Voices From the Region: Israel, Syria, Egypt, Palestine, Turkey

“For decades the Assad regime was talking about the Palestinians’ rights….But Bashar al-Assad has killed more of us today than Israel did in its latest war on Gaza.” – Abu Ammar, Palestinian resident of Yarmouk camp after it was attacked by Syrian fighter jets on December 16

“I read this as a strong vote against the dismal, confused performance of the Morsi administration.” – Emad Shahin, AUC political scientist on first round of referendum vote

“We are not in the business of regime change. Some of the regional players were suggesting to us ’Why don’t you tell President Assad to leave? We will arrange for some safe haven for him’…My answer is very simple: if indeed those who suggested this to us have this in mind, they should take it directly to President Assad. Why should they use us as a postman?” – Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in a television interview

“Turkey is now the world’s biggest prison for journalists, a sad paradox for a country that portrays itself as a regional democratic model.” – France-based Reporters Without Borders said in a statement

“The opposition cannot decisively settle the battle and what the security forces and army units are doing will not achieve a decisive settlement.” – Syrian vice president Farouq al-Shara

“The reason Israel owes us money each month is because we import goods from Israel…So it becomes a legitimate question for me to ask how to minimize the amount of our money that will be subject to Israel’s capricious behavior.” – Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad

“If this constitution passed, there will be no stability.” – Mohammed El Baradei, one of the leaders of the Egyptian opposition National Salvation Front before the second day of voting on the draft constitution

“The wise and the elite in Europe, the United States, and Turkey should dismantle Patriots and take them away from the region before a fire breaks out.” – General Hassan Firouzabadi, chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces