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Source: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3451670,00.html
Basher Assad - The Lesser Evil
[Ynet News] Guy Bechor - Is Basher Assad an asset or a liability? Would it serve Israel's purpose if Assad were toppled? Last week a conference attended by the Syrian opposition, united in its hatred to Assad and his regime, convened in Berlin. Hatred of Assad is not their only source of unification. Another unifying factor is their hatred for Israel. If we thought that this opposition would be democratic, pro-Western, and that it would perhaps reach some peace agreement with us, we were mistaken. Conference participants attacked Assad for not maintaining "Syrian honor" and for not embarking on a war against Israel. Clearly, the damage posed by the Assad family is less than the damage likely to be inflicted by the opposition. The writer is head of Middle Eastern Studies at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya.