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Palestinians Still with Saddam
(Jerusalem Post) Khaled Abu Toameh - Saddam Hussein is still seen by some Palestinians as a hero and a symbol of defiance against Israel and the U.S. Saddam's picture appears at protests against the separation fence, at rallies for Palestinian prisoners, and at funerals of activists. Saddam's sympathizers can be found in almost all the Palestinian factions, including Fatah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad. The Palestinian branch of the dissolved Iraqi Ba'ath Party, known as the Arab Liberation Front (ALF), remains active in several Palestinian cities and villages. In the past three weeks, the ALF and "Saddam's friends" have published two paid front-page advertisements in the Palestinian daily al-Hayat al-Jadeeda, condemning the U.S. for apprehending Saddam. In a series of articles in the Palestinian media, which is entirely controlled by the PA, prominent Palestinian analysts and commentators have expressed their dismay at the humiliation of Saddam and strongly condemned the U.S. for its "ongoing crimes" against the Iraqi people.