May 18, 2014:   A growing number of Syrian rebels, and pro-rebel Syrian civilians are beginning to suggest the unthinkable; seek an alliance with Israel. For over half a century nearly all Arab states have waged a military (not successful) and media (increasingly successful) campaign to destroy Israel. But many Syrians have noted that their own government has done far more harm to the Syrian people than Israel ever did. It’s been noted that if you bring a badly injured Syrian to the Israeli border the Israelis will provide medical aid and, especially for women and children, take the injured to an Israeli hospital and return them to the border when they are well. Israeli warplanes have carried out several attacks on Syrian government efforts to move advanced weapons to Lebanon. While this is done to prevent those weapons from being  used by Hezbollah, which is based in southern Lebanon, it also reminds Syrians that the Israeli Air Force can do pretty much whatever it wants to do in Syrian air space. If the rebels were allied with Israel the rebels could finally get some air support. The Israelis could also provide more access to logistical and medical support (paid for largely by the Arab and Western nations already backing the rebels). Despite obvious difficulties (like death threats from Syrian rebels who still believe all the anti-Israel propaganda) such an arrangement would go a long way towards achieving a long-sought peace deal between Israel and Syria, at least if the rebels won.

But such an alliance faces formidable obstacles. In addition to pro-rebel Syrians who cannot see around all that anti-Israel propaganda, there are also the Islamic terrorist rebel groups who are extremely motivated to kill Israelis, not work with them against a common enemy. Those same Islamic terrorist rebel groups are also not well liked by most rebel Syrians (and less radical rebel fighters). Most of the Islamic terrorists rebels are foreigners, and that makes them just another bunch of invaders as far as most Syrian (rebel or not) are concerned.

Still, it’s a positive sign that more Syrians are seeing Israel as more of a friend than an implacable foe. Many Arab states have already discovered this, but Arab public opinion, in general, is still poisoned by all those decades of anti-Israel hate. Any contact with Israel has to be kept quiet.