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Thread ID: 8522 | Posts: 2 | Started: 2003-07-28
2003-07-28 05:02 | User Profile
PROPOSED US GOVERNOR OF IRAQ MAY BE TOO PRO-ISRAEL April 9, 2003
With the debate over a post-war Iraq now in full swing, the retired US Army general pegged to oversee the rebuilding of the country has run into trouble with Arab and Muslim leaders over a strong pro-Israel statement he signed during a visit to Jerusalem two years ago.
Retired Lt. Gen. Jay Garner is the Pentagonââ¬â¢s candidate to be governor or ââ¬Åviceroyââ¬Â of Iraq during a transition period of from six-months to one-year duration. Garner is familiar with the country, having commanded the humanitarian relief effort Operation Provide Comfort to the northern Kurds after the 1991 Gulf War.
[color=red]But Arab and Muslim leaders are saying Garner has compromised his ability to serve in this role because he once signed a statement that accused Palestinians of filling their children with hate and that praised Israelââ¬â¢s "remarkable restraint" in the face of renewed Palestinian violence.[/color]
The statement was issued by Garner and more than 40 other retired American military officers after a tour of Israel organized by the [color=red]Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs. JINSA is an American Jewish security think-tank[/color] that educates ex-military personnel on the value of the US-Israel strategic relationship.
"I honestly think when Iraqis find out (about the statement) they are going to be genuinely appalled," said Hussein Ibish, a spokesman for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.
Washington hopes that a new, democratic Iraq will adopt a friendlier posture towards Israel than under Saddam Hussein. But it remains unclear whether the Iraqi people will relinquish their prevailing anti-Israel views.
Garner visited Israel after the outbreak of the violent Palestinian intifada and the statement blamed the crisis on the Palestinian leadership.
A Palestinian tactic to "use civilians as soldiers in a war is a perversion of military ethics," the statement read. Palestinian leaders taught children the mechanics of war while "filling their heads with hate.ââ¬Â
The Palestinians are "callously using the inevitable casualties as grist for their propaganda mill," it said. The letter strongly urged America to remain "a friend of Israel" in the face of the Palestinian uprising while remaining a facilitator in the efforts to bring peace to the region.
JINSA said the statement and Garner's travel to Israel should have no bearing on his new job. "A distinguished general spends 31 years of his life in the military and because he spent 10 days of his life in Israel, they question his ability to serve the president in Iraq," JINSA spokesman Jim Colbert said Tuesday.
But some Arab critics predict Garner's selection will be met with strong objections in the Middle East.
"There have been well over 2,000 Palestinians killed in the past 2 years and the Iraqis know who killed them," said University of Chicago Professor Rashid Khalidi, who specializes in Middle Eastern history.
Garner probably will respond to such criticism when he begins holding news conferences in Kuwait, where he is setting up his operations, said spokesman Capt. Nathan Jones.
[url=http://www.icej.org/news/articles/news441.html]http://www.icej.org/news/articles/news441.html[/url]
2003-07-28 05:07 | User Profile
A story on the same subject from an [url=http://www.fpp.co.uk/online/03/02/Quds260203.html]interesting site.[/url]