Demographic Upheaval: How the Syrian War is Reshaping the Region
By Pinhas Inbari
The current political and military upheavals in the Middle East are producing new and far-reaching demographic realities.
The communities in Syria are consolidating as the Alawite-Shiite components gain strength; the Sunnis are leaving for Lebanon and undermining Hizbullah’s status; in Jordan the relative weight of the Palestinians has declined and the “Jordan is Palestine” threat has diminished; and the West Bank is undergoing emigration pressures which will certainly be copied in Gaza if emigration is allowed.
Some minority communities in the Levant and in Libya are expressing a positive attitude toward Israel and repudiating pan-Arabism.
Syria is being transformed from a Sunni to a Shiite country not only demographically but also in religious terms.
The Syrian ethnic-cleansing policy also includes the Palestinians in Syria. The regime is systematically destroying the refugee camps in Syria as one way to “cause (Sunni) emigration.”
Pinhas Inbari is a veteran Arab affairs correspondent who formerly reported for Israel Radio and Al Hamishmar newspaper, and currently serves as an analyst for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
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