Jewish World Review March 5, 2003 / 1 Adar II, 5763
Dan Abrams
The so-called human shields in Iraq, now coming back from
Fantasyland
http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com |
The majority of them have now decided
to return to the U.S., Britain and other Western
countries. So why are these self-anointed
defenders of peace on earth aborting their
mission?
Well, according to the coordinator of
the program in Baghdad, because they fear for
their safety. What did they think they would be
doing there?
They claim they wanted to protect schools and
hospitals that the Iraqis told them they could be stationed at
"humanitarian sites." Instead, the Iraqi government assigned
them to power stations and oil refineries. What gets me is
that they seem surprised that Saddam Hussein supposedly
backed out of an agreement.
One of the leaders of the shield said "the level of trust is
not there right now." They trusted Saddam Hussein and the
Iraqi government. It's not just that these shields wanted to
avoid war. They actually thought Saddam Hussein cared
about protecting humanitarian sites.
Look, I'm troubled by the prospect of an imminent
war, but I also think these human shields can and should be
tried in American courts if they remain in Baghdad through a
war. Beyond that, they have proven that they are not just
misguided, they're also naive and uninformed about Iraq.
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JWR contributor Dan Abrams anchors The Abrams Report, Monday through Friday from 6-7 p.m. ET on MSNBC TV. He also covers legal stories for NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, Today and Dateline NBC. To visit his website, click here. Comment by clicking here.
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