What effect would war with Iraq have on the situation in Palestine and Israel?
We fear an eventual war with Iraq. It will inevitably have a direct, negative influence on the situation on the West Bank and in Gaza. Israel’s security measures will doubtless be increased with the result that repression of the Palestinian people will worsen. There is real risk of “transfer,” that is, the mass deportation of Palestinians and Arab Israelis into exile. The fear is palpable. So far, the talk of war has deepened Palestinians’ sense of abandonment. Europeans offer economic help, when the Israelis permit them to, but they cannot offer political support. Without strong U.S. involvement, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has a free hand. More and more, events move toward an East-West clash. Opposition to the West will grow in the streets, if not with the regimes. The regimes are committed to the West. The people are not. They also think of things Western as “Christian,” and for that reason local Christians in Arab countries are less accepted. In the Middle East, feelings of
