Kenan Camurcu

This is not a parody. The assertion in the title is stated with all seriousness. I have explained my reasons below. But first, an introduction:

I am not among those who believe in the claim of a post-truth era. The notion that there are things far more important than truth causes me disgust. It’s an ugly premise that sanctifies dishonesty. I wish that the determination to recognize nothing higher, more valuable, more important, or more prioritized than truth would be cherished; that the behavior of devaluing those who prefer expediency over truth would become widespread; and that no principle other than loyalty to truth would be known.

But unfortunately, these are times when mendacity is seen as strategic genius. It's the modern version of Mu'awiyyah’s approach, who did not hesitate to resort to all sorts of deceit, lies, slander, immoral accusations, and black and dirty propaganda against Imam Ali, whenever he had the opportunity and means. Imam Ali, the epitome of morality, gave a memorable answer to this state of moral abandonment and apostasy, which also has a psychopathological side: "By God, Mu'awiyyah is not more intelligent than me. On the contrary, he is treacherous and seeks mischief. If it were not for my religion and my fear of God, I would be the genius of cunning among the Arabs." (Sharif al-Radhi, Nahj al-Balagha, 1990: 487, Sermon 198).

The reason for this manifesto-like introduction is my desire to question, right from the first step, what those who persistently use the obviously, openly, deliberately distorted name "Kudus" instead of the Umayyad name or epithet for Jerusalem, "Medinetu'l-Quds" (the holy city), could possibly understand correctly. I am now reactive to the chain of false premises that start from this bead of the rosary and spread to all other beads, and to the slogans, beliefs, and causes derived from them. With my articles on the "Palestine Industry", I believe and hope I have shown that the "Palestinian cause" is not at all romantic.

The Muslim community is an umma that tries every means to avoid facing or confronting truths. They can go so far as to weaponize the tragedy of "but children are dying" to prevent discussion of the oddities in the Palestine Industry. They do not hesitate to apply this unreasonableness even to their most sacred, their religion, Islam.

The lies in Islamic history, written backward, are identical to the backward-writing activity extensively described with many examples in Ralph Keyes' book "The Post-Truth Era." For instance, instead of narrating the Prophet's days in Mecca from his wife Khadijah, who was with him for 10 years from the beginning of the revelation, they had Aisha, who was 4-5 years old at the time and had no close or distant relation to the Prophet, narrate them. And no one found this problematic for centuries. While there isn't a single narration from Khadijah in Sunni hadith books, Aisha is the source for events in Mecca. Moreover, she narrated as if she herself witnessed them, not merely quoting the Prophet, and that information became widely accepted as definitive accounts in sira (prophetic biography) literature. Anyone with a mind will understand: the sole reason for this is not to convey objective historical truth but to rewrite history backward.

It is in this socio-political and socio-cultural environment that we try to explain sensitive issues to a community that sees no need for reasoning, and has no concern for intellect, conscience, morality, fairness, or common sense. From the perspective of the subject, it is undoubtedly a futile endeavor, but it is important for the objective record.

The Military Operation Reminding Us Who Put "Asset" Julani on the Throne

Israel's recent strikes against Salafi militants affiliated with Julani, who have been massacring Druze and Alawite settlements, show that the "asset" who seized Syria was tolerated until Tehran was removed from the region. James Jeffrey, the US Special Representative for Syria, saw Julani and his organization (including ISIS and other Salafi organizations) as an "asset" and tasked them for this purpose. Jeffrey Sachs, who served as an advisor to the UN Secretary-General, recounted the adventure that began in 2011, looking directly into the eyes of all relevant parties, at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum where Julani also participated.

Americans had invested in Julani's Nusra, which emerged as an ISIS offshoot. Julani's militants still roam around in uniforms bearing the ISIS insignia. They attack and massacre Druze and Alawites with the same identity. The tortures and massacres they carry out in their own videos, with insults like "Infidels, pigs," prove that nothing has changed in the ethnic cleansing and genocide they started in 2011, and the pogrom crimes now under the protection of a state that has international backing.

Putin's Silence, Khamenei's Surrender, and the Army's Abandonment of Counter-Terrorism

For the Salafi organizations that seized Syria with 30,000 armed militants thanks to Putin's silence, Khamenei's surrender, and the army's abandonment of counter-terrorism, this is a test drive. Timur Ezheri, Reuters' bureau chief in Iraq, reminds us that the support of Western capitals for Damascus's new rulers is not eternal.

The West did not give a blank check for the suffering endured to overthrow Assad and remove Khamenei's cross-border forces, which were harassing Israel, from the country. In Assad's regime, which was labeled a dictatorship, there were parliamentary and local government elections. Those who found this system merely formal will surely not celebrate the indefinite abolition of elections and the constitution under Julani's regime. As for law, it’s the arbitrary executions by registered terrorists with guns in the streets. Would such an unbearable and intolerable country be a model of stability?

It seems that it has been noted that Julani's warriors, who know no other way than violence and are impossible to adapt to civilized life, are not capable of bringing order to the existing chaos. A multinational state administration formed by foreign fighters being made rulers of a country overnight, a first in political history, is also not a viable option. Israel stated its intention not to prolong the situation by annihilating the militants it bombed when they were about to attack the Druze.

Julani will henceforth be Israel's whipping boy. Tel Aviv will not confront Turkey directly, so whenever there's an anti-Israel outburst from Beştepe, Julani will bear the brunt.

Radical Sunnism: The Source of Antisemitic Ideology

Israelis know that radical Sunnism, i.e., Salafism, is the wellspring of antisemitic ideology. Therefore, they both state and demonstrate through military operations that they will not tolerate the targeting, oppression, and destruction of their natural allies outside that basin. The fundamental difference of this strategy from Khamenei's "axis of resistance" is that Israel proves it's not joking about protecting its own "axis of resistance." Khamenei did not even protect his most precious Nasrallah, watching from the sidelines as Hezbollah was destroyed. It even appears that he is leveraging his commitment in negotiations with the Americans not to revert to previous cross-border activities. As long as there is no attack that would lead to the collapse of the absolute Velayat-e Faqih regime. Those who died simply died.

For Syrian Arab Alawites (and their relatives in Turkey), Khamenei is a great disappointment. Far from intervening in the Julani regime's blatant Alawite massacres, he did not even condemn them. This is because Tehran is seeking ways to establish contact with the Nusra forces that have seized Syria. Similarly, the anti-Israel statements made in Tehran, referencing Syria's sovereignty and so on, while Israel has taken a position against the Nusra forces that have seized Syria, and even bombs them, are for the same reason. This is happening even as Alawites are paying with their lives for standing on the wrong side of history. Alawites will make the most of this bitter experience to start a proper future from now on.

Tehran had announced, in the early days when the Julani administration made statements blaming Iran, that they had initiated direct contact with Syria's new administration and opened a new line for this. Efforts bore fruit due to rapidly changing conditions, and Julani stated that "they cannot cut ties with a great country like Iran".

Khamenei seems to believe in the antisemitic potential of Julani's forces. The likely scenario is that they will eventually confront Israel, and at that moment, they will call for Tehran's help with arms and money. This is undoubtedly an empty fantasy.

There must be those in the retired "axis of resistance" office who plan to revive the "axis" with Salafi fighters. Those who need the continued flow of billion-dollar resources, which even the Iranian parliament cannot investigate, are probably waiting at the doorsteps for good news from the "Leader's" envoys. For those wondering how this would work with Salafis who are hostile to Shiites, let's remind them that Tehran supported the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan at a very early stage, despite the Taliban being anti-Shiite. Perhaps this is why the Quds Force had already left Syria when the Salafi fighters set off from Idlib, and they did not interfere with the Salafis' murderous advance. Perhaps Ankara's commitment to Tehran not to intervene for post-Assad normalization was also a factor.

Israel's New Formula for Normalization

We are probably witnessing probes regarding the Tehran-centric old axis of resistance possibly giving way to a new axis of resistance centered in Jerusalem. It will not be possible to discuss the new situation extensively until the deep crisis in Gaza subsides. But what is certain is that the wise and profound Israel may have discovered a new formula for Israel's normalization in the Middle East. The resolute anti-extremist stance, starting from Riyadh and Abu Dhabi and expanding outwards, entered a new phase with Israel beginning to use force against extremism. This is a path Riyadh will not complain about at all. Protest statements that would satisfy al-Zawahiri are always easy to make.

Tel Aviv's shift from a self-defense paradigm to joining the front against extremism means it will do so by forming a new axis of resistance. The probable and prospective forces of this new axis of resistance are Arabs opposed to and hostile to Ikhwanism: Druze, Alawites, Bedouins (Israeli Sunni Arabs). Additionally, Kurds and Circassians.

Therefore, the accusation of "sectarian division" by Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt against Israel's role in protecting the Druze against Nusra militants seems to be a temporary crisis management. It has no strategic aspect. Rather, it is testing the as-yet unsettled balances in post-Hezbollah Lebanon. It will determine its roadmap based on the reactions it receives or will receive by applying pressure at sensitive points in Lebanon.

Jumblatt cannot be unaware that the "sectarian division" he accuses Israel of has already taken place. The caution and prudence of Sheikh al-Hijri, the leader of the Druze in Syria, stems from the fact that Israeli support is still very new while they are surrounded by hostility, and that some time is needed for a mutual trust relationship.

The path where every minority group will fend for itself has already been entered. The Arab Alawites of Syria are the latest and most lagging group in deciding their self-determination.

Syria Cannot Remain Whole

It seems impossible for Syria to remain united under its current government or any future government. The Kurds are aware that extra time is being played. They are gaining time by passing the ball around. After the Druze exercise their right to self-determination, the Alawites will also follow that path. Since the Sunnis are not monolithic, things could get complicated there. It's not hard to imagine that secular and modern-minded Sunnis would not want to live under the nightmarish dominance of Nusra militants.

In Gaza, where there's the highest participation in Salafi terrorist organizations, a Druze Israeli soldier was filmed trying to remove an elderly Gazan named Hajj Bashir from the conflict zone. The fact that this elderly man was found dead unfolded before the eyes of Syrian Sunnis.

Hamas supporters immediately seized on this murder with propaganda claiming Israel committed it, but Syrian Sunnis, aware of the executions carried out by Hamas for 17 years in Gaza, did not buy this narrative. The propaganda's story is that the elderly Gazan was first photographed for propaganda, and then a sniper shot him. It’s a fragile story that would collapse with a single trip.

Syria's middle-class and merchant Sunnis know how to ask questions. That's why Salafi organizations, devout in blind violence, never found popular support. Assad was right when he cited the Shah of Iran as an example. If the Sunnis, who constitute 80% of Syria's population, had supported Salafi organizations, Assad couldn't have remained in power for a single day, could he? If the people didn't want Assad, wouldn't Julani and his multinational rulers, who were put in charge of Syria, immediately hold a constitutional referendum, general and local elections, and legitimize themselves with strong approval?

Sabotaging Crown Prince Mohammed's "New Europe"

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed will be the architect of the new Middle East scheme. He has virtually declared a jihad to turn the Middle East into a "new Europe". This is why the Jamal Khashoggi incident in 2018 was quickly consigned to oblivion. Even Turkey, where the incident occurred, dropped the case after a small negotiation. Khashoggi's close friend, a former MP who went from channel to channel with the file in hand, said that the issue was turned into an anti-government campaign, that he would not fall for this game, and gave up the case for a fair resolution of the matter. The woman constantly making statements and moving from one social circle to another with the title of "fiancée" was even forgotten. That's how important Crown Prince Mohammed's "new Middle East" is.

When Mohammed heralded the Middle East as a "new Europe," he announced that Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia, would completely change within the next five years. The plan included normalization with Israel and the exclusion of radical and incompatible structures like Hamas from this scheme.

The moment Mohammed's five years were up, Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th, killing 1200 people, all civilians, elderly, children, and women, in 4 hours, and taking 250 Israelis, including babies, hostage. Military historians will have noted that the Israeli army, despite its ground, sea, and air operations, took a week to reach the number of people Hamas killed in 4 hours. In other words, Hamas was able to paralyze Crown Prince Mohammed's plan in one day with the great disaster it created. This data makes it easier to understand the anger towards Hamas in the Gulf states.

Israel's Need for an "Axis of Resistance"

Israel's continuous protection operations for the Druze, Alawites, and soon also the Kurds, are not sustainable. Neither from an international image perspective nor in terms of resource loss. Therefore, it needs allies who can exert influence within internal dynamics. It seems that it will not have difficulty in this regard and will have an easy hand in expanding its influence. Israel is an attractive center because it is the only true democracy in the region with a high level of prosperity. Who would aspire to or lean on Khamenei's absolute Velayat-e Faqih regime, which means nothing but poverty, oppression, and authoritarianism, or Turkey's absolutist political regime and the deprivation it creates? With Israel's per capita national income level of $55,000, would a Tehran with $5,000 or an Ankara with $10,000 be preferred as a guarantor?

Therefore, it is not a conspiracy theory: the periodic anti-Israel statements from Beştepe, like those from Tehran, are probably related to criminalizing Israel's support for secular democracy to protect the political regime against its opponents. They are probably trying to prevent Israel's strategy of creating a secure, prosperous, stable, and democratic new situation in the region by supporting heterodox Muslim communities and secular democratic forces against antisemitic radical Islamism/Muslimhood.

Translated by Gemini