Friday, April 24, 2026

Does The Strongest Horse Always Win in Syria?

 Nadene Goldfoot                               


Arab culture places immense value on the Arabian horse, historically prized for speed, intelligence, and endurance in desert warfare. While not a "voting" system, the "strong horse" principle often dictates that communities, particularly in the Middle East, favor the strong, swift horse for leadership, prestige, and victory in competition.

                                 Desert Sky Arabian

  • The "Strong Horse" Principle: This philosophy, often cited in regional politics, reflects a preference for strength over weakness.

  • Metaphor of Speed: The "fast horse" is also used as a metaphor for leadership and in proverbs, where a horse exerts all energy to win, similar to how people should approach their goals.
  • Cultural Significance: Arabian horses were deemed a divine gift and a crucial asset.  Horses were the vehicle for survival, war, and status, with breeds like the Akhal-Teke (often related to Turkmen desert horses) known as "Flying Wings".

  • Historical Context: The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) valued fast horses, with several recorded as used for transportation and battle, such as ath-Thirf (fast) and as-Sakbu (swift).  Furthermore, a popular story often shared about the Prophet PBUH indicates that even a slow horse  can become the fastest by his blessing, showing that "fastest" isn't just about speed, but also about the barakah (blessing) in it.
  • Syria is renowned as a foundational home of the Arabian horse, with key figures including Damascus-based breeder Ahmad Ibish, and modern breeders Nizar J. Al As'ad and Saleh Khaddam Srouji.

  • Historically, Syrian Bedouin tribes, specifically the Anazeh and Shammar, have preserved the purest strains, including Kehilan, Seglawi, and Abeyan. Al Khamsa horses were prized for their endurance and beauty. They  have historically been the most prominent breeders of the authentic Arabian horse in the Syrian desert, with their herds serving as key sources for modern Arabian bloodlines. These tribes resided in the Al Jazeerah region and along the Euphrates River, treating their horses—particularly mares—as treasured, almost familial possessions essential for warfare and prestige.
  • Some of our leaders today are in their position just because they were deemed the strong horse-thus  the best, such as the one leading Syria, a former terrorist.  Because he has leadership abilities has become accepted by all the other country leaders.  There are others out there in Syria who would be better in that position, eager to improve everyone's lives, which has been ruined, as far as they are concerned.   Too bad they do not have have a real electoral system. 
          Cyprus, April 2026 leaders meeting, man with beard
  •  
  • Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa AKA terrorist leader,Jolani,  said that there was a lack of infrastructure to allow for direct election, and Syrian human rights lawyer Anwar al-Bunni said that "the absence of political work, parties, and political activism", in addition to the need to register displaced people and deceased people, as well as the Assad regime granting citizenship to large numbers of Iranian militants, meaning that the indirect system was 'logical' until the infrastructure for direct elections could be established, which could take up to four years to organise.                    
    Ali Khamenei, 2nd to be the leader, 
     (19 April 1939 – 28 February 2026) was an Iranian politician and Shia cleric who served as the second supreme leader of Iran from 1989 until his assassination in the 2026 Iran war.  They seem to have a string of more strong horses willing to take on the position so far, at least before the Pakistan meeting soon to take place just like Ali.  That's the problem.    
  • Interesting, because we all know that Iran controls so many of the Middle East countries causing terrorist groups there to attack Israel being they are in a closer position.  They all received weapons to use against Israel.  Now that Trump and Netanyahu are in a new position, Iran has been knocked down but for how long is a question.  The Ayatollah's have lost their strong horse, Ayatollah Ali.  

  • The strong horse leading the young people of Iran today that are being machine-gunned down by Revolutionary Guards is Crown Prince is Reza Pahlavi, son of former Shah of Iran.  Being a new racer, he's not getting enough attention.  I hope he wins the race.  In his recent trip through Germany, a man splashed red paint  over the back of his suit jacket.  He should have had better security there.  

Thursday, April 23, 2026

Ambassadors For Peace in Lebanon

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                 


 For the first time since the failure of the May 17 Agreement (1983), Israel and the Lebanese government announced the opening of direct negotiations with the goal of reaching a peace agreement and disarming Hezbollah.

As of the 21st, Israeli forces were currently deployed in a security zone in southern Lebanon extending up to 10 kilometers from the border, from the Mediterranean coast in the west to the foothills of Mount Hermon in the east.

Secretary Marco Rubio, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter, and Lebanese Ambassador to the United States Nada Hamadeh Moawad at the Department of State in Washington, D.C., April 14, 2026.

The ambassadors to the U.S. from Lebanon and Israel were scheduled to meet for the second time in Washington on Thursday to continue direct talks.  That's today. 

 

The Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S., Nada Hamadeh Moawad, is in Washington D.C. as of today, April 23, 2026, for scheduled high-level talks. She is attending a second session of direct, U.S.-mediated talks at the State Department with the Israeli ambassador regarding a ceasefire, as reported by The Washington Post and Courthouse News Service.In a video published online in November, the diplomat said she was working to "reaffirm President Aoun’s vision focused on safeguarding Lebanon’s sovereignty, implementing reforms and promoting peace."

  • Second Round of Talks: Following a first meeting on April 14, Ambassador Moawad and Israeli counterpart Yechiel Leiter are discussing the extension of a 10-day ceasefire, according to Facebook posts by NBC News and Al Jazeera English.
  • Recent Activity: Ambassador Moawad was active earlier this week, accompanying Lebanon's Minister of Public Works and Transport to meetings at the White House, Treasury, and World Bank, notes the Embassy of Lebanon in Washington D.C. on Facebook.
  • Context: The discussions are aimed at formalizing a truce between Lebanon and Israel, as confirmed by Instagram posts from Anadolu Agency and 6abc Action News on Facebook.


As of April 2026, the Israeli Ambassador to the United States is Yechiel Leiter.He assumed the position on January 27, 2025, succeeding Michael Herzog.He is an American-born Israeli (born in Scranton, Pennsylvania) who made aliyah to Israel in 1978.  (My goodness;  I made aliyah in 1980.)  He is known as a former settler activist and has been described by critics as a "pro-settler activist" and former soldier. His son, Major (Res.) Moshe Yedidia Leiter, was killed in action in the Gaza Strip in 2023.

Resource:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Israel%E2%80%93Lebanon_peace_talks

israelAM

https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1503110/who-is-nada-hamadeh-moawad-lebanons-ambassador-to-washington-taking-part-in-israel-talks.html

Wednesday, April 22, 2026

The Golan Heights As Israel Sees It

 Nadene Goldfoot                                         


The Golan Heights is always mentioned even lately as a point of contention in Syria. 

      Golan Heights overlooking a Syrian controlled area:   The Israeli portion of the Golan rises to 7,297 feet (2,224 meters) at its extreme northeast point on the Mount Hermon slopes.

 Jewish Israelis overwhelmingly view the Golan Heights as a vital strategic asset and a deeply rooted part of their historical, biblical heritage (the ancient Bashan). The area’s name is from the biblical city of refuge Golan in Bashan (Deuteronomy 4:43; Joshua 20:8).The region, known as the Bashan, has a rich Jewish history from the Second Temple period, featuring cities of refuge and ancient synagogues. So this establishes that it is part of our ancient history. 

 Jews lost control of the Bashan area (Golan Heights) to Syria through a combination of early Islamic conquests, modern boundary shifts, and 20th-century geopolitical agreements. The region was officially transferred to French-controlled Syria in 1923 by colonial powers, and the final small Jewish presence was expelled by Syrian authorities in 1947 before Israel's independence.                

                                       WAR OF 1967

                                             

Cyrus R. Vance stepped down as Deputy Secretary of Defense in June 1967 due to a severe back condition, having grown disillusioned with the Vietnam War's trajectory. Despite leaving this post, he was immediately reassigned by President Johnson to manage crisis situations, including the 1967 Detroit riots. For more details, visit

The Six-Day War, or the 1967 Arab–Israeli war (5–10 June 1967), was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states, primarily Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, in the context of the Arab–Israeli conflict. This has turned out to be a decisive factor with the surprise of Israel winning against such a huge force, but we Jews had everything to lose and fought with heart and soul. Israelis feel they had help from G-d, for the odds against them were terrible.  Winning caused Arabs to go to Kartoum, Sudan,  Africa for a meeting where they decided they all were against Israel in every respect and came up with their No, No No.  Pretty embarrassing for them to lose in 6 days, too.   

Golan Heights, hilly area overlooking the upper Jordan River valley on the west. The area was part of extreme southwestern Syria until 1967, when it came under Israeli military occupation, and in December 1981 Israel unilaterally annexed the part of the Golan it held.   Annexing a piece of land is the legal process of bringing unincorporated, contiguous property into a city's corporate limits, allowing the municipality to extend services like water, sewer, and police to the new area. It is commonly voluntary through owner petitions but can be involuntary, with the aim of expanding tax bases, managing growth, and applying city zoning standards.                               

American president Donald Trump, accompanied by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, signing the document of recognition at the White House.  On March 25, 2019, the United States officially recognized the Golan Heights as being under the sovereignty of Israel.  In 2019 the United States became the only country to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the area. 

The Druze community in the Golan Heights—numbering around 20,000 across five villages—are indigenous to the area, having lived there under Ottoman and French rule prior to Syrian independence. The largest urban locality in the Golan Heights is the Druze town of Majdal Shams, with a population of over 11,000, while Katzrin is the largest Israeli settlement.  It's 1985 population was 22,500 (including Druze).  

 The population of Katzrin, known as the capital of the Golan Heights, is approximately 8,000–8,100 Israeli residents as of late 2024. As the largest Jewish locality in the area, it acts as an urban center for the region's rural communities.

Total population estimates for the area vary, with recent figures indicating roughly 27,000–31,000 Israeli settlers and roughly 24,000–29,000 Druze residents.

When Israel captured the Golan from Syria in 1967, this community was separated from their countrymen and remained under Israeli occupation, later becoming Israeli residents in 1981.  Druze happen to be good friends of Israel.  

It is seen as essential for national security to prevent attacks from the plateau.  Syria had only used the Golan Heights for its height in hitting Israelis below.  The Plateau's Strategic Role: Before 1967, Syria used the plateau to bombard Israeli communities in the valley below.  1973 Yom Kippur War: Syria launched a major offensive on October 6, 1973, from the plateau, temporarily retaking parts of the Golan Heights before being repelled.

                                                 

     2007:  An Israeli tank during a September 2007 exercise in the Golan Heights. Photograph: David Silverman/Getty 

In 2019, the U.S. recognized Israeli sovereignty over the region. Even lately, on July 27, 2024, a rocket attack, attributed by Israel to Hezbollah, hit a soccer field in Majdal Shams, a Druze town in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, killing 12 children and teens. This attack from the surrounding, higher-elevation terrain highlighted the extreme strategic vulnerability of the plateau's topography, which overlooks both the Israeli Galilee region and parts of Syria. Syria is at it again.                                 


 Israel and Syria today confirmed they are holding indirect peace talks with Turkey as the mediator. I don't think either country is happy with Turkey as Erdogan is not a friend of Israel at all. "Erdogan intensifies rhetoric against Israel, MK calls him a 'megalomaniacal dictator'. Erdogan’s harsh rhetoric is considered to be part of his ongoing narrative attempting to position Turkey as a staunch defender of Palestinian rights." 

Since the creation of Israel 60 years ago, the two states have fought three wars, two of them over the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau between the countries that was captured by Israel in 1967.

Resource:

https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/consequences-1967-war

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_recognition_of_the_Golan_Heights_as_part_of_Israel

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-892720

The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia (Book)

https://www.britannica.com/event/Syrian-Civil-War