International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, Dec. 13, 2002

The British government is undermining their position in the war against terror by hosting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on an official state visit to the United Kingdom, according to the UK Zionist Federation.

In a mailing to members, the Jewish organization has urged its supporters to picket British Prime Minister Tony Blair's official Downing Street residence next Monday to protest Syria's ongoing occupation of Lebanon and state sponsorship of terrorism.

"At a time when the British government is warning the British public to be vigilant and to prepare for possible terrorist attack in the UK by al-Qaida, they are legitimizing international terrorism," the Federation told its members.

The claims follow a string of revelations indicating that the Syrian and Iranian-backed terror militia Hizb'Allah is working closely with al-Qaida in orchestrating terrorist attacks against the West, including possible involvement in the twin terror strikes against Israeli targets in Mombasa, Kenya late last month.

It also follows Syria's refusal to close down the Damascus headquarters of the deadly Palestinian terror groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, who are responsible for popularizing the systematic use suicide bombers in an attempt to disrupt the Oslo peace process in the mid nineties.

Israel requested the United States and others to pressure Syria into taking action against Islamic Jihad after the radical group orchestrated a deadly ambush in Hebron in November that left 12 Israeli soldiers and security guards dead. Similar appeals have been repeatedly made concerning the Hamas offices in Damascus. The Syrian regime, a military-backed family dynasty, has refused.

US President George W Bush is widely believed to have placed Syria near the top of the hit list of states sponsoring terrorism after FBI revelations that Hizb'Allah has been identifying potential targets for terrorist attacks in the US. However, Syrian support for the US-backed UN Security Council resolution against Iraq in October led American diplomats to soften their tone for fear of jeopardizing regional acquiescence to the renewed international pressure on Baghdad.

Assad is one of the new generation of Arab leaders, well-educated and politically astute. He studied in the UK and his Anglophile wife is a former advertising executive in London. His visit to Britain coincides with the joint US-British charm offensive in the region in advance of possible military action against Iraq, and Blair will likely use the encounter to draw the Syrian dictator into the "disarm Saddam" circle.

Nevertheless, Israel itself and Jewish groups around the world are alarmed at the price at which pan-Arab support against Iraq is being obtained.

Hizb'Allah spiritual leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah told a rally broadcast by the organization's Al Manar TV station last month, that Palestinians should be encouraged to take the practice of suicide bombings "worldwide" - particularly singling Jews out as targets.

Despite such views, some European nations and Canada have been slow to distance themselves from the Shi'ite militia, pointing to the group's charitable and political activities. As recently as October, French President Jacques Chirac shared a conference platform with Nasrallah at a summit of French-speaking countries, held in Beirut.