Bashar Al Assad is no longer a pariah. Yesterday, at an Arab League conference in the Saudi city of Jeddah, the Syrian dictator was greeted like the returning prodigal son.
A mere 12 years ago, Syria was expelled from the regional organisation after its dictator began to wage a pitiless war against his own people.
Yet now the Arab states – with the distinguished exception of Qatar – are willing to turn a blind eye to the butcher’s atrocities.
Not so long ago, the Saudis and other Gulf monarchs – as well as the West – bankrolled the rebels fighting Assad’s regime.
But yesterday, Arab leaders eagerly clasped his blood-soaked hands. This rehabilitation of a despot is not merely sickening – it sends a dangerous message to other aggressive regimes.
Pictured:Â Syrian President Bashar Assad is accompanied by Prince Badr Bin Sultan, deputy governor of Mecca, upon his arrival at Jeddah airport, Saudi Arabia, on May 18, 2023, ahead of the Arab summit
Pictured:Â Russian…
