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Syria’s Palestinians divided over whom to support - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East
▻http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/08/turkey-syria-palestinia-fight-for-syrian-army.html

Palestinians in Syria are split over the civil war. Those supporting Hamas joined ranks with the opposition, and those affiliated with Fatah and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) back the regime.

In the first four years of the war, 209 Palestinians from Nairab out of 4,000 overall in Syria were killed. I was taken to a tea garden that now serves as the headquarters of the Jerusalem Brigade, which defends Nairab. Its commander, Adnan al Sayyid, is the son of a family expelled from Zefat by Israel. A Fatah member, Sayyid explained that the tea garden had actually been his restaurant, which he turned into a headquarters.

He listed a series of incidents to explain why his brigade had taken up arms. He said that the armed opposition killed 19 Palestinian young people returning to Nairab from a military camp. After chaining up the driver, the opposition rigged the bus with explosives and it exploded 100 meters (328 feet) from the checkpoint. The opposition then began abducting men from the camp: Hussein Masri, Hikmet Dirbes and Mohammed Jeddah — all civilians — were accused of cooperating with the regime, according to Sayyid. Their bodies were found in a house not far away.

Read more: ▻http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/08/turkey-syria-palestinia-fight-for-syrian-army.html#ixzz3ksc8gI00

Exploring the ’other Syria’ - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East
▻http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/08/turkey-syria-other-shatters-stereotypes-residents-defy-image.html

Un regard pas si fréquent sur la Syrie en guerre...

Latakia’s beach offers a good illustration of the newcomers’ profile, refuting the Alawite state scenario. Next to the Ramel al-Janoubi Palestinian refugee camp, the beach resembled a fairground when I took an evening walk through the area. Families had sat down to eat, enjoying themselves. With a Turkish journalist in their midst, refugees from Idlib and Aleppo were eager to slam the Turkish government — and those were the conservative and pious Sunnis. Defying the sectarian narrative, the scene at the beach was like one cheerful brushstroke over a gloomy picture of war.

For Syrians, economic hardship remains a problem as serious as security. Abu Ahmed, a greengrocer in Latakia, said, “The tomatoes and cucumbers are coming from Hama and Homs. A truck from Aleppo used to deliver for 5,000 [Syrian] pounds [$26], now it comes for 100,000 pounds [$530]. The price of diesel [per liter] has increased from 7 [$.04] to 140 pounds [$.74]. Shipping costs have tripled, and sales are down.” At the two marketplaces I toured in Damascus, people voiced a common grievance: Wages have remained the same over the past four years, while food prices have tripled.

The regime’s efforts to alleviate economic stress are noteworthy. The government has continued to pay the salaries of public employees, including those in rebel-controlled areas. Garbage collection and other public services remain in operation. In short, the state continues to function. Even more remarkably, the regime has used its capacity to the fullest to sustain the supply of critical products, such as wheat and flour. Grain produced in the rural areas of Idlib, Raqqa, Aleppo and Hasakah is taken to regime-controlled areas by contracted trucks and shipped to cities via a perilous route, escorted by the military. In other words, the Mukhabarat structure — one of the reasons behind the uprising — is now fortifying the pillars of the regime through crisis management.

Now #Erdogan is cooking up a coup to overthrow himself
▻http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/08/turkey-erdogan-is-blamed-for-coup-after-elections.html

To a cheering crowd in his hometown, Rize, he said:
“ _There is a president with de facto power in the country, not a symbolic one. The president should conduct his duties for the nation directly, but within his authority. Whether one accepts it or not, Turkey’s administrative system has changed. Now, what should be done is to update this de facto situation in the legal framework of the #constitution_ .”

#Turquie

Aleppo’s businessmen blame Turks for damaged factories, looted equipment - Al-Monitor : the Pulse of the Middle East
▻http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/08/turkey-syria-sued-for-looting-aleppo-industry.html

I listened to a Syrian army commander in the rubble of centuries-old historic buildings in divided Aleppo say, “The basic reason for the fall of Aleppo and Idlib to armed groups is the terrorists sent from Turkey and the support Turkey gives to them.” At Sheikh Najjar Industrial City I heard even more damning accusations that may take Turkey to The Hague. Aleppo industrialists say more than 300 factories were plundered and their equipment sold in Turkey, hence their decision to settle their accounts with Turkey at the International Court of Justice.

L’histoire du pillage de la zone industrielle refait surface. Pour partie par l’armée syrienne et les « rebelles » mais l’essentiel a été fait par des gens venant de Turquie.

Palestinian official denies Abbas resignation rumors - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East
▻http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/08/palestinian-shtayyeh-israel-hamas-iran-deal.html

Al-Monitor: Fatah was supposed to hold its seventh congress last year or earlier this year, but no congress has been held. What is the reason? Is Gaza again the reason for the delay?

Shtayyeh: Fatah will hold its seventh congress on Nov. 29, 2015, which will take place in Ramallah. This congress will be unique, and we are working on the political platform to be presented to members for approval.

Al-Monitor: ​What is happening on the succession front in regard to who will take the place of President Abbas?

Shtayyeh: Nothing is happening on this front. It is not discussed. It is only discussed in the media. Abu Mazen [Abbas] was duly elected and represents Palestinian legitimacy. All institutions can take care of their responsibility if the president decides to change course. Rumors about his resignation are not true. We want elections, and President Abbas wants an electoral process in the West Bank and Gaza that can give life to democratic legitimization. We want to have elections as soon as possible.

Will Saudi Arabia-Russia talks impact Syrian opposition? - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East
▻http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/08/syria-russia-saudi-arabia-regime-opposition-forces-talks.html#ixzz3iVzzs

The Syrian official said that the Russian lines of communication had been active on more than one front. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov went to Turkey June 25, where he met with a Syrian opposition delegation and Turkish officials. Yet, the outcomes of these meetings were not encouraging, according to the official. Moscow has, however, continued its communications. A few days later, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem went to the Russian capital at the invitation of Russian officials to discuss what had been achieved with Salman. In the meeting between Putin and Moallem June 29, it was surprising that Putin announced an initiative to establish a coalition against terrorism that includes Syria, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Jordan. Following this visit, Saudi-Syrian channels of communication were indirectly activated through Moscow, in preparation for the main meeting with Maj. Gen. Ali Mamlouk, head of the Syrian National Security Bureau and main figure of the Syrian regime, who, according to Saudi sources, flew on a Russian airplane to Riyadh July 7, to meet with Prince Salman.

Read more: ▻http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/08/syria-russia-saudi-arabia-regime-opposition-forces-talks.html#ixzz3iWljx