Israel supports militants to divide Syria: Academic

Press TV has conducted an interview with Jamal Wakim, a professor at the Lebanese International University in Beirut, to share his thoughts on the recent footage released by Israel, showing that its medics treat the Takfiri militants fighting against the government in Syria.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Jamal Wakim, the first time we saw this it was Prime Minister Netanyahu in a field hospital along with his entourage talking to one these terrorists lying on a hospital bed there, the videos are out there and then Israel again decides to release another video showing them obviously treating these terrorists.

What purpose do you think Israel is after when they release footage like this and what kind of message do you think they are sending out by doing this? 

Wakim: Well this is part of the support given by Israel to these militant groups opposing the Syrian government because the original plan of Israel, even prior to the crisis in Syria, was to establish a buffer zone between northern Israel on one hand and the Arab territories, whether in Lebanon or in Syria.

So when the Syrian crisis broke out in 2011, there was a plan by Israel ..., first of all Israel hoped that Syria will be divided into separate states, ethnic states and there was an aim by the Israeli ... [regime] and authorities to establish this buffer zone that would extend from the Lebanese coast all the way to southeast Syria.

Of course the plan was failed by the Syrian government and its allies, but Israel is still trying to implement this plan by supporting the insurgents in southern Syria and part of the support is to give these militant groups the medical aid other than the financial [one] and supplying these groups with arms and weapons.

Press TV: And quickly if you can, you know the news that the United States along with Turkey are training these, I don’t know what you want to call them, “fighters” I guess, that are going to fight the forces of Assad, 5,000 a month up to 15,000, they are going to start their training in Jordan, do you think Israel is part of that plan?

Wakim: Definitely because first of all Israel is an ally of the United States. Second, Israel is bond by a peace treaty with Jordan, so Jordan has been part of or under the Israeli orbit since 1994.

In addition, the plan of Israel is to redraw the geopolitical map of Syria and of Iraq along ethnic tribal and confessional lines so it would replace the Pan-Arab identity with sub-identities that would be more convenient to Israel so that Israel would no longer be a minority among an Arab majority but would become a majority among various ethnic groups ruling the Near East.

AHK/MKA

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