No Surprise Assad Claims Support For New Constitution As Crackdown Continues

Bashar al-Assad's busy claiming that people who turned out to vote for a new constitution did so overwhelmingly to support the new one. Mind you that Assad's security forces were busy murdering opposition protesters and shelling cities and communities that strongly oppose the regime. Western countries consider the referendum to be nothing more than window dressing to allow the regime time and space to continue their crackdown.

Interior minister Mohammed al-Shaar said the turnout was 57.4 percent of eligible voters with nearly 8.4 million ballots cast,

The new document will create a multi-party system in Syria, which has been governed solely by the Baath Party since 1963, and set presidential term limits. But even if it passes, President Assad will still be very powerful.

Opposition factions say the only acceptable solution to Syria's crisis is for President Assad to step down. Western governments rejected the referendum as a farce, but both China and Russia welcomed it Monday.

Russia and China recently blocked the U.N. Security Council from tougher actions against Mr. Assad's government.

Also Monday, European Union foreign ministers imposed new sanctions on Syria's central bank and froze the assets of several Syrian government officials. The bloc already has blacklisted nearly 150 other Syrian entities and people.

The U.N. Human Rights Council is scheduled to hold an urgent meeting on the crisis in Syria on Tuesday.

The regime says that the new constitution was approved by 89% of those voting. Considering that the opposition boycotted the referendum, the numbers aren't all that surprising. Assad wont be forced to step down, and the Ba'athist continue controlling all the elements of government. They "rewrote" the constitution but aren't going to relinquish power to opposition groups that are under constant harassment, military assaults, and human rights are not respected.

This is a regime that is murdering its own citizens all to allow Assad to continue his reign of terror. It's not surprising that Iran is doing what it can to block action in the UN's Human Right's Council, even as other Arab countries are lining up in opposition to the crackdown.

Iraq, however, is backing the Syrian people and isn't going to stand behind the regime. Qatar's foreign minister has called for arming the opposition, which is further than the US is willing to go at this point.

The Red Cross has managed to get into Hama for the first time in weeks to distribute aid, but it's a paltry amount compared to what's needed.

UPDATE:
Opposition groups claim that 144 civilians were killed across Syria today, including dozens murdered when attacked at a checkpoint in Homs:

At least 144 people were killed Monday across Syria, including 64 who died in a "horrifying massacre" at a checkpoint in Homs province, opposition activists said.

Those killed at a checkpoint in the Abel area were attempting to flee shelling in the Baba Amr neighborhood in the city of Homs, said the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, a network of opposition activists.

"Reports said security members and thugs kidnapped the women among them," the network said in a statement. Residents found 47 corpses in one area and 17 in a second one, it said.

A total of 68 corpses were found in the area, in farmland in western Homs province, said the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, apparently referencing the same incident. The bodies were found after an injured survivor reported the attack, the group said. All the bodies had been either shot or stabbed.

Turkey; Qatar Quit Efforts To Mediate Lebanese Crisis

Just days after the Saudis gave up in their efforts to mediate the Lebanese political crisis and Turkey and Qatar picked up the role, Turkey and Qatar have given up as well.

Meanwhile, Lebanon's diplomats at the UN proffered a resolution condemning Israel building housing. It's typical of Middle Eastern regimes to go after Israel when their domestic political situation is in flux, and this is no different. Lebanon's Saad Hariri needs to bolster support and pushing UN resolutions is seen as one way to do so.

The UN move is calculated to help garner support among other Middle Eastern regimes to back Hariri over Hizbullah, Syria and Iran.

Saudis Give Up On Lebanese Mediation Efforts As Hizbullah Struts Its Stuff

The Saudis have been trying to mediate the difficult political situation in Lebanon following Hizbullah's withdrawal from the government. They've given up on the mediation efforts and the hope is that Qatar and Turkey will pick up where the Saudis left off.

Prince Saud al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia's minister of foreign affairs, said Wednesday that his country had abandoned mediation talks to resolve Lebanon's political crisis that caused the government's collapse last week.

Al-Faisal made the comments in an interview with state-run Saudi TV in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt where he was attending an Arab economic summit to discuss economic challenges facing Arab nations. He also described the political situation in Lebanon as "dangerous."

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah and Syrian President Bashar Assad have been personally involved in an attempt to resolve Lebanon's political crisis, the Saudi foreign minister said.

But when no agreement was near the Saudi king "lifted his hands and kept away from the negotiations," al-Faisal said.

Meanwhile, Qatari and Turkish foreign ministers arrived in Lebanon Tuesday in an apparent attempt to pick up where Saudi and Syrian efforts left off.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani met with President Michel Suleiman, and caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri among other leading political figures, state-run Lebanese news agency (NNA) reported Tuesday.

Hizbullah withdrew from the government ahead of a report that was likely to name members of the terror group along with Syrian and Iranian officials in the 2005 assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The tribunal investigating the assassination may call on Interpol to assist with the arrests of those that are eventually indicted.

While the diplomats are busy doing their work, Hizbullah is not so quietly or subtly laying the groundwork for their own takeover.

Hizbullah staged a quiet show of force Tuesday that rattled nerves, hours before senior Qatari and Turkish officials began talks in Beirut in an attempt to contain political tension over a U.N.-backed tribunal probing the 2005 killing of statesman Rafik Hariri.

Hizbullah’s actions came hours before Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Bin Jaber al-Thani and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu began a series of talks with Lebanon’s political leaders aimed at preventing a slide toward sectarian strife.

As The Daily Star went to press early Wednesday, Sheikh Hamad and Davutoglu were in talks with Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut. The two officials will spend the night in the capital to hold further talks with other political leaders Wednesday.

Hizbullah is the reason that the Lebanese government is in the position it is in, and its terror outfit is likely among those behind the assassination of Hariri, but should that become official the terror group would lose support from the Lebanese people as the group has long claimed to be a resistance group to Israel (even though Israel has not occupied Lebanon since 2005 and Hizbullah caused a devastating war after its terrorists invaded Israel and killed several soldiers and kidnapped two others (Regev and Goldwasser), leading to a brief, but devastating war for large parts of Southern Lebanon where Hizbullah openly operates in defiance of UNIFIL and SCR 1701).

Qatari Arrested After Attempting To Blow Up Denver Bound Flight

This is a developing story, but apparently a Qatari man, who MSNBC identifies as a Qatari diplomat, attempted to blow up a United Airlines flight from Washington DC to Denver, Colorado tonight, but was thwarted by a federal air marshal.

The latest incident comes a week after the United States announced new security measures to replace the mandatory screening of air travelers from 14 countries that had angered some allies when it was imposed after a failed bombing on Christmas Day.

The measures were designed to significantly reduce the number of passengers pulled aside for additional screening and will not be based on nationality or passport, but on characteristics pulled together by intelligence agencies.

"These new measures utilize real-time, threat-based intelligence along with multiple, random layers of security, both seen and unseen, to more effectively mitigate evolving terrorist threats," said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

A senior administration official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, said the new system would require travelers who match information about terrorism suspects, such as a physical description, partial name or travel pattern, to undergo additional screening.

ABC News identifies the individual as a diplomat in the Qatar embassy in Washington, Mohammed al Modadi, and the FBI reported that he had full diplomat immunity as the 3rd secretary and vice-consul.

One has to wonder whether the individual was properly screened or whether he was able to avoid going through security because of his diplomatic status.

Flights in and out of DC get a disproportionate number of air marshal attention because of the flight path through DC and high profile targets (to say nothing of various important passengers on board. Not that I'm complaining about it - just a good allocation of a limited resource. And it would appear that they got their guy before he could do any harm.

UPDATE:
Reports are now suggesting that the diplomat may have been joking about lighting a shoe bomb, but not that he actually had any such device, although MSNBC is reporting that the air marshal smelled smoke and confronted the man emerging from the bathroom.

A half hour before landing, an air marshal smelled smoke and confronted a man emerging from a bathroom who claimed he was trying to set his shoes on fire, WNBC reported.

It was uncertain if anything actually was on fire or if this was a joke, NBC reported. Investigators were looking to see what might be in the man's shoes.

If that is true, this guy is one arrogant and callous SOB for making a joke of such a serious matter - and one that has the potential to cause a diplomatic row between the US and Qatar, which is home to significant US military assets, including the home to the forward command of US Central Command.

Operation Cast Lead: Day 10

Hamas has a thing for those smuggling tunnels between Gaza and Egypt. They're not for food and humanitarian aid; if Hamas were truly serious about providing for the needs of Gazans, they would have long ago ceased firing the kassams and allowed the food and aid to flow and for Gazans to be able to work in Israel to earn a living. Instead, Hamas knows that controlling the flow of goods into Gaza is a guarantee that they retain control.

Hundreds of tunnels have been carved out beneath the Gaza-Egypt frontier, providing a vital conduit to bring basic needs into the territory which has suffered an increasing stranglehold in the past 18 months.

Foodstuffs, building materials, medicines and electric equipment are all brought from Egypt through the passages -- as well as weapons, notably rockets, and ammunition.

Such contraband provides smugglers with a profitable business. It is also a source of income for Hamas, the Islamist movement which has been the sole ruler in the Gaza Strip since June 2007.

The movement levies taxes on the smugglers' income from the tunnels which are linked to the territory's electricity grid with the blessing of Hamas.

Conscious that the goods, particularly weapons, flowing under the border are vital to Hamas in its conflict, Israel has bombed dozens of tunnels since Israel began its offensive on the Gaza Strip on December 27.

Hamas maintains a firm grip on the smuggling operations because they get a piece of the action; and that's not counting the weapons and equipment used for the terror war against Israel.

Israel must secure the Philadelphi corridor to thwart Hamas from continuing to resupply via Egypt. The Israeli operations has now entered a new phase where the Israeli army will search for terrorists and their weapons caches and destroy them. That's going to be a very dangerous and potentially lengthy phase. Much can go wrong during it, including significant civilian casualties and Israeli casualties.

Everything that Israel does is a so called naqaba. Israel's existence is a naqaba that Hamas hopes to correct by destroying it.

Jordan's politicians are demanding that the country sever ties with Israel. Siding with terrorists isn't a good idea or good for your health. Qatar is busy calling Israel's acts to defend itself war crimes. No word on when Qatar will get around to calling Hamas' terrorist acts war crimes, which they are. The Arab world has fully and truly debased the meanings of all these terms - whether it is genocide, terrorism, holocaust, war crimes, etc. They'll ignore the violence perpetrated by their fellow Arabs or Muslims, but the moment Israel stands up for itself and goes after those that seek to destroy it, Israel is automatically called the aggressor and guilty of criminal behavior.

CNN reports that patients are lying everywhere (but strangely not exactly telling folks that many of those being brought in are Hamas thugs, or that Hamas thugs have been going through the hospitals executing and kneecapping those who they believe are collaborating with Israel). CNN also ignores that Hamas has started disguising themselves as doctors and nurses and hiding in hospitals.

There's a simple way to stop the Israeli operation. Demand Hamas surrender and Israel will stop going after Hamas. Stop the rockets, and no more Israeli interventions in Gaza. Gazans have a choice, and they sided with the terrorist group that demanded war against Israel. Israel gave them that war.

Hamas knows how to stop the war - stop attacking Israel, but everyone knows that Hamas is incapable of doing so. To do so would mean admitting that Israel won - that Israel beat the Islamists on their home turf. Again. So, the world puts pressure on Israel to stop attacking those who attacked it first. They know that eventually Israel will give in to the pressure.

Blue Star Chronicles came across a Hamas propaganda video, which was translated for our benefit. Hamas' death wish is being satiated in the blood of Palestinians who are cannon fodder for Hamas, are props for propaganda in media outlets, and brag about the use of women and children as human shields.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Olmert, who days ago claimed that he would not tolerate talk of truces or ceasefires, is now raising the notion of a ceasefire if Hamas meets certain conditions. I'd prefer room temperature for their leaders, unconditional surrender, and destruction of all their weapons stockpiles, but Olmert is thinking that a return to quiet - without the daily rocket attacks would be sufficient. He's counting on the international community to enforce the actions:

According to Olmert, Israel is interested in a ceasefire agreement that would bring to an isolation of Hamas and include the following conditions: A stop to the rocket fire and the terror emanating from Gaza, as well as to Hamas' military buildup, and the deployment of international forces in the Gaza Strip to enforce the implementation of a truce.

The release of Gilad Shalit will also be stipulated as one of Israel's terms for a halt to the fighting as part of any future agreement.

A senior source in Jerusalem said Sunday: "After Israel launched the ground incursion, the world realized it must wake up and abide by the conditions set by Israel.

"Contrary to the empty moves initiated by various countries, including the humanitarian ceasefire initiative promoted by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, the American initiative is based on the agreement of the four elements that surround the only geographical territory in the world that is ruled by a terrorist entity – Gaza.

The official explained that the initiative does not include negotiations with Hamas, but rather forcing such a regional treaty on the organization. He added that Olmert has made it clear to the Americans and to other world leaders involved in the move, that Israel's conditions were not negotiable, and that if they are not obtained through a diplomatic course, they would be secured through the military operation.

I have a real bad feeling about this - Olmert has not learned the mistakes of the Hizbullah war, and allowing the UN or EU to dictate Israeli security is a recipe for disaster. Hizbullah is in a stronger position now than in 2006 precisely because UNIFIL has not demilitarized South Lebanon and Hizbullah has essentially usurped power from the Lebanese people.

Hamas, seeing the Israeli options being floated, will simply do what it can to hold out - maximize civilian casualties, and wait for the UN to step in on its behalf to stop Israel. Why would Hamas accept any treaty? They've never held up their end of the bargain on previous ceasefires; why would they start now?

Hamas will then claim victory, and Israel will have achieved little in return.

UPDATE:
Hamas fired a Grad rocket at Askhelon, injuring nine Israelis. The terrorists also unsuccessfully tried to kidnap an Israeli soldier operating inside Gaza while clearing one of the many tunnels.

Hamas leaders, who show their heroism by calling for more terror attacks from undisclosed locations or the safety of residences in Damascus or the safety of Egypt, are calling on their thugs to crush Israel's military and that Israel has legitimized the killing of children. That's particularly rich since Hamas has specifically targeted civilians - including a kindergarden hit in Ashkelon today - while Israel has done its utmost to avoid killing civilians all while Hamas is busy using women and children as human shields and as props to garner sympathy to force Israel to stop short of stopping Hamas once and for all - a situation that would truly lay the groundwork for peace.

Hamas also claims that it has weapons that it hasn't used to date. That probably means a combination of longer range rockets and suicide bombers, or both. Expect to see both before long. Hamas will be forced to choose between using them or losing them as Israel moves forward with the ongoing ground operation. Hamas also claims that it will start targeting civilians - as though that's different than the thousands of kassams and mortars fired into Israel before today.

The Turkish Prime Minister thinks that Allah will punish Israel. So far, I'd say that Allah hasn't exactly shown much interest in helping Hamas.

UPDATE:
Sderot residents got lucky. A local food market just closed up shop, when a kassam slammed into the facility. No one was injured. A few minutes earlier, and the outcome would have been quite different.