Guest guest Posted July 23, 2006 Report Share Posted July 23, 2006 From A Sat, 22 Jul 2006 15:30:21 -0400 " This is going to be a big war. " Iraq Dispatches: " This is going to be a big war. " > ** Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches ** > ** Visit the Dahr Jamail Iraq website http://dahrjamailiraq.com ** > ** Website by http://jeffpflueger.com ** > > > July 13, 2006 > > > " This is going to be a big war. " > > > You can always spot them a mile away-he was white, middle-aged, > overweight, hair cut close to hide the pattern baldness, red face, > wearing a Harley Davidson motorcycle t-shirt and shorts. All of the > aforementioned is acceptable in the Middle East, of course, minus the > shorts. Aside from a few places like Beirut, wearing shorts in the > Middle East isn't exactly being respectful of the native culture. > > But when you are a mercenary, I suppose that's damned low on your > priority list. > > Then there was the other one-I noticed him in Chicago before we board > our Royal Jordanian flight to Amman. A 30-something white man, eyes wide > open, looking over his shoulder constantly, chewing gum so hard his jaw > muscles protruded. Blue-flames tattooed on his right arm above the > wrist-running up under his sleeve I don't know how far up his arm. His > tan combat boots and tan backpack kind of gave him away too, despite his > wearing civilian clothing. > > During my flight I sat near a kind Palestinian man from the West Bank. > The older gentleman works in Dallas, and is retiring from his > electronics store which he is happy to tell me is being passed along to > his kids. His wife remains in the West Bank, so that's why he's moving > back home. I asked him what it's like to go home. > > " I spend the night in Amman then the next day it takes sometimes the > full day to cross the bridge and get through the checkpoints. We have > the Jordanian border, the Israeli checkpoint, and another to get into > the West Bank, " he says, " Each time they take all our things out, search > them and us, then if we're lucky we're waved through. " > > I ask him how he deals with it, personally, without losing his mind. > " Oh, all I can do is laugh, because if I lose my temper, if anyone loses > their temper, the soldiers [occupation soldiers] just go away for 3-4 > hours until they feel like returning. So we all just stay calm and > behave gently and with dignity. They have all the power. We have none. > So what else can we do? " > > Behaving like a typical Arab, he invites me to his home anytime I'm in > the area. > > Landing in the heat of Amman, I left the plane and walk past a Jordanian > man holding a small piece of paper up which read, " Blackwater. " Of > course it's for one (or both) of the men I described above…and soon I > see him greeting the man who prefers to wear shorts in the Middle East. > > Not too much has changed in the airport in Amman, aside from the new > Starbucks. Of course, the Cinnabon had already been here for at least a > couple of years. > > Meanwhile, plenty has changed in the region since I was here one year > ago. Wednesday, after having two of their soldiers captured by Hezbollah > fighters, the government of Israel has sent ground troops, backed by > aircraft and artillery, into Southern Lebanon. It's the first ground > operation by the Israelis in Lebanon since they withdrew from occupying > Lebanon in 2000. Just what the Middle East needs-another country to be > occupied; the move is akin to dumping jet fuel on a raging fire. > > The prime minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert, referring to how his country > would respond to having two of their soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah, > told a joint news conference with visiting Japanese Prime Minister > Junichiro Koizumi, " The Lebanese government is responsible. Lebanon will > pay the price. " > > Adhering to his favorite policy of collective punishment, Olmert, added, > " …those responsible for the attack will pay a high and painful price. " > So attack a country because a rebel group in south Lebanon captured two > soldiers. And so the madness continues, as an Israeli air strike on a > house in Gaza on what they claimed was targeting a " Hamas top militant > leader " killed nine Palestinians, including seven children from one > family. > > Syrian Vice President Faruq al-Shara stated recently that Israel's > occupation of Arab land lays at the root of the new crisis that found > Israeli troops entering Lebanon. Let's have some more jet fuel. Looks > like I've picked an interesting time to visit Syria. > > Meanwhile, Baghdad burns as over 100 people have been killed in > sectarian violence since Sunday. > > A short flight has me landing in Damascas, then racing through the > streets as warm air flows through the open taxi windows. The pale green > lights mark the tops of minarets around the city, the rest of the lights > twinkling in the background as we found our way to my hotel. > > After checking in, I dropped my bag and began to walk out for some food, > only to find Abu Talat at the front desk. A long bear hug and the > typical cheek kissing of Arab men, and we meet again after over one year > since we last were together. I'd given him the name of my hotel, but was > suspect as to whether he would have a successful trip out of Baghdad, > with the extremes of violence over the last three days there. He tends > to not go far from home when that occurs, but alas, he decided to go > after obtaining a promise from his son not to leave his home under any > circumstances. > > Also typical of Arab men, we walk down the sidewalk holding hands, en > route to a café, talking a mile a minute. He tells me how horrible it is > in Baghdad. He lists his family members and relatives, one by one, who > have left already for good. " Those who can afford to fly are purchasing > one way tickets Dahr, " he says, " For they have no intention of coming > back. Aside from my own children and wife, I am the only one of my > relatives left in Iraq. " > > The fighting is everywhere, he tells me. Now that the U.S. > military/Rumsfeld (who was just in Baghdad) and Khalilzad have declared > war on the Shia Mehdi Army, accusing them of terrorism, all bets are > off. Of course, the timing of this with Israelis attacks against > Hezbollah couldn't be more perfect. Coincidence? > > " The fighting is everywhere, and there is no way the Americans can > control it now, " Abu Talat adds, " The Shia are fighting each other for > control of Basra, while also fighting the Sunni. " > > " It is civil war now in Iraq, no doubt, " he continues, " But no matter > who you ask, no one will admit it. Because people are too afraid to > admit this. People prefer to deny it. " > > Even back at our hotel, there are at least two other Iraqis, who have > come here for surgery, since all of the senior doctors have long since > left Baghdad to save their own lives. > > The next day, Thursday, we awoke with our eyes glued to al-Jazeera on > the television. Israeli warplanes bombed Beirut's Rafiq al-Hariri > airport. At least two air strikes were reported while Lebanese > anti-aircraft guns fired feebly at the jets, according to witnesses. > Israeli jets also bombed bridges linking south Lebanon to the rest of > the country, and 22 civilians were killed last night by Israeli attacks > in southern Lebanon. > > In response to the bombings, Hezbollah claims to have fired 60 rockets > into northern Israel. > > The Israeli justification for bombing the airport in Beirut and pushing > into southern Lebanon is that two of their soldiers were captured. In > classic newspeak, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said of the > incident, " It is an act of war by the state of Lebanon, " conveniently > omitting the bombings in the occupied territories, including civilians > on a beach, by Israeli forces over the last weeks. > > " This is going to be a big war, " Abu Talat tells me while we watch > plumes of smoke billowing from locations within Lebanon, " This is even > more important for us to cover than Iraq, and you know how much I love > Iraq. " > > _____________ > ©2006 Dahr Jamail. > All images, photos, photography and text are protected by United States > and international copyright law. If you would like to reprint Dahr's > Dispatches on the web, you need to include this copyright notice and a > prominent link to the http://DahrJamailIraq.com website. Website by > photographer Jeff Pflueger's Photography Media http://jeffpflueger.com . > Any other use of images, photography, photos and text including, but not > limited to, reproduction, use on another website, copying and printing > requires the permission of Dahr Jamail. Of course, feel free to forward > Dahr's dispatches via email. > > More writing, commentary, photography, pictures and images at > http://dahrjamailiraq.com > > You can visit http://dahrjamailiraq.com/email_list/ to or > to the email list. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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