The Syrian Coalition and the Free Syrian Army strongly denied taking part in the Herzliya Conference in Israel as it is a conference “dedicated to strengthening Israel’s security and to the consolidation of Israeli policies of expansionism and racism in Palestine.”
In a press statement released on Friday, Vice-President of the Syrian Coalition Samira Almasalmah said: “We were surprised today by news about the participation of Essam Zaitoun in the Herzliya Conference in Israel. While we condemn this act, we strongly deny the participation of any representatives of the Syrian revolution, the Syrian Coalition or the Free Syrian Army in this conference.”
“Some mistakenly believe that occupation does not involve tyranny, and that tyranny is not a form of occupation. The injustice of occupation and tyranny is one and the same,” Almaslmah stressed.
She went on to say that “the Syrian people and the Palestinian people are both fighting for a just common cause, and that is their freedom.”
The FSA-affiliated Homs Liberation Movement said that these false reports were circulated by the Assad regime and its allies to discredit the Free Syrian Army.
Moreover, the FSA’s Southern Front group in Dara’a province denied any links with Essam Zaitoun in a statement released earlier on Saturday. The statement said allegations that Zaitoun represented the Southern Front in the Herzliya Conference were utterly untrue. (Source: Syrian Coalition)