Why Iraq Is Unlikely To Send Aid To The Palestinians

Palestinians on Saddam: We lost a leader

Iraqi tyrant's last words, 'Palestine is Arab,' touch hearts of many Palestinians. 'I cried when I heard the news,' says Jenin resident. Bethlehem residents mourn Saddam, drinking coffee and reminiscing over Gulf War
Many in the Palestinian Authority on Saturday lamented the execution of Saddam Hussein, who received a special status among the Palestinians.

"Saddam was known for his ability to stick to his opinion and say 'no' to a world power," said Husni al-Ajal, 46, from a refugee camp near Ramallah.

The pictures of the "butcher from Baghdad" were hung in many places in the West Bank and Gaza. Some of the pictures featured both Saddam Hussein and former PA Chairman Yasser Arafat.

It's interesting that on this issue, Palestinian Arabs do not have Europe behind them. The same countries that did not come rushing to back the US in Iraq, apparently are not all that sad--or at least not as sad as the Palestinians--to see Saddam go.

David's Medienkritik has the scoop

The recent results of a poll conducted by Novatris/Harris for the French daily Le Monde on the death penalty shocked the editors and writers at Germany's left-leaning SPIEGEL ONLINE. When asked whether they favored the death penalty for Saddam Hussein, a majority of respondents in Germany, France and Spain responded in the affirmative. Here the results by country:

Percentage of respondents in favor of executing Saddam Hussein:

USA: 82%
Great Britain: 69%
France: 58%
Germany: 53%
Spain: 51%
Italy: 46%

All this while the media is trumpeting that Europe opposes the death penalty.

The Palestinians have never found a despot they didn't love.
Europeans are a bit more finicky.

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