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Dear David & List, Thanks for your comments (on behalf of the Israeli government, judging by your e-mail address?) - The "Thousand and One Nights fantasy", as you describe it, whether written in Iraq, or elsewhere on this planet, comprises many, enduring, masterpieces of world literature. Have you - as I have - read those stories, and have you read about how they came to be written? - The truth of any given situation - including your ?base, West Jerusalem, & Israel/Palestine surely has to be what matters. Personally, I don't subscribe to the idea that all Arabic sources, inevitably, are unworthy of consideration. Nor do I, always, implicitly trust Western or Israeli sources (Perhaps you were writing in a personal capacity?). Greetings, Bert Gedin, Birmingham, UK. >From: "Zohar David" <davidz@mofa.gov.il> >To: "Bert Gedin" <gedinbert@hotmail.com>,"CASI" ><soc-casi-discuss@lists.cam.ac.uk> >Subject: RE: [casi] Iraqis Grapple With Fears Of Israeli Infiltration >Date: Sun, 6 Jul 2003 09:37:26 +0200 > >Remember always that the Thousand and One Nights fantasy was also >written in Baghdad. >David Zohar >Jerusalem > >-----Original Message----- >From: Bert Gedin [mailto:gedinbert@hotmail.com] >Sent: Thursday, July 03, 2003 6:06 PM >To: CASI >Subject: [casi] Iraqis Grapple With Fears Of Israeli Infiltration > > > >[ Converted text/html to text/plain ] > >A note from Bert Gedin : > > Very interesting - & well worth reading. BG. > >Send to you on Thursday July 03, 2003 04:06 PM >================================================= >From http://www.arabia.com, available online at: >http://www.arabia.com/article/english/0,13821,401523,00.html > >Iraqis Grapple With Fears Of Israeli Infiltration > >Additional Reporting by Aws al-Sharqy > >BAGHDAD - Reports were rife in the Iraqi capital Baghdad that Israeli >companies and intelligence elements were being housed in the famous >Baghdad Hotel which was rented by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency >(CIA) and some American reconstruction firms. > >"We were surprised that some people rented the whole hotel and were >later told they were from the CIA and that the building would be devoted >for them and other accompanying agents," a hotel employee told IOL >Tuesday, June 24, on condition of anonymity. > >He said that hotel employees noted Monday that more foreigners and armed >civilians "were seen roaming the hotel, with increasing whispers that >they were here to protect Israeli companies working that rented several >rooms in the hotel. > >"The light guns they were carrying were not U.S.-made but rather appear >to be the well-known Iraeli Ouzi machineguns," said the hotel employee >to IOL correspondent outside the heavily guarded hotel. > >Ousting all guests from the Baghdad Hotel, the U.S. forces even >prevented the shop owners from entering the hotel and refused to pay >them compensations. > >"I was told to vacate my shop, which I have rented 26 years ago, in two >hours time," complained Hamid Al-Izawi, expecting the decision to extend >to other shops located in the hotel vicinity. > >"They even refused to compensate us for the rent money we had paid for >the whole of this year, " he lamented. > >IOL correspondent tried to enter the hotel, but was banned by U.S. and >Iraqi security members, who also prevented him from taking any photos. > >"The hotel is now rented by U.S. reconstruction companies," they told >the reporter. > >Infiltration > >The incident coincided with the circulation of an anonymous leaflet in >Baghdad this week urging Iraqis to shun that hotel, because it was used >by Jews and Israeli intelligence elements. > >Signed by "a sincere Iraqi Muslim," the leaflet sounded the alarms that >some people were buying houses from Iraqis at sky-high prices for the >interest of Jews. > >The warning found credit among mosque preachers and Iraqi citizens, with >reports that Israelis were seeking to lay their hands on key buildings >in sensitive areas of the capital. > >"Jews will try to lure Iraqis into selling their homes at whatever >prices, and control the media in order to spread corruption and >immorality," asserted Muhanad Abdullah, Imam of Omar Ibn Al-Khatab >mosque. > >"But we will fight them, and will never allow a rerun of the Palestine >episode," said Sheikh Muhanad, in reference to the Israeli occupation of >Palestinian territories. > >On Friday, a Sunni Muslim prayer leader charged that U.S. forces >occupying Iraq were opening up the country to "Jews" and chided Iraqis >he said were working as "brokers" for the Jewish infiltrators, Agence >France-Presse (AFP) reported. > >"The Jews, civilian and military people, are now entering Iraq ... >buying property, factories and companies while Iraqis work for them as >brokers and guides," Sheikh Mahmud Khalaf told the faithful during >weekly Muslim prayers in Baghdads Sheikh Abdul Kader al-Kilani mosque. > >"It is a sin for Iraqs people to sell their lands to the Jews and to >deal with the Jews in this way," he said. > >The warnings came few days after U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary John >Taylor invited Israeli companies to join hands in the reconstruction of >Iraq. > >Taylor said in an interview with the Israeli daily Yediot Ahoront >Saturday, June 21, that the Iraqi market would be always open to Israeli >products. > >Press Warning > >Grapping with news of Jewish infiltration of the U.S.-occupied country, >Iraqi press joined in with a flurry of reports about acquisitions of >Iraqi estate by Jewish interests. > >"A hotel in the city center hosts a group of Zionists seeking to buy >homes and palaces that belonged to officials of the former regime," the >daily al-Dawa wrote last week under the headline, "The secrets of a >Karrada hotel." > >"Jews are coming and buying as they did in Palestine," echoed Al-Hilal, >while another newspaper, citing Baghdad residents who were offered big >money to sell their homes, wondered if "Jews were about to reclaim >property confiscated (when they left) in 1951." > >Israeli public television reported on Saturday that a representative of >the Jewish Agency had visited Iraq to check on the safety of Jews since >Saddams ouster. > >Some 100,000 Jews were living in Iraq before the creation of Israel in >1948, but most left to the Jewish state and only around 40 Jews remain >in Iraq now. > >The tiny Jewish community lives in Baghdad, chiefly around a synagogue >in the Batawin district. > >-[IslamOnline & News Agencies: IslamOnline.net][1] > >The story was published on June 25, 2003 06:00 AM >Disclaimer: The articles written in this section express only the >opinions of the writers themselves. Arabia.com is not responsible for >any facts, figures or orientations mentioned in these articles. > >===References:=== > 1. http://islamonline.net > >_______________________________________________ >Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. >To unsubscribe, visit >http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss >To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk >All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk _________________________________________________________________ Stay in touch with absent friends - get MSN Messenger http://www.msn.co.uk/messenger _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk