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"This is going to be a big war."
You can always spot them a mile away-he was white, middle-aged,
overweight, hair cut close to hide the pattern baldness, red face,
wearing a Harley Davidson motorcycle t-shirt and shorts. All of the
aforementioned is acceptable in the Middle East, of course, minus the
shorts. Aside from a few places like Beirut, wearing shorts in the
Middle East isn't exactly being respectful of the native culture.
But when you are a mercenary, I suppose that's damned low on your
priority list.
Then there was the other one-I noticed him in Chicago before we board
our Royal Jordanian flight to Amman. A 30-something white man, eyes wide
open, looking over his shoulder constantly, chewing gum so hard his jaw
muscles protruded. Blue-flames tattooed on his right arm above the
wrist-running up under his sleeve I don't know how far up his arm. His
tan combat boots and tan backpack kind of gave him away too, despite his
wearing civilian clothing.
During my flight I sat near a kind Palestinian man from the West Bank.
The older gentleman works in Dallas, and is retiring from his
electronics store which he is happy to tell me is being passed along to
his kids. His wife remains in the West Bank, so that's why he's moving
back home. I asked him what it's like to go home.
"I spend the night in Amman then the next day it takes sometimes the
full day to cross the bridge and get through the checkpoints. We have
the Jordanian border, the Israeli checkpoint, and another to get into
the West Bank," he says, "Each time they take all our things out, search
them and us, then if we're lucky we're waved through."
I ask him how he deals with it, personally, without losing his mind.
"Oh, all I can do is laugh, because if I lose my temper, if anyone loses
their temper, the soldiers [occupation soldiers] just go away for 3-4
hours until they feel like returning. So we all just stay calm and
behave gently and with dignity. They have all the power. We have none.
So what else can we do?"
Behaving like a typical Arab, he invites me to his home anytime I'm in
the area.
Landing in the heat of Amman, I left the plane and walk past a Jordanian
man holding a small piece of paper up which read, "Blackwater." Of
course it's for one (or both) of the men I described above…and soon I
see him greeting the man who prefers to wear shorts in the Middle East.
Not too much has changed in the airport in Amman, aside from the new
Starbucks. Of course, the Cinnabon had already been here for at least a
couple of years.
Meanwhile, plenty has changed in the region since I was here one year
ago. Wednesday, after having two of their soldiers captured by Hezbollah
fighters, the government of Israel has sent ground troops, backed by
aircraft and artillery, into Southern Lebanon. It's the first ground
operation by the Israelis in Lebanon since they withdrew from occupying
Lebanon in 2000. Just what the Middle East needs-another country to be
occupied; the move is akin to dumping jet fuel on a raging fire.
The prime minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert, referring to how his country
would respond to having two of their soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah,
told a joint news conference with visiting Japanese Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi, "The Lebanese government is responsible. Lebanon will
pay the price."
Adhering to his favorite policy of collective punishment, Olmert, added,
"…those responsible for the attack will pay a high and painful price."
So attack a country because a rebel group in south Lebanon captured two
soldiers. And so the madness continues, as an Israeli air strike on a
house in Gaza on what they claimed was targeting a "Hamas top militant
leader" killed nine Palestinians, including seven children from one family.
Syrian Vice President Faruq al-Shara stated recently that Israel's
occupation of Arab land lays at the root of the new crisis that found
Israeli troops entering Lebanon. Let's have some more jet fuel. Looks
like I've picked an interesting time to visit Syria.
Meanwhile, Baghdad burns as over 100 people have been killed in
sectarian violence since Sunday.
A short flight has me landing in Damascas, then racing through the
streets as warm air flows through the open taxi windows. The pale green
lights mark the tops of minarets around the city, the rest of the lights
twinkling in the background as we found our way to my hotel.
After checking in, I dropped my bag and began to walk out for some food,
only to find Abu Talat at the front desk. A long bear hug and the
typical cheek kissing of Arab men, and we meet again after over one year
since we last were together. I'd given him the name of my hotel, but was
suspect as to whether he would have a successful trip out of Baghdad,
with the extremes of violence over the last three days there. He tends
to not go far from home when that occurs, but alas, he decided to go
after obtaining a promise from his son not to leave his home under any
circumstances.
Also typical of Arab men, we walk down the sidewalk holding hands, en
route to a café, talking a mile a minute. He tells me how horrible it is
in Baghdad. He lists his family members and relatives, one by one, who
have left already for good. "Those who can afford to fly are purchasing
one way tickets Dahr," he says, "For they have no intention of coming
back. Aside from my own children and wife, I am the only one of my
relatives left in Iraq."
The fighting is everywhere, he tells me. Now that the U.S.
military/Rumsfeld (who was just in Baghdad) and Khalilzad have declared
war on the Shia Mehdi Army, accusing them of terrorism, all bets are
off. Of course, the timing of this with Israelis attacks against
Hezbollah couldn't be more perfect. Coincidence?
"The fighting is everywhere, and there is no way the Americans can
control it now," Abu Talat adds, "The Shia are fighting each other for
control of Basra, while also fighting the Sunni."
"It is civil war now in Iraq, no doubt," he continues, "But no matter
who you ask, no one will admit it. Because people are too afraid to
admit this. People prefer to deny it."
Even back at our hotel, there are at least two other Iraqis, who have
come here for surgery, since all of the senior doctors have long since
left Baghdad to save their own lives.
The next day, Thursday, we awoke with our eyes glued to al-Jazeera on
the television. Israeli warplanes bombed Beirut's Rafiq al-Hariri
airport. At least two air strikes were reported while Lebanese
anti-aircraft guns fired feebly at the jets, according to witnesses.
Israeli jets also bombed bridges linking south Lebanon to the rest of
the country, and 22 civilians were killed last night by Israeli attacks
in southern Lebanon.
In response to the bombings, Hezbollah claims to have fired 60 rockets
into northern Israel.
The Israeli justification for bombing the airport in Beirut and pushing
into southern Lebanon is that two of their soldiers were captured. In
classic newspeak, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said of the
incident, "It is an act of war by the state of Lebanon," conveniently
omitting the bombings in the occupied territories, including civilians
on a beach, by Israeli forces over the last weeks.
"This is going to be a big war," Abu Talat tells me while we watch
plumes of smoke billowing from locations within Lebanon, "This is even
more important for us to cover than Iraq, and you know how much I love
Iraq."
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2006 21:40:59 +0300
From: iraq_dispatches@dahrjamailiraq.com
Subject: Iraq Dispatches: Lebanese Tremors Rock Syria
Lebanese Tremors Rock Syria
*Inter Press Service*
Dahr Jamail
*DAMASCUS, Jul 13 (IPS) - Syrians are outraged over Israeli air strikes
in Lebanon that have killed 53 civilians and closed down Beirut's
international airport.*
Early Thursday morning Israeli air strikes targeted the new Rafiq
al-Hariri international airport. Israeli naval vessels entered Lebanon's
territorial waters and blocked access to ports while its forces launched
an offensive in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah fighters.
Hezbollah is a militant group that has long engaged in armed conflict
with Israel. It is believed to be strongest in the south of Lebanon, in
the areas bordering Israel.
The Israeli offensive was launched in response to the killing of eight
Israeli soldiers in clashes with Hezbollah fighters Wednesday near the
border 15km from the Mediterranean. Two Israeli soldiers were taken
hostage. An Israeli soldier had earlier been captured in Gaza.
In an escalation of the conflict, an Israeli woman was killed after
Hezbollah fighters fired rockets across the border into the Israeli town
Nahariya. An Israeli air base was hit by rockets, along with other towns
in the area. Several Israeli civilians have been wounded.
The Israeli military entered Lebanon for the first time since
withdrawing six years ago.
"I doubt you will find one Syrian who will not denounce what Israel is
doing in Gaza, the West Bank and now in Lebanon," independent publicity
consultant Ibrahim Yakhour told IPS. "Syrians believe that what the
Palestinians suffer is what the Syrians suffer."
Yakhour, a 60-year-old retired journalist said political parties in
Syria have been calling for a peaceful political process in the Middle
East for the past 30 years. "But when people are humiliated, attacked
and killed, radical reactions commence which are deleterious to the
political process."
People in Damascus also fear that a regional war may spread to Syria.
"The entire region is now involved," said Emad Huria, a 45-year-old
literary critic. "All Arabs should raise their voices against the
Israeli invasion of Lebanon."
Maher Skandyran, a 37-year-old worker at a watch store in downtown
Damascus said Israeli double standards are making people furious.
"I feel angry. Ninety-five percent of the Palestinian prisoners held by
Israel are innocent civilians, including women and children. Nobody says
a word about this. But when three Israeli armed soldiers are detained,
this is such a big crime, and everyone is outraged. Is this justice?"
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the Israeli soldiers had
been seized to push Israel to release prisoners.
Israel reacted with unexpected aggression. An Israeli military spokesman
told reporters, "Since this morning Israeli naval vessels have enforced
a full naval closure on Lebanon, because Lebanon's ports are used to
transfer both terrorists and weapons to the terror organisations
operating in Lebanon."
Another official said that the attacks had been launched to pressure the
Lebanese government to deal with Hezbollah.
Hezbollah's al-Manar television station in Beirut was bombed. Israel
also bombed several bridges that link southern Lebanon with the rest of
the country.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the action was in response to
"an act of war by the state of Lebanon." His cabinet promised a response
with "appropriate severity."
But the root of the Lebanese problem could lie in the occupation of
Palestinian areas.
"Everything which is happening illustrates the main problem, which is
the Israelis invading and occupying Palestine and taking the land,"
55-year-old local merchant Faez Ashoor told IPS. "When that situation
ends, we will have peace.."
Some of the Syrian anger is directed inevitably at the United States.
"I feel upset because our neighbours like Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine
are being attacked," said Hamad al-Khatib, 26-year-old owner of a mobile
phone store in central Damascus. "Israel doesn't care about
international law. We thought America was peaceful, but we see them
support Israel, which is killing women and children. What are we to
think of America now?"
Syrians are also now worried about themselves, he said. "This Israeli
attack makes all of us feel insecure now. We are all very anxious."
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