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March 21, 2003/Adar2 17 5763, Vol. 55, No. 30
Nation prepares for impending war
NAOMI SEGAL
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
JERUSALEM - Twelve years after Purim celebrations in Israel marked the end of the first Persian Gulf War, Israelis spent the holiday this week preparing for the next war.
With an American strike on Iraq imminent, Israeli upped civil defense preparations while officials repeated the assessment that Israeli involvement in the conflict was very unlikely.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said March 19 that there is a "1 percent" risk Israel would be the target of Iraqi retaliation for a U.S. military strike, but that Israel has taken steps to provide the answer to "100 percent of the dangers."
Sharon made the remarks at a special Cabinet session devoted to Israeli preparedness for the war in Iraq.
In a further sign of increased civil defense measures, a senior Israeli army officer told Army Radio on March 19 that Israelis might be ordered later in the day to open their gas mask kits and carry them with them at all times.
The officer also said that a U.S. naval radar ship had already anchored in the Mediterranean to assist Israel's air defenses. The Israel Air Force has raised its level of alert, launching 24-hour sky patrols to intercept any attempt by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to dispatch hostile planes.
At the Cabinet meeting, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said Israel will stress to the international community that it is not invovled in the war with Iraq. Shalom also said Israeli missions abroad should heed the directive that comments on Iraq will be made only by government officials authorized to do so.
Despite the heightened civil and military defense preparations, the head of military intelligence, Maj.-Gen. Aharon Ze'evi, told the meeting that Israel is more concerned about possible terrorist attacks during a war than an Iraqi missile attack.
Likewise, "it is very likely that there will be attempts to carry out terrorist operations," Sharon said. "Even in these days, we have no intention of stopping or halting our struggle against terror."
On the home front, retailers selling sealed-room supplies reported increased sales. The army's Home Front Command on March 18 had ordered the public to prepare sealed rooms for protection against potential chemical or biological attack.
On March 18, the army issued call-up orders for several hundred reservists who serve in the Home Front Command and anti-aircraft units.
Military defensive measures also have been implemented, including the deployment in Israel of American Patriot missile batteries to back up Israel's Arrow anti-missile system.
Israel's fuel, electricity and water authorities said they were prepared to go on emergency footing, and a situation room was being opened in the infrastructure ministry in Jerusalem.
Hotels in Eilat, northern Israel, Jerusalem and other areas that are considered less likely targets of possible Iraqi missile attacks reported calls from Israelis eager to claim options reserved several weeks ago or to inquire about space.
Travel agents also reported heightened interest from Israelis about short-term travel abroad, mostly to Europe.
The Dutch airline KLM announced March 19 that it was cutting back its flights to Israel. This followed the decision of British Airways to suspend flights. German carrier Lufthansa was considering a similar decision.
Israeli's aviation authority said it expected other foreign carriers to take similar steps once a war begins.
Meanwhile, Israeli airlines said they would continue to fly throughout a war, even adding additional flights to meet demand.
For residents of greater Tel Aviv, which was hit by dozens of Iraqi missiles in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, the countdown to war in Iraq revived the debate over whether to stay or go.
Maj.-Gen. Amos Gilad, appointed to serve as a "national commentator" during the current conflict, said March 19 there was no reason for residents of greater Tel Aviv to leave at this stage.
On March 17, before the army order to prepare sealed rooms, shoppers from Ramat Gan, which was hit by Iraqi missiles in 1991, were divided over whether to prepare sealed rooms.
As some shoppers loaded nylon sheeting and special protection kits for pets into their carts, one woman said she was not making any specific preparations.
"After the last war, some said the plastic and tape wouldn't have helped us anyway," she told Israel's Channel 2 television. "So what's different now?''
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