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Prepared for the
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in association with Access/Middle East by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
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To contact the Presidents Conference: [email protected]
In-Depth Issue:
Al Qaeda List Points to Saudi Elite (Wall Street Journal)
Goodbye Baghdad
See Men Shredded, Then Say You Don't Back War - MP Ann Clwyd (Labour) (London Times)
Useful Reference:
UN Commission on Human Rights
To
follow developments at the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, see:
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News Resources - North America and Europe:
Questioned about Iraq's missile capability and whether it could threaten Israel or Kuwait, chief UN inspector Hans Blix said at least two Scuds were unaccounted for. "We do not exclude the possibility that they have Scud missiles as well as launchers," he said. (Reuters) As the streets of the Iraqi capital emptied in expectation of war, Saddam Hussein rejected the ultimatum given by Mr. Bush on Monday night. Many Iraqis seemed ready to endure American attacks if the outcome is a new Iraq that brings freedom from the long history of repression here. (New York Times) American public support for going to war with Iraq surged to 71% after President Bush's Monday speech, up from 59% a week ago, according to a poll conducted Monday night by the Washington Post and ABC News. (Washington Post) Britain's House of Commons backed Prime Minister Tony Blair's Iraq policy on Tuesday. Lawmakers voted 412 to 149 to use "all means necessary" for disarming Iraq. Before that, they voted 396 to 217 to defeat an amendment by Labour rebels that declared the case for war "has not yet been established." Blair has the support of the opposition Conservative Party as well as many Labour lawmakers. There also have been signs of growing nationalism in Britain in support of the British troops massed in the Persian Gulf. (AP/FOX News) The U.S. has named 30 countries which are prepared to be publicly associated with the U.S. action against Iraq. The State Department says that there are an additional 15 countries which are providing assistance, such as overflight rights. The main U.S. ally in the Middle East, Israel, is not mentioned, although it is expected to provide at least air rights for U.S. aircraft to strike Iraq. (BBC) Israel is "100 percent" prepared for the possibility of an Iraqi attack, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told a special Cabinet meeting Wednesday: "The danger that Israel will get hit is very small....If the probability of an attack on us is 1 percent, our preparations address 100 percent of the dangers." Meanwhile, the IDF completed a call-up of 11,000 reservists. (AP/Washington Post) The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations is coordinating an emergency alert system for its member organizations. Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents, said war could elicit attacks by Islamic fundamentalist groups such as Hamas or Hizballah as well. (JTA) See also Jewish Organizations Worried About Backlash for Iraq War American Jewish organizations, deeply divided over the wisdom of invading Iraq, are increasingly worried about an anti-Semitic backlash blaming Jewish officials in the Bush administration for any U.S. casualties. (Washington Post) News Resources - Israel, the Mideast, and Asia:
The Palestinian Legislative Council Tuesday voted to establish the position of prime minister of the Palestinian Authority - stripping Yasser Arafat of the authority over who serves in that government. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday, "We would have preferred to see even greater authority vested in a prime minister, but it is nevertheless a positive step....We have been disappointed in President Arafat's leadership and [have] said so clearly....The greatest disappointment has been in the area of security, ending the violence, and so there is a disappointment that that portfolio seems to remain wholly in the hands of Chairman Arafat." (Ha'aretz) See also Failing to Dilute Premier Post, Arafat Accepts Its Creation Yasser Arafat signed legislation Tuesday to create a post of prime minister, after the Palestinian parliament and members of his Fatah movement forced him to withdraw a demand that he retain authority to approve appointments by the prime minister. Arafat has nominated his longtime ally Mahmoud Abbas for the post, although Mr. Abbas has not said whether he will take the job. (New York Times) President Moshe Katsav held a secret meeting last week with Palestinian Interior Minister Hani el-Hassan about a prospective ceasefire agreement, media reports said. The agreement they discussed called for Palestinians halting terror attacks in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal in the territories. (Jerusalem Post) Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis (Best of U.S., UK, and Israel):
As soon as Saddam falls silent on the radio and television, when the Iraqi people feel that he no longer exercises the same power over them, he is finished. One of the most effective things the U.S. can do is to stop him broadcasting to his people. I am convinced that Saddam will be killed by an Iraqi long before the first American soldier sets foot in Baghdad. I was a general in the Iraqi army in Basra at the time of the invasion of Kuwait and I know that the soldiers, like the rest of the country, have no time for Saddam. They will surrender in vast numbers rather than fight the invading forces. There are forces which will be loyal to Saddam up to a point and prepared to do his bidding in the early stages of the conflict, but even they will not be willing to die for him. There is no emotional bond and they will become deserters. Most of the army will leave their posts in the next two days and go back to their homes. It is likely that Saddam will use chemical weapons to attack his own people and then try to blame the Americans. He also knows that there will be an uprising in the south of Iraq against him. (Scotsman.com) The annual Shia religious procession on March 9 brought 10,000 Shia Muslims from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut into the streets of midtown Manhattan behind a banner denouncing Saudi-backed Wahhabism, the extremist dispensation that has encouraged the mass murder of Shia Muslims for two and a half centuries, and which underpins the hellish discrimination Shias suffer today in the Saudi kingdom. Shias are the majority in the oil-bearing Eastern Province and the southern border region of Saudi Arabia. The banner named the cruelest enemies of innocent Muslims: Saddam, Mullah Omar, and bin Laden. (Weekly Standard) See also War Could Unleash Revolt of Iraq's Long-Repressed Shiites- Nicolas Pelham In Baghdad's Al Thoura shantytown, an organizer for the local Baath Party points at a picture of Saddam Hussein in his front room - then opens a side door to reveal a prayer room plastered with Iranian posters depicting the revenge Shiites dream of inflicting on Sunnis. (Christian Science Monitor) See also The Shi'is and the Future of Iraq - Yitzhak Nakash If war in Iraq leads to a more representative government that is willing to address Shi'i political aspirations, the likely result would be stability and the establishment of a more moderate religious leadership quite different from that seen in Iran. (Washington Institute for Near East Policy)
Hizballah's Threat to Regional Security - Col. (res.) Dr. Eran Lerman
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