The Mother of all Battles...

As I was typing the previous post, I remembered this sentence "the Mother of all Battles."

This sentence was first coined by President Saddam Hussein when describing the 1991, Gulf War 1.

So my memories drifted to Gulf War 1 and what preceded it...

I remembered the meeting that took place in Geneva between Tariq Aziz and Baker, a few weeks before "Desert Storm."

After that meeting, there was a press conference and Tariq Aziz was asked the following question:

"If the Americans decide to wage a war, will you retaliate?"

Tariq Aziz "If the Americans decide to wage a war, we will hit Israel."

The journalist: "Israel?"

Tariq Aziz: "Yes, absolutely. Next Question."

I remember those lines so vividly. As if it was yesterday.

And Tariq Aziz and the Iraqi government stood by its promise. Israel was hit. Hit by scud missiles. They were named Al-Hussein and Al-Abbass (names of Muslim Imams before these names becoming sole property of today's sectarian Shiites).
These scuds were manufactured in Iraq by the Iraqis.

Stop right here. I know what you're thinking.

You're saying to yourselves, as many said it before you.

"Yeah big deal!" "A few scuds on Israel so what?" "They didn't even reach the right targets"...and so on and so forth...

To these people, this is my reply.

Remember that:

- Iraq had just come out from a long bloody war with Iran that ended in 1989. And here we were in 1990. A long drawn out war with over 500’000 of our men killed on the battlefield and an economy in tatters.

- For those who are geographically challenged (like your Charlton Heston and your G.Bush), remember that IRAQ HAS NO BORDERS WITH ISRAEL – like let’s say, Lebanon...

- Assuming what you say is true and those purported Iraqi made scuds didn’t reach their targets, can anyone deny though, that:

a) the Israelis slept for 42 days with their masks on and ironically Desert Storm lasted 42 days and Palestine had been illegally occupied then for 42 years and still is. And,
b) name one other Arab Country that broke the so called psychological/military invincibility of Israel with scuds landing in the heart of Israel.

- I know some of you will jump to their guns and say Hezbollah. Hezbollah is not a country and doesn’t represent an Arab government. And, Hezbollah is aided by Iran and Syria, and Lebanon has borders with Israel...Moreover, Lebanon had not just come out of 8 years war with Iran either. A piece of cake for Hezbollah really, if you think about it.

- Iraq during "Desert Storm", had a "coalition of the willing" gang up on Her- well over 50 countries and the equivalent of 7 Hiroshimas fell on our heads.
The Arabs did their share too. Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Syria were at the front lines shooting away at Iraqi soldiers. In other words, Iraq was totally ALONE defending herself and sending scuds Israel's way.


These are just a few points to make you ponder...I will not even bother mention the unconditional support that the previous Iraqi government had for the Palestinian cause. It goes without saying. And there are enough historical proofs to attest to that.

Hence you can understand my utter disappointment when that same Tariq Aziz is tried in yet another kangaroo court, and about to be executed...

And not one Palestinian website, not to my knowledge at least – has even bothered and addressed a few lines condemning another crime about to be committed under the umbrella of “American Liberation.”

Not only that, but in fact quite the opposite is taking place. Perusing Palestinian websites, I see nothing but praise for the sectarian mass murderer Muqtada Al-Sadr, who was incremental in the initial lynching of the legitimate and sovereign leader(s)of Iraq.

It doesn’t even stop there. These same websites praise not only Muqtada Al-Sadr and Hezbollah for "its divine victory" but also Iran for its “anti-Zionist stand”, totally forgetting the scuds of Al-Hussein and Al-Abbass in the Mother of all Battles. Shameful indeed.

And it was and still is the Mother of all Battles, because when you come to think about it, Iraq has been resisting since 1979 till this very day.

First the Iranian threat, then the American and now the dual American/Iranian occupations.

And if that doesn’t make resisting Iraqis heroes, I don’t know what does.

And the first to top the list were Saddam Hussein, his aides and today Tariq Aziz, alone in a court run by America and Iran through their puppet government in Baghdad.

So yes, the Palestinian Arab silence is shameful indeed.


N.B: Gabriele Zamparini, the only one am aware of, has just published an article on Tariq Aziz’s “trial”. And Gabriele is an Italian. Do I need to repeat it? Shameful indeed.

Painting : Iraqi female artist, Betool Fekaiki.