Thousands of Palestinians rally against Assad
Published Friday 17/02/2012 21:49
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=461187

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -- Thousands of Palestinians in Israel demonstrated
against Syrian President Bashar Assad on Friday, calling for him to step
down and end his violent suppression of a nationwide revolt.

Chanting "Bashar Assad leave" and "Let the people live", protesters in the
northern town of Kafr Kanna set fire to posters of the Syrian president.

Assad has shown no sign of easing his campaign to stamp out an 11-month
uprising against his rule. His forces on Friday resumed attacks on
opposition strongholds in the city of Homs, which has now been under fire
for two weeks.

The United Nations says more than 5,400 civilians have been killed in the
uprising and the UN General Assembly on Thursday told Assad to stop the
violence and surrender power.

Syrian authorities say they are fighting foreign-backed "terrorists".

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Thursday he expected Assad to fall
"within weeks".

Last month Israel's army chief Lieutenant-General Benny Gantz said the
country was preparing to take refugees from Assad's minority Alawite sect
into the Golan Heights, in the event of the president's downfall.

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war.
Despite the fact that the two countries have never made peace, the Golan
frontier has largely been quiet.