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March 28, 2003/Adar2 24 5763, Vol. 55, No. 31
War puts Palestinians in bind
GIL SEDAN
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
JERUSALEM - Hardly a day passed since the outbreak of the new Gulf War before the Palestinians had their first war hero.
Ahmad Baz, 33, a bus driver from the West Bank city of Jenin, reportedly was hit March 20 by an American missile just as he was about to cross the border with his bus from Iraq into Jordan.
Mourners who gathered over the weekend at the family's mourning tent noted how symbolic it was that a Palestinian should be one of the first casualties of the war: Of all Arab peoples, the Palestinians are probably the closest supporters of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
Thousands have poured into the streets just as in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, chanting the familiar slogans "Darling Saddam, send your rockets to Tel Aviv."
Saddam has been among the most generous underwriters of the intifada, dispersing payments of $10,000 to $25,000 to the families of those killed fighting Israel.
In addition, Palestinians value his willingness to stand up to the United States, which is seen here as the patron of Israel.
The war finds the Palestinians at a delicate crossroads, and they are rather confused. The man in the street hates the United States for its support of Israel, but the recent appointment of Mahmoud Abbas as the new Palestinian Authority premier, following heavy pressure from the countries that drafted the "road map" toward Israeli-Palestinian peace, shows the Palestinians' dependence on American goodwill.
Even though they know the road map's path to an independent state is long and bumpy, the Palestinians realize it is the only formula now on the table for an independent state.
Many Palestinians hope the American attempt to reconstruct Iraq after the war becomes a nasty, failed entanglement. That might weaken U.S. standing in the world, while strengthening those players seen as more sympathetic to Palestinian interests.
On the other hand, as the Israeli daily Ha'aretz notes, a successful war could result in the weakening of the United Nations and Europe.
On March 21, Jerusalem police had to disperse by force a demonstration of Palestinians coming out of weekly prayers on the Temple Mount.
Protestors burned Israeli and American flags and raised Iraqi flags instead, as well as Saddam posters - along with posters of yet another Arab hero, Osama bin Laden.
The demonstrations carried a clear message: The war in Iraq and the ongoing confrontation between Israel and the Palestinians are part and parcel of the same Western offensive against the Arabs.
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