Hamas: 885 Palestinians killed in Syria civil war

[oberliner]

Eight hundred and eighty-five Palestinians have been killed in Syria since the uprising against President Bashar Assad erupted nearly two years ago, Lebanon's Daily Star, citing a Hamas spokesman, reported Friday.

According to the report, based on Hamas figures, a further 20,500 Palestinian refugees from Syria remain trapped in Lebanon, including at least 3,500 who fled last month following a fierce outbreak of violence in the Yarmouk refugee camp outside Damascus.

http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=299309

[LeftishBrit]

1. Awful.

Assad is one of the worst leaders in the world, against lots of competition.

[delrem]

3. That he is.

Unfortunately reports that I've read show that the FSA doesn't rise to even that abysmal quality. I've also read apologetic articles suggesting that these extreme (Saudi Qaeda type) Islamist fighters might be themselves ousted by the real "good guys" after Assad is overthrown -- but who'll do that?

Looks to me like the Syrian people (including the Pal refugees) are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea and I can't see how any good can come of this war.

[oberliner]

4. What are these reports that you've read?

One wonder what the source might be of reports bashing those who are rebelling against the Assad regime.

Can you provide some links?

You can't see how any good can come of a war to get to rid of a fascist dictator?

[delrem]

5. One I'm reading now:

http://mondediplo.com/blogs/aleppo-s-cold-winter

[oberliner]

6. Thanks

I appreciate that. Interesting info.

[delrem]

8. I find it worrisome

I'm a Canadian, far from the scene, but I find the situation in Syria and the implications for the future worrisome. I can only imagine how an Israeli might think, to say nothing of a secular Syrian activist.

This info has been reported on - tho' not so much in the US press - for over two years. I think a context that can't be denied is that between salafist jihad <-> al qaeda, salafism <-> wahabbism, wahabbism <-> house of Saud, house of Saud <-> US ally, Saudi Arabia/Qatar/US <-> Syrian "revolution". The biggest problem that I see is that there don't seem to be any other links/connections that might offset these. In fact to the contrary, what Saudi Arabia seems to be doing elsewhere is help (militarily) repress and extinguish secular activism and protest in Bahrain etc., so no countervailing force is being allowed breathing room.

I don't pretend to understand the "why" of any of it.

[azurnoir]

2. personally I think Assad is a candidate for an ICC trial

he is IMO a war criminal

[Scootaloo]

7. You would think.

And since he's no buddy of the US, there's actually a chance of that happening!

Less than the chance of him eating a bullet and then appearing on the front page of the New York Times I suppose... but a possibility.