March 12, 2003
THE SMOKING SON:
Bereaved Palestinians Get $245,000 from Saddam (Nidal al-Mughrabi, March 12, 2003, Reuters)Families of Palestinians killed by Israel received $245,000 in checks from Saddam Hussein on Wednesday, underscoring the Iraqi leader's continued support for a Palestinian revolt as he faces the prospect of a U.S.-led war.Leaders of a pro-Iraq Palestinian group handed out the checks after delivering fiery speeches extolling the Iraqi president's virtues to hundreds of relatives of "martyrs" packed into a dingy YMCA hall in Gaza City.
Officials of the Palestinian Arab Liberation Front staging the ceremony said Saddam had now paid $35 million to support the kin of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip and West Bank since militants rose up against Israel there 29 months ago.
"Saddam Hussein considers those who die in martyrdom attacks as people who have won the highest degree of martyrdom," an official of the Arab Liberation Front said.
Which should effectively settle the question of whether he has ties to terrorism, right? Posted by Orrin Judd at March 12, 2003 6:05 PM
Damian Penny is upset that this occurred in
a YMCA hall. But you could say it proves
Christians and Muslims can indeed get along
together.
What was it Jeff said about trying to diss
religion and being trumped already?
It's hardly surprising that indigenous Christians in the Middle East hate Israel--caught in the middle of the Arab/Israeli conflict their communities have been destroyed.
Posted by: oj at March 14, 2003 8:43 AM