The military operation conducted by Israel in Syria was an alarming shift in the Israeli position. It implies that Israel is trying to ignore the second disengagement agreement with Syria signed in 1974. For almost 30 years, Syria has never violated the agreement, something that has kept the border peaceful in a tumultuous region. Syria has made clear it has no Palestinian bases on its soil. If the Israelis wish to raise the issue of Syria hosting Palestinians, they will have to bear the consequences of discussing the 360,000 Palestinian refugees in Syria — refugees created by Israel — still waiting to return to their homeland in accordance with UN General Assembly Resolution 194.

Most observers read Israel’s attack less as a military operation than a political and ideological one. Israel was signaling that the means it has used to quell the Palestinian uprising in the occupied territories would now be applied to Syria and any other Arab or Muslim regime that hosts, praises or supports anti-Israeli activist groups. Moreover, Ariel Sharon’s position that Israel “will strike its enemies in every place and in every way,” is in complete agreement with the Bush administration, which agrees that the prime minister must “defend his country.” The only proviso Bush mentioned was that he would continue to impress upon Sharon the need to “avoid escalating violence.” The two are incompatible. You cannot attack a country without provocation and expect there to be no trouble. You cannot tear apart the Rafah refugee camp, as Israel is at present doing, endangering the lives of innocent civilians and expect not to pay a price. The resistance in the occupied territories has already vowed to respond violently to the attack on Syria. And the resistance in Iraq, unable to strike at the Israelis, will gladly strike at US forces in Baghdad as an alternative.

All are aware that one spark could start a fire. Not simply because Sharon seeks to export his domestic crisis to the region. Sixty-three percent of Israelis supported the attack on Syria and 70 percent back the assassinations of Hamas leaders in Gaza and the decision to remove Yasser Arafat. The real problem is that the Palestinians are faced with a solid Israeli-American alliance that views pre-emptive strikes and regime change as a legitimate means in the war against terrorism.

Sharon has now seized the opportunity to apply the same principle to Syria. But Syria will never disassociate itself from the resistance in Palestine. Palestine is part of the Arab consciousness. All of its popular movements have received overwhelming support from the Syrians. If anything, the Israeli attack will motivate the Syrians to be even more supportive of the resistance in Palestine and more forceful in their response should they come under attack again.