I trust the Jews to tell the truth.
When the IDF leaks an intercept that makes its way into Harriet Sherwood’s reporting for The Guardian, I believe it.
Not only has the IDF immense stakes in integrity — in concept, in embrace, and in practice — so does Harriet Sherwood, a career journalist writing for The Guardian and one not particularly noted for favoring anything Israel in her stories (see, for example, CiF Watch’s recent story, “Qalandiya “Martyrdom”: Harriet Sherwood Tweets fromt he Palestinian street,” August 26, 2013 as well as other pieces on the link).
So somebody overheard something — purely circumstantial guff is what that comes to.
So we’ll go on but with something like ‘preponderance of the evidence” for guidance.
* * *
With Maher al Assad well known and with a peerless reputation, some media have dragged out an old familiar (to policy wonks): Bandar bin Sultan.
Beneath the banner, “Saudi Arabia’s ‘Chemical Bandar’ behind the Syrian chemical attacks?”, RT came out shouting, “Nothing the US claims about what happened in Syria adds up. We are being asked to believe an illogical story, when it is much more likely that it was Israel and Saudi Arabia who enabled the Obama Administration to threaten Syria with war” about half a day ago.
Of course, those who may lie know it’s the first one that counts, so going on to say, “The Obama Administration’s intelligence report on Syria was a rehash of Iraq,” seems only fair.
Until one recalls Saddam Hussein to fond memory.
* * *
This finger pointing at the Saudi prince has been joined by, among others DigitalJournal, CounterPunch, OpEd News (from the video on the page and within its first 11 seconds, “It is growing increasingly possible that public outcry might make the imperial force of American exceptionalism with its humanitarian war sites set on Syria back down or at the very least delay”), PressTV, MintPress News, Larouche Pac, InfoWars, etc.
For InfoWars, Paul Joseph Watson wraps up with something between a disclaimer and validation:
UPDATE: Associated Press contacted us to confirm that Dale Gavlak is an AP correspondent, but that her story was not published under the banner of the Associated Press. We didn’t claim this was the case, we merely pointed to Gavlak’s credentials to stress that she is a credible source, being not only an AP correspondent, but also having written for PBS, BBC and Salon.com.
Proving integrity may be as difficult — it certainly is a sensitive issue — as proving dishonesty in a dimension or region in behavior in which plans, good or evil, rife with brutality, deflection, dishonesty, and disingenuous speech or listening, searching, defensive, and protective — are put together out of range of public sight and oversight.
* * *
If rebel forces suffered a mortal oops, it would seem more characteristic in Arab language culture to point the finger at someone else.
If a brigade under Maher al Assad’s command done it, it would be mafia cool to do it — record it, leak it, plaster it across the web — as rebels.
Syria False Flag Caught On leaked Video Shows FSA Rebels Launch Chemical Attacks
Edited!
Underscored!
Produced!
* * *
Rebel weapons accident (as reported) or chemical weapons launch (as reported and “displayed”)?
Choose.
As long as it’s them.
Because if they didn’t do it . . . .
* * *
From the Wikipedia entry on Bandar:
According to Iran’s PressTV, Bandar was under house arrest for an attempted coup,[35][36] while opposition sources said he was in Dhaban Prison.[34] Some rumors alleged that his coup was exposed by Russian intelligence services because of his frequent trips to Moscow to encourage cooperation against Iran.[34]
Veteran journalist Bill Neely writing about Maher al al-Assad today:
A month ago rebels fired rockets at Bashar’s motorcade as he headed for a Mosque in the centre of Damascus. The attempt to kill the President failed but one of his bodyguards, said to have been a particular favourite of his children Hafez, Karim and Zein was killed.
Many inside and outside Syria believe this may have been the last straw for the hot-headed Maher. No assassination attempt of Bashar al-Assad could go unpunished, especially not one in the heart of the capital.
Neely, Bill. “Maher al-Assad: The brutal enforcer of the family regime.” ITV, September 5, 2013.
* * *
A War About Integrity.
Who would have ever thought of that?
A war about language.
The answer to “Syria’s CW Whodunit” may come to light if one intelligence industry or another turns up its cards and reveals its methods, capabilities, and limitations.
“So-and-so said” seems to be working to confuse rather than inform the public.
In addition to the challenge involving “Political Spychology” there is that other political psychology involving the character in personality associated with “malignant narcissism”, the features of which include delusions of grandeur, messianic complexes, paranoia, resistance to criticism, etc. (I’ll lay out a page on the language associated with that subject soon).
Through the lens that looks into dictatorship and across dictatorships, things may look a little different, for the want to control the subjugated by controlling a large information environment (“gaslighting” on a large scale) would seem inseparable from other behaviors having to do with hiding things while deeply controlling others.
Additional Reference
Lee, Peter. “We Need to Talk About Prince Bandar.” Counterpunch, September 4, 2013.
Lopez, Ralph. , “Syrians say Saudi intelligence gave chemical weapons to rebels,” DigitalJournal, September 2, 2013.
Naureckas, Jim. “Which Syrian Chemical Attack Account is More Credible.” FAIR, September 1, 2013. Of accounts that may be argued point by point, I would call this one the most balanced and conservative with its conclusion:
This humility about the difficulty of reporting on a covert, invisible attack in the midst of a chaotic civil war actually adds to the credibility of the Mint account. It’s those who are most certain about matters of which they clearly lack firsthand knowledge who should make us most skeptical.
PressTV. “Saudi Prince Bandar behind chemical attack in Syria: Report.” September 1, 2013.
PressTV. “Syria gas attack to Saudi-Israeli benefit.” August 30, 2013:
It’s not such a silly question. After all, the Americans are continually attacking everybody, aren’t they?
Then there’s the Israelis always doing a bit of assassinating, phosphorus spraying and creeping genocide in Palestine (although they’re never particular about confining their activities to Palestine).
The Guardian. “Harriet Sherwood.” Recent articles page.
Related from BackChannels
“Syria – Define Your World,” September 2, 2013.
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