Reform Party of Syria (RPS)

Had there been a terrorist group in Haiti, Assad would have trained them for suicidal missions when Israel was sending its best humanitarian aid

As disappointing to an American-Syrian to always see the deficiencies of Syria ruled by the Assad family from the lens of our neighbor Israel, there has yet to be an example where my beloved native country can outperform or outdo Israel in anything. Haiti was a lost opportunity for the Assad regime to truly stand up to its critics by demonstrating a human face, for once, instead of its roaring face of terror. But then, how can one expect benevolence towards others thousands of miles away when the regime terrorizes its own people and neighbors?

But Syria is not the only country. If you read Saudi-owned media or watch the Qatari-based al-Jazeera, you would think that Arab governments are at the forefront of saving Haitian lives with their generosity and donations when the reality is far from the truth. According to ReliefWeb, using pledges of $1m or more, the UAE is the only Arab country that pledged $3m to Haiti.

The Haitian tragedy is a telling story to the independent-minded oscillating on issues such as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the "resistance" doctrine whose foundation is represented by Iranian IED's and Syrian suicide bombers. If Israeli aid was one of the first to reach Haiti, thus saving the most lives in the precious aftermath moments of the earthquake and Arab governments were followers, mostly absent except for small pledges, then it points to the importance of Israel as a Litmus test against which we measure our own shortcomings.