Pallie terror loses one backer.
One remains--and is running in '04.
Posted on 04/09/2003 11:13:27 AM PDT by bedolido
There was shock and disbelief in the West Bank and Gaza Strip Wednesday as Palestinians gathered around TV sets to watch US Marines and Iraqi residents knock down a giant statute of Saddam Hussein in Tahrir Square in central Baghdad.
"I'm stunned and appalled. I can't understand what is happening," said Rustum Abu Ghazalah, a 30-year-old shopkeeper in the center of Ramallah.
He and grim-faced fellow shopkeepers zapped from one Arab TV station to another with the hope of discovering that what they were hearing and watching was nothing more than a US-produced Hollywood film.
"This can't be true," grumbled Abu Ghazaleh. "Where are the suicide bombers? Where are the Fedayeen of Saddam? Where are the heroic Republican Guards?"
Some Palestinian officials, however, expressed relief that the war was in its final stages now that Saddam's regime has collapsed. They said they hoped that now the US and the rest of the world would pay more attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"We hope that Washington will now have time to solve our problems here," one official told The Jerusalem Post. "Let's hope that the US will now implement the road map plan for peace in the Middle East and force Israel to stop its aggression on our people."
Since the beginning of the war, many Palestinians have been staging daily demonstrations in support of Saddam. The protests have often turned into anti-American and anti-British rallies where Palestinians burned effigies of US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
At least two Palestinian groups, Fatah and Islamic Jihad, announced that they had dispatched suicide bombers to Iraq to join in the fight against the US and British troops. Hundreds of Palestinian volunteers from Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank and Gaza Strip are reported to have arrived in Iraq to participate in the fighting.
"This is a sad day for all the Arabs and Muslims, particularly the Palestinians," said Nael al-Am, a 36-year-old grocery owner in Ramallah. He is one of the few merchants who still keep a large-size poster of the deposed Iraqi president. Friends describe him as a staunch supporter of Saddam.
"I invested a lot of money in buying a satellite dish and a new TV set because I wanted to watch the day the battle for Baghdad begins," explained the bearded shopkeeper. "I was sure that this was going to be one of the great battles of the century, where an Arab army would inflict heavy losses on the invading crusaders. I feel as if a dagger has been stuck in my heart when I see American soldiers strolling in the heart of Baghdad."
Salim Jaber, a taxi driver from the nearby town of Beitunia, said he decided to call it a day when he heard on radio the news from Baghdad. "I just couldn't continue driving," he said. "It was very difficult for me and the passengers. I've never seen such solemn faces. It was as if they had lost dear ones."
Many Palestinians said Saddam was the only Arab leader who sided with them both morally and financially in their confrontation with Israel. "He gave us a sense of pride because he was the only Arab leader who stood up against Israel and the US," said Abdel Majiud al-Bahs, a 46-year-old engineer. "Now that Saddam is gone, the Palestinians feel like orphans. We have lost an important ally. He was even more popular than Yasser Arafat."
Since the beginning of the intifada more than two years ago, Saddam has paid about 30 million dollars to families of Palestinian victims of the violence, including suicide bombers who blew themselves up in Israel. The money was channeled through the pro-Iraqi Arab Liberation Front, a tiny Palestinian faction operating in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The last time Saddam's representative handed out checks to Palestinians was last week.
Some Palestinians chose to vent their anger on the Arab media, especially al-Jazeera, Abu Dhabi and al-Arabiya TV stations, for broadcasting lies about the developments on the battlefield. "For the past three weeks these stations gave us the impression that Iraq had the upper hand in the fighting against the US and British forces," complained Yahya al-Natsheh, the owner of a boutique in al-Bireh, the twin city of Ramallah.
"Where is the liar [Iraqi information minister Mohammed] Sahhaf," he asked rhetorically. "He sounded and looked so confidant when he told us that the Iraqis were slaughtering the crusaders and mercenaries at the gates of Baghdad. Everyone believed that the Iraqis were cleverly luring the Americans and British into Baghdad, which was supposed into a huge graveyard for the crusaders."
Older Palestinians said the events in Iraq are reminiscent of the Six Day War, when Arab radio stations and leaders told their audiences that Israel was on the verge of defeat. They said the TV appearances of the Iraqi information minister, who remained defiant till the last minute, insisting that everything was under control and that the enemy had been defeated.
"Sahhaf reminded me of [Egyptian radio propagandist] Ahmed Said, who during the 1967 war, told us that the Israeli warplanes were falling like flies," said Abed al-Zamel, a 70-year-old retired schoolteacher from Silwad village near Ramallah. "Once again the Arabs have fallen victim to the lies of their leaders and media. We never learn from our mistakes. When the war erupted, I warned my sons not to watch Arab TV stations so they would not be disappointed and depressed when the truth eventually comes out."
A wise father. I wonder how many American fathers advised their kids to watch Fox.
The bad news is, however, that Israel still holds the world record for defeating Arabs.
Boy, you people are really gonna be disillusioned when you find out that your leaders have been lying about the virgins and you stupid ragheads have been blowing yourselves up for nothing...
The Lion is brave and courageous, able to destroy his enemies even if outnumbered. Unafraid of those who would like to kill him. Saddam called himself a Lion and the Palestinians believed he was.
The Dog is cowardly and a scavenger. Never leading, a dog is a symbol of the base nature of man, afraid for himself and always begging for what it can get to live on. Most Palestinians viewed the U.S. and it's Western Allies as dogs.
Sadly for them, the U.S. was only led by a dog for eight years but we now have a Lion in charge. Plus, the attack on the World Trade Center had many Americans shaking off their mangy exterior and revealing the Lion inside. That Palestinian lady who danced and chanted and cheered the deaths of 3,000 innocents Lionized many Americans by herself.
Unlike a dog that runs, the U.S. is a Lion that is now on the prowl. And now some in the Middle-east are understanding that. We destroyed the Taliban as a Lion but spared the Afgani people. We destroyed Saddam Hussein as a Lion (he shed his Lion skin to reveal his inner dog), but spared the Iraqi people.
The Lion, of course, is not only powerful and mighty but noble as well. The U.S. is showing itself to be a true Lion as it's nobility shines through. We will gain allies through the Middle East due to this action as many will want to be aligned with a Lion. We will gain more allies since we have shown nobility that titles us a true Lion.
The pack of dogs that run these terrorist organizations will be scared of us now, for they see us to be a Lion. They will now only strike at other dogs. France had better watch out for terrorist attacks.
Many great jewels of entertainment contained it this wonderful article. A great read.
And who developed satellite dishes and the TV's that you bought ? AMERICANS ....
God these people are stupid.
Aw, you better sit down for this but 1) the tooth fairy isn't real either, 2) the US isn't going to help you 3) the Iraqis really don't care how sad a day you're having, and 4) the check is in the mail - NOT.
The Sugar Daddy is gone. He was also Osama's Sugar Daddy. Good Riddance!!
The Palestinians are stunned.
Residents of Baghdad rejoice and topple Saddam's statue, beating it with their shoes.
Task Force Iron Horse is rested and ready, should Tikrit prove a tough nut to crack.
"I love it when a plan comes together!"
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