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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: FaultLine who wrote (84398)	3/20/2003 11:26:32 PM
From: Nadine Carroll	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

FYI Jews, Israel and Iraq By Yisrael Ne'eman It is still not known whether Israel will be involved in a war with Iraq although the possibility is considered very low and can only come at Saddam Hussein's initiative. In the meantime however, a few historical tidbits: * When Baghdad was captured from the Turks by the British at the end of WWI, out of a population of 202,000 there were 80,000 Jews. * The British chose a Jew, Sasson Ben Ezekiel to be Iraq's first finance minister during the mandate. * The Iraqis identified Britain with the Jewish National Home in Palestine and gave vent to their anger by rioting during the visit of British Zionist Alfred Mond with Jewish students, already in the 1920's. * With Iraqi independence (1932) the regime shifted to the right, eventually overthrew the pro-British regime during WWII and installed a pro-Nazi junta known as the Golden Square led by Rashid Ali al-Kilini. This led to the infamous pogrom of Shavuot 1941 when 180 Jews were massacred, thousands more injured and the Jewish quarters of Baghdad ransacked. This was known as the Farhud. * In the late forties much of the activist Jewish community was split between supporting the Zionists and the communists. The communists were persecuted much more since they threatened British imperialism and the Iraqi upper classes, while the local power elite had an interest in Jewish emigration and the sale of Jewish properties at give-away prices. * From 1948 - 51 approximately 90% of Iraq's 130,000 Jews immigrated to Israel (incl. many anti-Zionist communists). * Iraq fought Israel in the 1948 War of Independence, losing battles in the Bet Shean area but defeating the IDF in Jenin and coming within seven miles of the Mediterranean Sea by Netanya. * In 1967 Iraq entered agreement with Egypt, Jordan and Syria on Jun 3 and moved forces into Jordan. They never crossed the Jordan River as the war broke out two days later. Palestinian crowds cheered Israeli tank forces when they entered Nablus, thinking they were Iraqis on their way to destroy 'the Zionist entity'. * Hundreds of Iraqi tanks engaged Israeli forces on the Golan during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. None returned. * Iraq's nuclear development planning was interrupted by the Israeli bombing of the Osirak reactor on Shavuot, June 1981, exactly 40 years after the Farhud. * Iraq fired 39 scuds at Israel during the Gulf War of 1991. Israel did not fire back. Most scud damage was done in Ramat Gan, a town with a heavy Iraqi Jewish population. The war ended on Purim. * The 2003 war began yesterday, Purim, in Israel with the sealing of rooms against chemical warfare. It may officially begin the day after Shoshan Purim. Iraq has never agreed to a cease-fire with Israel. The two countries have been technically at war for almost 55 years. ::: posted by Elliot Chodoff at 1:50 PM chodoff.blogspot.com

To: FaultLine who wrote (84398)	3/21/2003 12:03:44 AM
From: epsteinbd	Respond to of 281500

He is quoted by Iraki TV as having made a speech to encourage his troops. Other bits of info: -Captain Valles of the infantry First brigade said "there is little or no resistance" - US tank opened fire on an Iraki observation post killing three. - ""As for the soldiers, we didn't see any"" says James Currence, tank commander. -22 Irakis surrenderd yesterday close to the Koweiti border.

To: FaultLine who wrote (84398)	3/21/2003 12:09:48 AM
From: kumar	Respond to of 281500

many in the intel community believe Saddam bit the dust last night CNN is commenting along similar lines.

To: FaultLine who wrote (84398)	3/21/2003 1:22:09 AM
From: D. Long	Respond to of 281500

ABC just spent 20 minutes making the case that many in the intel community believe Saddam bit the dust last night and that the Iraqi army is completely disorganized. The complete lack of a response from the Iraqis so far would seem to indicate we may have gotten the Mother of All Lucky Strikes. The Iraqi military is supposedly notorious for its lack of initiative. No orders from the top=no movement at the bottom. Did we get um? Derek

To: FaultLine who wrote (84398)	3/24/2003 12:40:20 AM
From: Bilow	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

Hi FaultLine; Re: "ABC just [late Thursday night] spent 20 minutes making the case that many in the intel community believe Saddam bit the dust last night and that the Iraqi army is completely disorganized." Fantasies are great, but when they result in wasted lives they should be avoided. The problem with the American media is that they have been so gungho for the American way of life that they have blinded a substantial portion of our population. Now remember 'Nam? Remember how all those "civilians" shot the shit out of us? Good, cause those memories should be waking up now. The truth is that if we'd blown away Ho Chi Minh back in 1962 we'd still have ended up with our butts kicked a decade later. They were defending their home territory against an enemy that didn't look like them, didn't smell like them, didn't eat the same foods, couldn't understand their language, didn't believe in the same religion, and were using guns and even worse weapons all over the place to boot. If they hadn't shot at us, they wouldn't have been human. -- Carl