Will Syrian opposition benefit from recent Gulf detente?
The Gulf reconciliation has sparked controversy in the opposition circles of northwestern Syria over its expected positive effects on the Syrian revolution and opposition.
ALEPPO, Syria — On the wall of a destroyed building in the countryside of Idlib, in northwest Syria, which is under the control of the Syrian opposition, Syrian artist Aziz Asmar painted a Saudi and Qatari shaking hands.
At the top of the painting, Asmar wrote in English, “The blood can never become water.”
Asmar’s painting reflects the Syrian opposition’s interest in the reconciliation that took place Jan. 5 during the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit held in the Saudi city of Al-Ula.
Next to the hands, the painting depicts an octopus with the head of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with lava and fire spewing from his mouth. This aims to highlight the fact that the Gulf reconciliation disturbs Iran, which the Syrian opposition considers an essential partner in the Syrian regime’s war against the revolution.
