Friday, May 09, 2003

I've mentioned it before but here is another factor in the coming Iraq - Palestinian Authority relations.

Palestinians, displaced from their homes when Israel was founded in 1948, enjoyed Saddam's protection, often being housed in the homes of Iraqis evicted by authorities for opposing the government, or in government property.

So far, at least a thousand of these Palestinian refugees have been evicted. While I don't think it is right to force these people into homelessness, I can understand what is happening. The Palestinian Authority has backed Saddam for decades and Saddam has sent tens of milions of dollars and who knows how much military hardware to the Palestinians while torturing and murdering Iraqis. Just as a newly constituted Iraq will have no great love for France, Russia or even the UN they will also not be overly fond of the Palestinians who claimed such great devotion and undying support for Saddam.

This is why many in the 'neo-con cabal' felt that the fall of Baghdad could presage the first true steps in reaching a peaceful Middle East. Iran will be cut off from Syria and the Palestine Authority. And Syria will surrounded by nations that support peace with Israel. WIthout the material support and the shelter offered in the past, Palestinian terrorist groups will find themselves more and more isolated and ineffective. Accepting that there is nobody out there supporting their desire to destroy Israel is the first step toward peace. No confidence building measures, no crack-downs, no text book changes in schools, nothing of the sort. First must come the basic and truthful acceptance that Israel is and will be and that the world will not accept the terrorists' vision of a Middle East without the Jewish State.

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