Chapter
5: Two calendars (Gregorian & Hijri)
5-4(40) Revenge and counter-revenge
Iraq turned the whole world into
an enemy by invasion into Kuwait. But strictly speaking, at the Arab summit
held immediately after the invasion, Jordan supported Iraq. President Saddam
Hussein used so-called linkage theory and justified his policy, saying that It was
contradictory to condemn the Iraq’s merge of Kuwait while accepting the Israel’s
merge of Palestine. Hussain’s logic attracted the sympathy of Arab countries.
In addition, Jordan, a poor and small country, had been supplied oil from Iraq
at a lower price than international market. King Hussein of Jordan could not
resist to Saddam Hussein of Iraq.
Cunning President Hussein launched missile attacks
on Israel 18 times. He explained that it was a retaliation against the bombing of
Osirak nuclear power plant in Iraq by Israel during the Iran-Iraq war. This
attack was called Operation Opera, Saddam Hussein’s tactics was to draw Israel
into the war. Israel who did not hesitate first strike for self-defense purpose
could not keep quite on Iraqi missile attack. Israeli public opinion was
focused into a war against Iraq.
That was just as Hussein expected. Once Israel participated
in the war, it was the reproduction of the past Middle East wars. Iraq's
unilateral invasion to Kuwait would be transformed into an Arab-Islam versus Jewish
war. In Iraq War Saudi Arabia accepted the ground operation by multinational
forces mainly composed by Western Christian countries headed by the United
States. Saudi Arabia faced in criticism by both domestic and foreign Islamic
religious groups. Gulf monarchy countries might be in a bitter situation if
Israel had participated in the war.
The US persuaded Israel hard and made Israel to
abandon the counterattack. If Israel participated in the war (although the word
"if" was prohibited in the history), Hussein regime would definitely
have collapsed taking into consideration of Israel's strategy which did not
stop fighting until enemy's death. As a result, the Middle East would be in a
great chaos. However, the United States at that time had to keep Saudi Arabia
and other Gulf Arab oil-producing countries in its ally. The US did not want to
have more enemies in addition to Iran.
Palestinians in the occupied territory of Israel or
Palestine refugees living in Jordan welcomed Iraqi missile attacks against
Israel. Whenever leaders in Arab countries addressed to the people, they used
to say that Israel should be exerted into the Mediterranean. But there had been
no leader who took real action except Hussein of Iraq. It was natural for
Palestinians to be obsessed by the illusion that Hussein might truly realize
their dreams. They shouted their support for Hussein loudly and blew steam off.
Palestinians in Kuwait shouted pleasantly in their
hearts even though they could not raise their voice. Palestinians came to
Kuwait looking for jobs. They had to obey to Kuwaitis like slaves even if Kuwaitis were lazy and arrogant. When the Iraqi army invaded to
Kuwait, Kuwaitis escaped into Saudi Arabia in flurry. Palestinians mocked them
and felt self-satisfaction. When Palestinians recognized that Iraq attacked Israel
by missile but Israel could not fight back by the objection of the United
States, Palestinians expected that Hussein would regain their homeland.
Both Hussein 's ambitions and the Palestinians'
expectations, however, were illusion. Six months later, Kuwait was liberalized
by the Gulf War. Prior to withdrawal, Iraq set fire on the oilfield in Kuwait
as a fallout. A bright red flame rose in the sky of Kuwait and a black splash
of crude oil scatters in the desert. The sky above Kuwait was surrounded by
black smoke and the darkness spread over the land even in daytime.
Kuwait did not allow those who supported Hussein
regime. The government deported all Palestinians and Jordanians. The Japanese oil
company in the south of the border was also ordered to deport its Palestine and
Jordanian employees because Kuwait held half equity for oil operation. It was a
tit for tat by Kuwait after the Gulf War against the blowing steam by Palestinians
during the war. But it was obvious that what would happen. Both public and
private sectors in Kuwait had been supported by the deported Palestinians. The economic
damage that Kuwait received were quite serious. It still does not heal after a
quarter century.
(To be continued ----)
By
Areha Kazuya
Home Page: OCIN
INITIATIVE
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