VTMBH Article: Body
It smells of rubber in the mortuary. Brown boxes are piled up to the ceiling and the smell of the gasmasks comes through the packaging. The army has built this site at a former cemetery north of Tel Aviv, which has been closed for years. It is here, next to a bus stop, that gasmasks are distributed to the citizens. Precaution for the next gulf war.
Two hundred masks are picked up per day, filters changed, inhalation syringes renewed. At this moment, no one comes by. Only six bored reserve soldiers sit at their tables, read the newspaper and discuss the poisoning-operation of the Russian army in liberating a Moscow theatre last month. The debate is interrupted by Shalom. He is 73, fought in five wars and laughs as he enters the room. Just give me the thing, I wont use it anyway, he shouts. Asked why he picks up a mask, he says, I just do this here for my wife. I am not afraid of the Iraqis. I trust our army.
The others who stop by this afternoon try to show external composure, as well. Everyone has an excuse for why they pick up a protective mask. Most of them were just in the neighborhood. Hardly anyone confesses their fear of a chemical or biological missile attack. This is a typical Israeli reaction, says Lior, one of the soldiers who has performed his reserve service here for two weeks. One has to convince oneself that nothing will happen. If you are afraid, you are already dead. But as soon as the first Scud missile falls on us like in 1991, all hell will be break loose, he said.
At a first glance, the signs seem to resemble that of the situation 11 years ago. Another American attack on Iraq is approaching. And Israel could again become a target of the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. As in 1991, the Likud Party is in power and the Intifada rages in the occupied areas. But different from erstwhile former president Yitzhak Shamir, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon leaves no doubt that Israel will fight back if Iraq attacks this time. His remark, Israel will, in the case of a conventional attack without damages to persons or properties, not fight back, is an implicit warning. Sharon can authorize this because the strategic starting point is more favorable for Israel this time around.
In 1991, Shamir had to defer to American pressure. The Israeli army did not have an adequate defense system against Scud missiles and had to ask the Americans for Patriot missiles. Because intelligence information about western Iraq, where the Scud missiles were fired, was missing as well, Shamir had no choice but to hold fire during the first hostile air attack in Israels history. The Americans did not allow an Israeli retaliation to threaten the Arab coalitionSaudi Arabia, Syria, Egyptagainst Iraq.
Israel, however, seems to have learned from its old mistakes. Their answer today is: Arrow. That is the name of the $2.2 billion missile defense system, which promises, according to army personnel, a 90 percent precision rate. American satellites record, within a few seconds, every missile fired from Iraq fired missile, and transmits a signal to the arrow base. It then fires an arrow missile, which locates the Scud missile with an electronic eye, and destroys it at an altitude of 10 kilometers above the Jordanian air space. There would even be time to fire a second arrow missile in case of emergency.
Israeli losses are theoretically almost impossible in the case of a new gulf war. This is also the reason for the widespread support of the American plan to attack Iraq among the Israeli population. Hussein is a main enemy of Israel and if the Americans want to eliminate him, it would be beneficial for Israel. Especially because the destruction of the Iraqi nuclear weapons program is in harmony with the Begin-Doctrine, which says that Israel should remain the only nation in the region with nuclear power. One hopes as well for a positive signal for the end of the Antiradar after a fall of Saddam. Iraq has rewarded each family of a suicide attacker with U.S.$25,000.
But there are also skeptical voices in Israel, independently of political parties. If Saddam defends his country against the Americans and attacks Israel, then the Hezbollah fighters in South Lebanon could be encouraged to attack the north of Israel with Katyusha missiles. Together with the Palestinian suicide attacks, there could be a threatening three-front scenario. Moreover right-wing hardliners fear that after the war in Iraq, the Middle East will be restructured to include the foundation of a Palestinian state. Left-wing Meretz leader Yossi Sarid warns in contrast of the failure of an American attack, which would diminish Americas power and make Israel more vulnerable.
Meanwhile, writer Amos Oz suggests a long term alternative: He would pump the billions of dollars that the war would cost to Iraq and Israels neighbor, Jordan: When the Iraqis look out their window, and see a flourishing Jordanian economy, they will burst with envy and oust Saddam on their own.
Two hundred masks are picked up per day, filters changed, inhalation syringes renewed. At this moment, no one comes by. Only six bored reserve soldiers sit at their tables, read the newspaper and discuss the poisoning-operation of the Russian army in liberating a Moscow theatre last month. The debate is interrupted by Shalom. He is 73, fought in five wars and laughs as he enters the room. Just give me the thing, I wont use it anyway, he shouts. Asked why he picks up a mask, he says, I just do this here for my wife. I am not afraid of the Iraqis. I trust our army.
The others who stop by this afternoon try to show external composure, as well. Everyone has an excuse for why they pick up a protective mask. Most of them were just in the neighborhood. Hardly anyone confesses their fear of a chemical or biological missile attack. This is a typical Israeli reaction, says Lior, one of the soldiers who has performed his reserve service here for two weeks. One has to convince oneself that nothing will happen. If you are afraid, you are already dead. But as soon as the first Scud missile falls on us like in 1991, all hell will be break loose, he said.
At a first glance, the signs seem to resemble that of the situation 11 years ago. Another American attack on Iraq is approaching. And Israel could again become a target of the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. As in 1991, the Likud Party is in power and the Intifada rages in the occupied areas. But different from erstwhile former president Yitzhak Shamir, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon leaves no doubt that Israel will fight back if Iraq attacks this time. His remark, Israel will, in the case of a conventional attack without damages to persons or properties, not fight back, is an implicit warning. Sharon can authorize this because the strategic starting point is more favorable for Israel this time around.
In 1991, Shamir had to defer to American pressure. The Israeli army did not have an adequate defense system against Scud missiles and had to ask the Americans for Patriot missiles. Because intelligence information about western Iraq, where the Scud missiles were fired, was missing as well, Shamir had no choice but to hold fire during the first hostile air attack in Israels history. The Americans did not allow an Israeli retaliation to threaten the Arab coalitionSaudi Arabia, Syria, Egyptagainst Iraq.
Israel, however, seems to have learned from its old mistakes. Their answer today is: Arrow. That is the name of the $2.2 billion missile defense system, which promises, according to army personnel, a 90 percent precision rate. American satellites record, within a few seconds, every missile fired from Iraq fired missile, and transmits a signal to the arrow base. It then fires an arrow missile, which locates the Scud missile with an electronic eye, and destroys it at an altitude of 10 kilometers above the Jordanian air space. There would even be time to fire a second arrow missile in case of emergency.
Israeli losses are theoretically almost impossible in the case of a new gulf war. This is also the reason for the widespread support of the American plan to attack Iraq among the Israeli population. Hussein is a main enemy of Israel and if the Americans want to eliminate him, it would be beneficial for Israel. Especially because the destruction of the Iraqi nuclear weapons program is in harmony with the Begin-Doctrine, which says that Israel should remain the only nation in the region with nuclear power. One hopes as well for a positive signal for the end of the Antiradar after a fall of Saddam. Iraq has rewarded each family of a suicide attacker with U.S.$25,000.
But there are also skeptical voices in Israel, independently of political parties. If Saddam defends his country against the Americans and attacks Israel, then the Hezbollah fighters in South Lebanon could be encouraged to attack the north of Israel with Katyusha missiles. Together with the Palestinian suicide attacks, there could be a threatening three-front scenario. Moreover right-wing hardliners fear that after the war in Iraq, the Middle East will be restructured to include the foundation of a Palestinian state. Left-wing Meretz leader Yossi Sarid warns in contrast of the failure of an American attack, which would diminish Americas power and make Israel more vulnerable.
Meanwhile, writer Amos Oz suggests a long term alternative: He would pump the billions of dollars that the war would cost to Iraq and Israels neighbor, Jordan: When the Iraqis look out their window, and see a flourishing Jordanian economy, they will burst with envy and oust Saddam on their own.