A destroyed car is seen on a street lined with buildings damaged by what activists said was shelling by government forces in the besieged area of Homs last Sunday. (Yazan Homsy/Reuters)
In Middle East, Public Rejects Arming Syrian Rebels: Poll -- Christian Science Monitor
A Pew Center poll found that large majorities worry that an influx of arms – from Western or Arab sources – will increase violence and instability in the region.
Citizens of many Middle East countries remain opposed to providing military assistance to the Syrian opposition for its fight against President Bashar al-Assad's regime, despite substantial fears that the violence will spill into their own countries, according to a poll released this week by the Pew Research Center.
The Pew results are based on a survey of 11,771 people between March 3 and April 7 from 12 countries: Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Tunisia, Germany, France, Britain, the US, and Russia.
Ninety-five percent of Lebanese said they were concerned that violence would spread west into their country, with 68 percent of them saying they were "very concerned" and 27 percent saying they were "somewhat concerned." Eighty percent of Jordanians, who live to Syria's south, and 62 percent of Turks, who are on Syria's northern flank, expressed worry.
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My Comment: The reason why there is growing opposition to arming the Syrian rebels is probably because the perception among many in the Middle East is that the Free Syrian Army is now being taken over by these people.
The PEW Research poll is here.
Update: Most Americans do not want U.S. involved in Syria: Reuters/Ipsos poll -- Reuters