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Saddam Captured in Raid Near Tikrit
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While Iraqis are out on the streets celebrating.... Saddam's arrest - 'Black day' for Pales'
Ramallah - Disbelief and gloom seized many Palestinians on Sunday at news of Saddam Hussein's capture as Israel fired off a telegram of congratulations to the United States.
An elderly Jordanian man kisses a picture of ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in down town Amman December 14, 2003. Arabs greeted the capture of Saddam Hussein with divided emotions on Sunday, welcoming the arrest of a dictator yet tinged with regret that a symbol of Arab defiance against the United States was behind bars. REUTERS/Ali Jarekji
The former Iraqi ruler was a hero to many Palestinians for his stand against Israel and its US ally, as well as for helping families of Palestinians dead in an uprising.
For Israel, he was a menace over the horizon who long bankrolled the enemy.
'He is the only man who said no to American injustice in the Middle East'
"I am saying so not because Saddam is an Arab, but because he is the only
man who said no to American injustice in the Middle East," he said.
There was no immediate reaction from Palestinian President Yasser Arafat or his government.
But Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz hailed Saddam's capture in a telegram to the American government as proof of patience and determination in a war "against the rulers of darkness".
Saddam paid over $35-million to the kin of Palestinian suicide bombers, militants and bystanders who died in an uprising that began in 2000.
'It's
a black day in history'
A Palestinian member of the youth organization Palestinian Mini Parliament, affiliated to Yasser Arafat's Fatah, holds a picture of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein during a demonstration in support of Hussein on the day of his capture by U.S forces in Iraq at the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip Sunday Dec. 14, 2003.
Though far from all Palestinians supported him, militants marched to back
Saddam ahead of the US-led invasion in March.
Arafat himself had opposed the 1991 Gulf War that ousted Saddam's forces from Kuwait. Palestinians cheered when Iraqi Scud missiles crashed into Israeli cities.
Some did not believe news of Saddam's capture even when images of the bearded figure flashed across television screens.
"Maybe they captured someone who looks like him," said Laila Abusharigh, 55, in the Gaza Strip. "Saddam is a real man and all of us are with him."
Youngsters
from Arafat's Fatah movement tagged onto a rally in Gaza for the Islamic
group Hamas, holding up posters of Saddam.
Islamic factions sworn to Israel's destruction have taken strength from Iraqi resistance and cautioned on Sunday that Saddam's capture would not end attacks on US forces.
"The war will start now in Iraq," said 16-year-old Yusef Khalil in Gaza.
"Saddam helped our people and we will not forget him."
Arafat "saddened" by Saddam capture
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Palestinians in the West Bank reacted with shock and disbelief to the capture of ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, with many expressing deep disappointment that the man who symbolized defiance against the US and Israel surrendered without resistance.
For many ordinary Palestinians, the TV footage of a disheveled Saddam obediently submitting to a medical exam by his U.S. captors was painful to watch: it sealed the defeat of the one Arab leader they felt always stood by them.
Poll: What should happen to Saddam now?
Saddam should have put up a fight or committed suicide, they said, and his surrender is a stain on Arab honor. "It is a big defeat for all Arabs and Muslims," said Raji Hassan, 29, watching TV with friends in a Gaza City coffee shop.
The Palestinian Authority declined to comment on the arrest of Saddam, but a senior PA official in Ramallah said Yasser Arafat was "saddened" by the news from Baghdad. "President Arafat was sad to see an Arab leader in an humiliating position," said the official.
For nearly two decades, Saddam was hailed by many Palestinians as the hero of the Arab masses and the only Arab leader to stand up to the US and Israel. During the first Gulf War, Palestinians danced on the rooftops as Saddam's army fired Scud missiles at Israel. Arafat was one of the few Arab leaders to visit Baghdad to express support for the invasion of Kuwait - move that resulted in the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Kuwait and other Gulf countries.
Arafat's decision to side with Saddam also resulted in the near bankruptcy of the PLO after the oil-rich Gulf governments halted their financial support for the Palestinians. Saddam is said to have compensated the PLO by giving Arafat $50m.
1980 - Arafat in love with Saddam
In the past three years, Saddam was the only Arab leader to pay millions of Dollars to the families of Palestinian victims of the violence. Families of suicide bombers received up to $10,000, while those whose houses were destroyed by the IDF were given $20,000.
The payments further boosted Saddam's popularity among the Palestinians, particularly at a time when Arafat was handing out smaller sums to his people. Earlier this year, Palestinians demonstrated in favor of Saddam when the US threatened to invade Iraq and topple his regime. At the rallies they chanted, "O' beloved Saddam, bomb Tel Aviv."
But this time Arafat and the Palestinian leadership were careful not to be seen speaking in favor of the Iraqi tyrant. Privately, however, senior PA officials said they supported Saddam in the face of the American "aggression." The fall of Baghdad on April 9 was regarded by many Palestinians as a new "nakba" (catastrophe - a term used by Palestinians to describe the creation of Israel in 1948).
When reports about Saddam's atrocities began to emerge from Iraq, some Palestinians changed their minds about the former Iraqi dictator, explaining that they had been unaware of the scale of crimes perpetrated by his Baathist regime. But this did not prevent the Palestinian media from supporting the "resistance" attacks against the US soldiers and drawing a parallel between these attacks and the Palestinian fight against Israel.
On the streets of Ramallah on Sunday, many Palestinians expressed sorrow and shock at the capture of Saddam. Jihan Ajlouni, a 24-year-old university student, said, "This is a big loss for the Arab nation. Saddam was one of the great Arab leaders who supported the Palestinian people and many Arabs. We feel very sad today, and we say to all the traitors and collaborators: Don't rush to celebrate because there are millions of Saddams in the Arab world."
Fathi Salman, 50, a taxi driver, described the arrest of Saddam as a "black day" for the Palestinians. "This is a black day for all the Palestinians and all the Arabs and Muslims," he said. "I still can't believe that President Saddam has been captured by the Americans. Saddam was the only Arab leader who cared about us. He supported the Palestinian cause from the beginning. His arrest is a major setback for the Palestinians. It's a pity that he didn't fight."
Khairiyeh Said, 43, a high-school teacher, said she wept when she watched Saddam in captivity. "I was sitting with my friends when we heard the bad news," she added. "We all started crying because we love Saddam and we hate [US President George W.] Bush and [Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon. This is a big victory for Bush and Sharon and all the enemies of the Palestinian people. We hope the Iraqi resistance will now teach the American dogs a good lesson."
Michael Hanna a 28-year-old engineer was one of the few Palestinians who said they were happy that Saddam was captured by the Americans. "Saddam is responsible for the killing of thousands of his own people and he deserves to die," he said. "I have no sympathy for him or other Arab dictators. I hope he will be put on trial and executed. This should be a lesson for other corrupt and tyrant Arab leaders. I hope the Iraqi people will now be able to live in peace because they have suffered for a long time under Saddam and his sons."
Palestinian legislator Hatem Abdel Kader said he too hope that Saddam's captue would serve as a lesson for the rest of the Arab dictators. "I think the Iraqis can finally celebrate their birthday," he said. "This is the fate of all tyrants. This is a humiliating end for a dictator, but we wish he had been caught by the Iraqis and not the Americans."
Abdel Kader, one of the top Fatah leaders, said many Palestinian s were disappointed that Saddam did not try to defend himself. "It would have been better if he had been killed," he added. "At least he would have died in an honorable way. It's a happy and sad ending for a dictator and I hope that this would be a lesson for all the other Arab dictators. This shows that all tyrants are cowards."
Mohammed Horani, a legislator from Arafat's ruling Fatah movement, said he had expected Saddam to be more courageous. "I had expected him to have fought back, or at least end his life," he said. "But then again, all dictators are cowards."
During the past three years of Israeli-Palestinian fighting, Saddam sent millions of dollars to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, including US$25,000 for the family of each suicide bomber and US$10,000 for each Palestinian killed in fighting with Israelis.
"I love him so much, I can't stand watching it while he's in custody," Raafat Logman, 23, said as he was shooting pool. "We are surprised. We are so sad," said Sameh Aloul, 22.
