Syrian Martyrs’ Day Centennial Commemoration

black-horizontalDispatches from
STEPHEN LENDMAN

stephen-lendmanLn May 6, 1916, Ottoman military leader Jamal Pasha (The Butcher) executed Syrian and Lebanese nationalists and intellectuals in Damascus and Beirut. Plazas in both cities where executions took place were renamed Martyrs’ Square. May 6 marked the 100th anniversary of what happened. 


turk-Jamal Pasha-Ahmet_Cemal_Paşa_on_the_shore_of_the_Dead_Sea2

Jamal Pasha, by the shores of the Dead Sea. Syrian suffering under the Ottoman empire was nothing compared to the wounds inflicted by “the indispensable nation.” 

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said the “occasion holds very special significance for the Syrian people who stress their determination to make sacrifices and offer more martyrs in order to defending their homeland’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. On this day, the Syrian people salute those who sacrificed their souls for the sake of protecting their homeland and the Syrian army soldiers who are fighting in the battlefields.”

Commemorative events were held in various Syrian cities. Martyrs giving their lives for their homeland were honored – today committed to defeat the scourge of US-sponsored terrorism. The fate of the nation again is at stake, its enemy far more formidable than ruthless Ottomans. Imperial America wants dominion over planet earth, no matter the cost in human lives, misery and mass destruction.

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International audience attending Russian orchestra concert in Palmyra.

The latest example was the Syrian al-Kammouneh refugee camp massacre. Government and/or Russian forces had nothing to do with it, despite fabricated reports suggesting otherwise. Russia’s Defense Ministry reported no air activity over the area at the time of the attack. US-supported terrorists were responsible. According to Ministry spokesman General Igor Konashenkov, “damage shown in photographs and video (indicates) the camp (was) shelled…by multiple rocket launchers, which are currently being used very actively in this area by terrorists from al-Nusra.”

syria-Russian-Defense-Ministry-spokesman

Russian Defence Spokesman Col. Konashenkov. He pointed out that no flights were carried out by aircrafts, Russian or other, over the camp.

No bomb craters or other signs of an airstrike were visible. Syria’s military dismissed fabricated allegations of its involvement, saying “(t)here is no truth to reports” suggesting it.

The attack appeared strategically timed, occurring during the May 5 Prayer from Palmyra concert, amidst the ruins of its ancient theater, in remembrance of US-sponsored terrorist victims – an attempt to divert attention from this moving event on hallowed ground.


SIDEBAR

The Russian media:

Praying for Palmyra: Russian orchestra performs concert honoring victims of Syria war

RT Streamed live on May 5, 2016

Renowned conductor Valery Gergiev is leading a concert in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra to support the restoration of the UNESCO site and honor victims of the war. The city of Palmyra was devastated by Islamic State terrorists who occupied the site for some 10 months before it was liberated by Syrian troops with Russian air support.

Pray For Palmyra: Russian Maestro Performs in Syria With Mariinsky Orchestra (Full Version)

Sputnik / Published on May 5, 2016

The Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, conducted by the theater’s Artistic and General Director Valery Gergiev, is holding a “Pray for Palmyra. Music Revives Ancient Ruins” concert on the stage of Palmyra’s historic amphitheater.



Russian orchestra performs in Syria’s war-scarred Palmyra

AFP news agency Published on May 5, 2016
This French news network gave an excellent report. 

Russian orchestra performs in Syria s war-scarred Palmyra from patrice greanville on Vimeo.

Leading Russian musicians stage a classical concert in the ancient theatre of Syria’s ravaged Palmyra in a show by the Kremlin to herald its successes in the war-torn country.

Euronews (French)

Un concert symbole dans la cité martyre de Palmyre

Published on May 6, 2016

Un cadre exceptionnel pour un concert peu commun. La cité antique de “Palmyre en Syrie a été le théâtre ce jeudi soir d’un concert”:http://www.lemonde.fr/proche-orient/v…, un peu plus d’un mois après la libération de la ville des mains de l’organisation Etat islamique.
Un événement organisé par le ministère russe de la défense.



 THE USA MEDIA TWIST.  The major US networks covered this event scantily, as we might expect, if at all. Some, like CBS, could not contain a note of sour grapes in their flash-in-the pan reports, begrudging the Russian/Syrian victory—a victory for humanity—which have since vanished. A search on the CBS News page returns zero entries for “Russian orchestra,” or “Palmyra”, which is beyond strange, as the network has filed reports on Palmyra in the recent past. (See below).

Syria’s “Monument Men” saved treasures under ISIS rule

CBS Evening News / Published on May 5, 2016

Syria’s very own “Monument Men” have a mission to protect their country’s heritage from all sides in the civil war. Much of the historic city of Palmyra is now in ruins, but they managed to save a trove of treasures from ISIS’ destruction. Elizabeth Palmer reports.

Oganes A1 day ago

Thanks to the Russian military. Is it that hard for American news to admit this?



END OF SIDEBAR 

[dropcap]C[/dropcap]easefire in Aleppo is more illusion than reality. Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said terrorist provocations continue.  US-supported Jabhat al-Nusra is “recoup(ing) its losses through the inflow of new militants and weapons via the Turkish-Syrian border.”

The fate of the Syrian nation again is at stake, its enemy far more formidable than ruthless Ottomans. Imperial America wants dominion over planet earth, no matter the cost in human lives, misery and mass destruction.

They’re indiscriminately killing civilians. Fighting continues despite the announced “regime of silence.”  Fars News reported Syrian and Russian warplanes bombed terrorist-held areas in southern Aleppo province, inflicting heavy losses and damage. Endless conflict rages in other areas. Farcical peace talks collapsed. Attempting another round later in May won’t prove more successful. America’s push for ceasefire masks its intent to give terrorists it supports time to regroup and rearm.

War continues because neocons infesting Washington reject peace. They want another imperial trophy, Syria entirely ravaged, destroyed and dismembered. The fate of the nation hangs in the balance.



 RECOMMENDED SOURCE ON SYRIA EVENTS: The Syrian Arab News Agency 


About the author
Screen Shot 2016-02-19 at 10.13.00 AMSTEPHEN LENDMAN lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."  ( http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html ) Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.



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