Posted on 12/10/2003 7:59:49 AM PST by yonif
Israel not on U.S. list of 63 countries eligible to compete for $18.6 billion in Iraqi reconstruction contracts
Isn't the US trying to change the cultural logic? How is going to do it if it discriminates those who can come to Iraq based upon their religion? Sure, Iraqis might begin to learn about how Jews are not evil in their schools (if such changes occur), but the trick is having interaction with those who they have been taught to hate all their life. Israelis there will be doing humanitarian work, most likely in the field of helping them develop an agricultural system and medical system.
I just figured Wolfowitz made the announcement as an additional slap in the anti-Semitic faces of France and Germany. I hadn't thought it out any further than that.
I agree with that.
We told them what to think and to stop supporting policies against Jews, Gepsies, Gays etc.
We told the Nazi's to stop discriminating against the Gays? I don't think so! I would be surprised if we did, because back then we knew being Gay was wrong. Practically every US state prohibited it.
I agree with the comment that we should use our power to make sure that Jews are not discriminated against. But I don't think that has to translate to foreign policy for construction contracts, at this time.
I think we should be using the our position of authority to preach to them against hating. Show them that the same hatred and lack of respect for life that seeds hatred of the Jews leads also seeds hatred within the country and leads to internal massacres against each other like those that the baathists did.
"The US is there and is drawing terrorist fire as well. Does it mean it plans on backing away because of it? The US has said it stick to principle and not capitulate in front of terror or else more terror will be inevitable and the terrorists will see they are winning. So why capitulate in front of their society norms of hating Jews?"
No, the US won't back away, but it wouldn't be very chivralous of us to let a bigger target go in. At least not right now.
I just think contruction contracts at this time are the wrong way to go about it. It will play into all the lies that the Jew haters have said about Jews controlling the US. I think we need to address the hatred in other ways first.
I believe you're mistaken. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt are all eligible for contracts. They didn't supply troops, other than to the terrorists attacking our troops.
Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt .
I guess it doesn't matter which side you provide troops to.
You're right. Jews won't be allowed to participate. Mark up a win for the Jew haters.
I stand corrected. Thanks! There is a .pdf file of the memo at foxnews.com . Paragraph 4 on the second page is the big one. It says "It is necessary for the protection of the essential security interests of the United States to limit competition for the prime contracts of these procurements to companies from the United States, Iraq, Coalition partners, and force contributing nations. Thus, it is clearly in the public interest to limit prime contracts to companies from these countries."
Again, I bow to other FReeper's superior knowledge. Was Israel ever a formal part of the coalition, or considered a force contributing nation? Anybody know?
The list of countries is a bit of a joke, though I doubt most of them would be bidding anyway.
Israel is normally left off lists of Coalition members in deference to the tender feelings of our Arab allies. You'll note that a number of the "approved bidding" countries weren't part of the coalition, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Morroco, Bahrain, Quatar, and others. It looks as though they took the coalition list, then added in the Arab States that refused to be members, and a few others.
Yes, but as you have said, the hatred has been a deep-seated part of the Iraqi culture for decades, and you cannot change that overnight. It will require a transition, beginning with not teaching that hate to the children in the schools, an important first step. As the children learn that other cultures, while different from their own, are acceptable(in other words, tolerance), hopefully the parents will follow suit. If not, the process may take even longer. In the interim however, it is best to exclude Israel, mainly as a security measure to protect the Israelis themselves.
We told the Nazi's to stop discriminating against the Gays? I don't think so!
"Unlike the Nuremberg laws that deprived German Jews of their civil rights,
the victorious Allies never nullified Paragraph 175--the Nazi law
against homosexuals. ``Gays were subject to arrest under
Paragraph 175, and West German police even used Nazi records to
organize mass arrests of gay men in the 1950s and 60s. In some
cases, gay prisoners were sentenced to longer jail terms because
they had already served time in Nazi prisons.''
"You're right. Jews won't be allowed to participate. Mark up a win for the Jew haters."- SJackson
That's not what I meant. I meant giving Israel construction contracts would fuel Jew hating more than holding off at this time. Giving the Jew Haters this battle positions us better to win the war against hatred.
Besides wasn't the criteria to be part of the Coalition on the ground. Because couldn't it be said that Germany provided assistance with intelligence and Medical support.
And it might even be said France provided some forms of assistance once the war started, although I doubt it. They certainly caused more trouble than they helped if they provided any help at all.
Thus even though Israel provided intelligence, without troops on the ground, it is technically fair to exclude them according to the criteria outlined.
I know. If I was making up the list I probably wouldn't put them on either, though I certinly wouldn't be adding countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, or Jordan while excluding Germany. But I'd recognize what's happening, and it is one small victory for terror.
As to the criteria, unfortunatlely being part of the coalition wasn't a factor. A number of countries were added, including the aforementioned whose citizens fought and are still fighting against us. Staying with the coalition list (links are in 50) would have made sense, doing it this was makes us look little more than vindictive. Personally, I think GWB's State Dept has done a lousy job.
See post #51. Many of those countries didn't have troops, and some did not support going into Iraq.
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