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Israel
Blackmails U.S. At The Expense Of Iraq
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| Sharon
(center), Cheney (right) and Peres |
JERUSALEM,
March 19 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – U.S. Vice-President
Dick Cheney is turning Israel into a star player in the plot to
topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, according to an Israeli
paper.
Yoel
Marcus, political analyst with Israeli daily newspaper Ha’aretz,
wrote Tuesday, “In 1991, Papa Bush needed a coalition of Arab
countries, both for access to their land and airspace, and for
getting them to participate symbolically in the rescue of an Arab
country whose sovereignty was being trampled with impunity. Israel's
role back then was to sit quietly, without threatening, without
attacking, without gloating, just making it clear that it wasn't
buddy-buddy with Saudi Arabia, Egypt or Syria”.
Marcus
made it clear that the U.S., this time, “doesn't need an Arab
coalition - only support and a logistic base”.
“In
public, however, the Arab capitals are voicing their opposition to
the attack. The leaders of these countries…are not eager to
jumpstart a precedent in which the United States topples regimes and
bombs countries it dislikes,” he added.
However,
the Israeli analyst claimed that the Arab leaders have not made up
their mind yet.
“The
fact that the Palestinian initiative of the Saudi crown prince was
born just around the time that the Cheney mission was announced may
hint to a possible swap: Arab support in return for an imposed
settlement in which Israel will withdraw to the 1967 borders. The
alternative is a united Arab front against the attack on Iraq,”
Marcus said.
In
public, the Arab leaders are voicing their opposition to the attack.
Marcus
then jumped to the conclusion he was heading for, slowly but surely;
Israel is the alternative support for the U.S. “In either case,
Israel may find itself drawn into the fray: as the object of an
imposed settlement, the price for Arab support; or as a major
player, together with Turkey, providing the Americans with a
logistic base,” he said.
“During
their visits to Washington, (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon
and (Defense Minister Benjamin Bin Eliaazer) Fuad rushed to offer
any assistance that might be needed, making it clear that
overthrowing Saddam was in Israel's strategic interest,” Marcus
added.
The
Israeli writer then unveiled Israel’s tactics to blackmail U.S. at
the expense of Iraq. He said, “Emerging from his meeting with the
U.S. Secretary of Defense, Fuad promptly announced that in the event
of an attack on Iraq, Israel would be one of the first to suffer”.
"Israel
is taking into account the possibility of chemical and biological
warfare," Israel’s Defense Minister was quoted by Marcus as
saying.
The
Israeli analyst, moreover, claimed that “Saddam has a dozen mobile
missile launchers with "dirty" (biologoical or chemical)
warheads”.
He
went on to say that the Israelis “who are not exactly sipping
martinis at the moment, to know whether our leadership is just good
for a scare or can be counted upon for an ounce of prevention”.
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