corporate media in the West.

The Atlantic Council is a Washington DC-based think tank, which promulgates lies and propaganda to further imperialist wars and weapons sales, among other things.

They produced a whitewash article to discredit independent reporting on Syria, in which they dedicated a considerable segment to attacking both Vanessa Beeley and myself:

Many of the attacks on the White Helmets were both voiced and amplified by a group of pro-Assad bloggers, of whom the most prominent were British citizen Vanessa Beeley and Canadian citizen Eva Bartlett. These, in turn, were supported online by a group of Twitter users who have repeatedly targeted critics of the Assad regime. Neither Bartlett nor Beeley can be viewed as a credible or impartial commentator.”

A perhaps unintended result of their linking to articles we’ve written around Douma, and the White Helmets, is that open-minded readers might become informed instead of blindly believed the Atlantic Council’s nonsense.

There were more smears, but as usual they copy-pasted from prior ones, and don’t actually delve into the content of what we presented, which is testimonies of civilians — named civilians, even – in contrast to the “unnamed sources” or “media activists” Western corporate media so fondly make up.

An aspect of such character assassinations is implying that the reporting we do is effortless and we are essentially toured around by the Syrian government.

What the average reader may not realize is that even for ourselves, people known in Syria by now, there are the same bureaucratic procedures that all journalists must follow.

Further, unlike corporate journalists who have obscene funding and teams of people to help with research, translations, subtitling and even the logistics of planning a trip to Syria (visas, flights, travel from Lebanon, accommodation), we do everything on our own, with help from Syrian friends (accurate translations) and at our own expense.

Former producer Patrick Corbett elaborated on this to me a few years ago, saying:

If you’re working for a network like NBC, CBC, what people don’t realize is that behind the scenes you’ve got so much backup in every way. First of all, before you go out, you’ve got a team of researchers preparing things for you. You’ve got people who have contacts everywhere.

When you go to a place like Syria you have a fixer; a fixer is a local person who has contacts, can take you places..things like that. You go with things like a satellite phone, so you’re always in touch with your home base. If you have any problems, they’ll get people to you….

They’ve got somebody who will work with you doing your voice-over. When somebody stands in front of the camera, that’s not what’s coming out of their head, its what’s coming out of the corporate entity that is that news producing organization. They get paid six figure incomes to do what they do.

BBC Producer Admits (then Retracts) the Truth

While the BBC is guilty of some of the worst war propaganda against Syria in this 10 year war against the Syrian people, it is worth mentioning that one of the BBC’s producers vocally expressed his skepticism over the “evidence” provided after the alleged events of April 7, 2018.

As Vanessa Beeley noted in 2019:

Riam Dalati is on the BBC production team based in Beirut and describes himself, on his Twitter page, as an “esteemed colleague” of Quentin Sommerville, the BBC’s Middle East correspondent.

Dalati broke ranks with his UK Government-aligned media, on Twitter, to announce that “after almost 6 months of investigation, I can prove, without a doubt, that the Douma hospital scene was staged.”

…Almost immediately after the alleged incident in Douma, he tweeted out his frustration that “activists and rebels” had used “corpses of dead children to stage emotive scenes for Western consumption.”

The emotive wording of Dalati’s tweet, he was “sick and tired” of such manipulation of events, suggested that this was not the first time children had been used as props in a macabre war theatre designed to elicit public sympathy for escalated military intervention in Syria disguised as a necessary “humanitarian” crackdown on “Assad’s gassing of his own people.”

Dalati had been referring to the arranging of two children’s corpses into a “last hug” still life composition, a photo that went viral, rocketed into the social media sphere by activists who had collaborated with the brutal Jaish al-Islam regime while it tortured and abused the Syrian civilians under its control.

Yesterday, I posted the following:

No baby. Baby.
Ask yourselves why a baby has been added to the scene.
What else has been manipulated?
Everything?
#Douma https://t.co/VCVrKI3KA2

Seems like many others also find this questionable. pic.twitter.com/PRRE3hNfws— Eva Karene Bartlett (@EvaKBartlett) April 12, 2018

Whatever the reason for Dalati’s exasperation, the tweet was deleted before a watered down version appeared. Dalati claimed that a “breach of editorial policy” and lack of context was behind this alteration. Apparently BBC employees are not allowed to be “sick and tired” of the exploitation of children to promote a war that will inevitably kill more children. Simultaneously, Dalati’s account was protected, making tweets visible only to approved followers.

Critical Issues Beyond Douma and the OPCW

While the issue of the OPCW coverup and distortion of facts on the ground is important, there are many other issues sidelined by media, including well-intended media.

There’s the fact that countless hospitals have been attacked — severely damaged or destroyed — by terrorists, to the silence of Western media and politicians. This in turn means Syrians in areas where hospitals have been damaged or destroyed are denied medical care.

The suffering of civilians under terrorist rule is one. Thankfully, as most of Syria has been liberated from terrorist rule, there are now fewer civilians subject to their barbarism.

What has not been eradicated and has only gotten worse and worse are the criminal, brutal, sanctions against the Syrian people.

An article from the South African Broadcasting Corporation noted:

Electricity rationing in Syria has reached its highest levels due to the government’s inability to secure the fuel needed to generate electricity. This is mainly due to the damaging international economic sanctions led by the Western powers including the IIT protagonists France, UK and the US.

[…]The value of the Syrian pound has crumbled to almost nothing. Today it is about 3,660 pounds to one US dollar. An average wage is less than 2 US dollars a day.

The Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019…is credited with bringing about starvation, darkness, plague, misery, robbery, kidnappings, increased mortality rate and the certain destruction of a nation that was once a beacon of hope across the Middle East.

International aid no longer reaches Syria compared to pre-Caesar Act. Many agencies are scared of falling foul of the harsh Act, which in short makes life a living hell for millions of ordinary Syrians.

In his overview of the Douma chemical lies, Kevork Almassian, of Syriana Analysis, also spoke of the harsh realities Syrians endure now, thanks to the war and the brutal western sanctions against Syrians:

Just imagine that for a second, that you have to wait for two to three to four hours to buy one package of bread that can suffice you maybe for two days for you and your family. Just imagine that you have to wait 20 to 48 hours on a gas station to fill a little bit fuel for your car. It’s unimaginable, you cannot imagine that because you’re not living that, but it is happening now in 21st century.

It is high time to put the Douma hoax to rest. It’s also beyond time to acknowledge the huge sacrifices of the Syrian army (and allies) in fighting terrorism and restoring peace to Syria.

Meanwhile, while cynical Western war propagandists mock the Syrian presidential elections, Syrians in Syria and around the world hold massive demonstrations in support of their president, as they did in 2014.

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian   

The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Blog!