Splitting Sides

Look at our dear friend and ally, Pakistan. And then look at that mainstay of the Axis of Evil, Syria:

Israel's Channel 10 reported on Monday night that Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad has agreed to the restoration of his country’s synagogues and Jewish cemeteries, especially those in Damascus and Aleppo.

The report mentioned that Assad had made this pledge during a meeting last week with Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. The meeting had been set up by a Jewish-American businessman with Syrian roots.

The report added that Assad recently opened up the country for visits by Syrian Jews.

Assad's initiative, Channel 10 said, is an attempt on his part to improve ties with the US.

Hoenlein came to the meeting with a message for Assad from Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu concerning the two countries resuming negotiations.

Assad told Hoenlein that the resumption of talks was conditional on Israel agreeing on a complete withdraw from the Golan Heights.

Netanyahu implied that there mediation between Syria and Israel was under way when he noted in a meeting of the Israeli government that Assad refused to concede this condition.

It is true that Egypt has restored the Maimonides Synagogue in Cairo last year; would that she treated her Christians anything like so well. But it is in Iran that the Jews have reserved parliamentary representation. And it is in Lebanon that the Maghen Avraham synagogue in Beirut is being restored under the aegis of Hezbollah and of its various Christian allies, whereas the other side is bankrolled by Saudi Arabia, which says all that needs to be said.

Why is any of these countries doing such things? To curry favour with Likud and Yisrael Beiteinu? Hardly! Netanyahu and Lieberman look and sound like no Jew that they have ever met. Except, perhaps, Malcolm Hoenlein. He has no reason to wish to restore a synagogue in an Arab country except so that the local Jews may congregate there. And there is no reason for any such country's government to spend money on any such restoration except to that same end.

No Jews left there, or at most too few to form the necessary quorum, with those remnants desperate to move to Israel? Who told you that? Tell them to tell it to Assad, to Ahmadinejad, to Hezbollah and friends, and, it must be conceded, to Mubarak. For that matter, tell them to tell it Malcolm Hoenlein.