Jewish World Review March 5, 2003 / 1 Adar II, 5763

Dan Abrams

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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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