(Photo: AFP)
A US Senate committee had passed a bill that would allow, if signed for the Obama administration to supply arms to Syrian opposition — a move that could threaten the entire region if these weapons end up in terrorist cells operating on the ground.
The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations 15-3 vote showed bipartisan support among US politicians for arming the rebels.
It remains uncertain if the full Senate will vote on the legislation that calls to “provide defense articles, defense services, and military training” directly to the opposition on the ground Syria who “have been properly and fully vetted and share common values and interests with the United States.”
“I don’t think that this resolution, this bill will gain traction in the House of Representatives, and if it does we will have to wait and see if Mr. Obama signs this bill,” historian Gerald Horne told RT.
Horne believes that the Israeli lobby in Washington might sway US politicians including President Obama.
“The Israeli lobby in particular has been quite energetic and quite active in regard of lobbying for aid to the rebels, which is quite curious since if these rebels come to power, I dare say that Israel will have many sleepless nights,” Horne says.
The language of the proposed legislature is vague but it suggests the sale of small arms but specifies that “no anti-aircraft defensive systems” would be provided.
Despite fear that sending arms to the rebels might backfire if al-Qaeda linked cells get a hold of them, US lawmakers are adamant that weapons will be supplied to those groups “committed to rejecting terrorism and extremist ideologies.”
Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky has voted against the bill, warning “You will be funding today the allies of al Qaeda,” Paul said adding “It is an irony you cannot overcome,” quotes the Washington Times.
New Jersey democrat and co-author of the bill, Senator Robert Menenedez addressed such concerns and stressed that the proposed bill has in place a “tough vetting mechanism” to prevent terrorist from obtaining US arms. “Vital national interests are at stake and we cannot watch from the sidelines,”Menenedez concluded.
In the meantime, US Secretary of State John Kerry is on a mission to Jordan to meet with representatives from 11 nations, as part of a US-Russian roadmap to end Syria’s violence.
If the bill is to be adopted it Russia in the past has argued that arming the rebels would contradict international law.
RT has the full article
Report: Justice Department has seized phone records of numbers tassociated White House staffers and Fox News reporters besides James Rosen.
Riots in Stockholm’s suburbs continued for the third night after the fatal shooting of a 69-year old man by Swedish police triggered street violence. The shooting took place on 13 May with riots ongoing since Sunday 19 May. The rioters consist mainly of young people who say they are protesting against police brutality and inequality in Sweden. Rocks were hurled at police and cars have been set alight.
Muslims Chasing and Beating Police Agents
Riot police spent a second night outside Stockholm trying to contro lprotersters angry about a recent police shooting, NBCNews.com’s Dara Brown reports.
Vitamin C kills drug-resistant TB in lab tests
Vitamin C can kill multidrug-resistant TB in the lab, scientists have found. The surprise discovery may point to a new way of tackling this increasingly hard-to-treat infection, the US study authors from Yeshiva University say in Nature Communications. An estimated 650,000 people worldwide have multidrug-resistant TB. Studies are now needed to see if a treatment that works using the same action… Read more →
Overnight, shots were fired from Syria at an IDF patrol. IDF forces returned fire, reporting a direct hit on source of the attack. The IDF will continue to operate day and night in order to keep Israel’s citizens safe.
FCC proposing to allow more sex and profanity during kids’ television viewing hours
(Photo: Wikipedia) If you thought that our television channels were already saturated with enough sex, vulgarity and profanity, you may want to brace yourself – the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is proposing changes to its guidelines that would allow more racy content to infiltrate the small screen during hours when kids could tune in. A public notice posted on the… Read more →
CULTURE OF INTIMIDATION
(Photo: Wikipedia) With new reports today that the Obama Department of Justice leaked documents intended to smear a whistle blower in the Fast and Furious gun walking scandal, it is now more obvious than ever that this administration has, in the words of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), created a “culture of intimidation” that stretches from the White House down to… Read more →
Syria and Israel in exchange of fire
Israeli and Syrian forces have exchanged fire across the ceasefire line in the occupied Golan Heights. Israel returned fire after one of its military vehicles was hit by shots from Syria, Israel’s defence forces say. Media reports say no-one was hurt. Syria says it destroyed an Israeli vehicle which it says crossed the ceasefire line into territory its forces control…. Read more →
