On Nov 25, addressing a cabinet meeting, Saddam gave a fiery speech attacking Israel and the US, calling on the Palestinians to continue their uprising, and threatening Arab rulers who do not support them sufficiently.
As Iraq TV reported, Saddam, referring to the US, said, “This enemy cannot, cannot, cannot, cannot repent. The issue has nothing to do with insufficient awareness, nor with a deficient choice of methods. The heart of the matter is that the enemy seeks to set up a monstrous entity to the Arabs’ detriment, with a view to colonizing the Arabs, all Arabs, through economy, financial speculation, politics, and the threat of force.
“Palestine is the main battleground. It was the battleground it used to set up its entity in the initial stages. However, all Arabs and all Arab lands are now the target of its Jewish colonialist drive and greed. The Palestinians cannot elicit a genuine Arab role [ED: response?] unless they continue with the struggle. When they continue with the struggle, the Arab regimes that do not pursue a pan-Arab approach will either be toppled or change their approach. The regime that does not change its approach will be toppled.”
Saddam indicated that for him the Gulf war never ended. He said, “Had not Iraq stood fast and made sacrifices for eight years during Al-Qadisiyah [Iraq-Iran war] and for 11 years during the Mother of Battles [the Gulf War], it would have been destroyed and we would have been turned into refugees…. change its approach will be toppled.”
“The Arab people have not so far fulfilled their duties. They are called upon to target US and Zionist interests everywhere and target those who protect these interests [Ed: i.e. unspecified Arab governments]. The latter will either correct their position — through supporting the battle and being part of it — or fall down…. The Arabs — or some of them to be accurate and fair — are working, at the official level, more enthusiastically than America and the Zionist entity to stop the intifadah at any cost at the expense of the Palestinian question. They should know that either they embrace the right position, in which they do not believe, or they will fall down or be isolated…
“The Arab masses must uphold their principles, expose the stands of the cowardly, and encourage those who, we hope, will continue to struggle against the United States and Zionism and their interests wherever they are. They have to direct the real struggle and jihad against US interests in order to deter the aggressors. Only then will the Arabs be said to have performed their duty…. As far as principles are concerned, we in Iraq say that every immigrant Jew must leave the land of Palestine and return to his country. This is Iraq’s stand…
“I would like an official memorandum to be sent to the United Nations saying that we, in Iraq, would like to include the Palestinian people in the oil-for-food formula and give a share from our money to the Palestinian people. This memorandum should be officially dispatched in the name of Iraq to the Security Council and the UN secretary general. >From there, a share will be set aside for the Palestinian people.”
As with Saddam’s speeches that the regime considers important, this speech appeared in the Iraqi press the next day, Nov 26, as Reuters reported.
I. SADDAM’S FIERY SPEECH ATTACKING ISRAEL, US, ARABS
Baghdad Republic of Iraq Television in Arabic 1800 GMT 25 Nov 00 [FBIS Translated Text]
The mujahid leader, President Saddam Husayn, may God protect him, has said that the Americans know that any proposal they make on the intifadah will immediately be rejected by the Arabs. He said there is a psychological structure that opposes anything presented by the United States. Therefore, they, in agreement with the Zionists, are trying to promote a series of ideas, which would inevitably, but implicitly, involve some kind of a relinquishment of the past arrogance and a different way of handling. However, I doubt if the Americans, who are allies of the Zionists, can abandon the substance of their scheme, he added.
The president’s statements were made in a comprehensive and important pan-Arab speech, which President Saddam Husayn, may God protect him, made while chairing the Council of Minister’s 49th session during the Council’s discussion of the intifadah of our people in Palestine.
[Begin Saddam Husayn recording] The Americans know that the Arabs will immediately reject any proposal they make. There is a psychological structure that opposes anything presented by the Americans. Therefore, the United States, in agreement with the Zionists, is trying to promote a series of ideas, which would inevitably, but implicitly, involve some kind of a relinquishment of past arrogance and a different way of handling. However, I doubt if the Americans, who are allies of the Zionists, can abandon the substance of their scheme.
Therefore, we may see a move in form, in secondary issues, and in the way of handling, which means a maneuver to circumvent the unity of the intifadah, the unity of the people of the intifadah and their determination to continue their march toward liberation. Liberation is the goal of the intifadah. The substance and goal of the Palestinian people’s intifadah is the liberation of their land. Can these maneuvers, policies, and proposals allow them to achieve the liberation of the land? The answer is no. No. Therefore, the most important thing we want from the Palestinian leaders — and I do not say the Palestinian leadership only, but all the Palestinian leaders — is not to pin any hope on the short-term political solutions. They should show more endurance. Anyone who wants to liberate his homeland should show greater endurance and patience. The sacrifices should not pain him. I mean, the sacrifices may pain him as a human being, but they should not weaken his determination. Sacrifices may pain him from inside, but he should endure the pain and keep his determination, so that he can liberate his land. We are their brothers. We say Iraq is part of them. Iraq and Palestine are brothers, both in terms of pan-Arabism and in terms of jihad.
We remind them of this fact only in an effort to help them keep their determination at the pace they wish it to be. We tell them that the Iraqis have offered rivers of blood so that Iraq can keep its sovereignty in full. The Iraqis have shown great readiness to offer sacrifices for that goal. These sacrifices used to pain us, but we took the pain in silence. We got used to handling this pain and continued to offer sacrifices so that Iraq would not be lost, so that it would not lose its historic opportunity to take control of the factors that can augment its glory, status, and influence. This will allow its people to become their own masters, and Iraq will not be lost in terms of geography. Iraq was threatened. It was under threat as a civilization, geography, culture, and position; and its immortal, high values were threatened.
What is it that enabled Iraq to hold out and preserve all this? It was its willingness to make sacrifices. Sacrifice is not confined to the offering of martyrs, be they sons or brothers. When it takes over, the leadership regards all the people as its children, brothers, and fathers, each according to his or her age. Sacrifices should not be regarded as painful. They should continue with their intifadah, with God’s blessings.
This enemy cannot repent [Saddam repeats the word “cannot” four times]. The issue has nothing to do with insufficient awareness, nor with a deficient choice of methods. The heart of the matter is that the enemy seeks to set up a monstrous entity [kiyan miskh] to the Arabs’ detriment with a view to colonizing the Arabs, all Arabs, through economy, financial speculation, politics, and the threat of force.
Palestine is the main battleground. It was the battleground it used to set up its entity in the initial stages. However, all Arabs and all Arab lands are now the target of its Jewish colonialist drive and greed. The Palestinians cannot elicit a genuine Arab role unless they continue with the struggle. When they continue with the struggle, the Arab regimes that do not pursue a pan-Arab approach will either be toppled or change their approach. The regime that does not change its approach will be toppled. This will happen if the intifadah continues. But if, God forbid, the Palestinians’ stand experiences ups and downs upholding seemingly wonderful slogans in the initial stages only to be diluted subsequently, they would appear as if they were involuntarily giving some Arab rulers the chance to engage in maneuvering without having to choose between pursuing a pan-Arab approach, which entails true faith, and a regime change.
We appeal to all the Palestinian people — leadership and grassroots, to the intifadah and those staging it — to be careful about the maneuverings. The United States may come up with solutions that can be called political when in point of fact they may be designed to hurt the Palestinian people and the Arabs. The United States may elicit the support of others. In this regard, I do not want to point accusing fingers at any party in the world except for the United States. However, some world leaders are now courting the United States. They may agree to play a role which they know will not be conducive to the freedom of the Palestinian people nor to their leading a dignified life and building a clear future.
But, when given such an assignment, and wanting to gain the familiar appreciation, some may get engaged in such a task. That is, citing the familiar refrain regarding the desire to achieve a cease-fire or to stop the violence, some may rush to solutions that would eventually be self-defeating and end up being to the Palestinians’ detriment.
The solution is that since the objective is to liberate Palestine, then they should continue. But if the objective was a partial improvement of a certain situation along with the acceptance of the Zionist colonization, then this is a different story and this is left to them to assess. They are suffering, and the conflict is inequitable in the technical sense of the word, but it is equitable in the historical sense of the word. From a historical point of view, this means that any step forward and any steadfastness for some time by the Palestinian people will attract the depth of the Arab nation. Some Arabs will be involved willingly, and others will be involved forcefully.
These stones will attract the depth of the Arab nation so that the conflict, from a historical point of view, will be equitable. On the other hand, the balance will be in favor of the Arabs, particularly in favor of the Palestinians.
To say what is after this, what is after this is liberation, steadfastness, patience, and sacrifice, which will achieve the objective. Had not Iraq stood fast and made sacrifices for eight years during Al-Qadisiyah [Iraq-Iran war], and for 11 years during the Mother of Battles, it would have been destroyed and we would have been turned into refugees. Zionism, the United States, and other well-known sides also would have turned the Iraqis against each other until they would lose all the exalted values and remain bodies without souls. However, the Iraqis’ insistence on jihad and struggle and their high readiness to make sacrifices until they achieve the objective have actually achieved the objective.
The most important thing we hope our Palestinian brothers will do, providing that we are part of them and what affects them affects us, and will consider that the most precious thing is their unity. There is nothing more precious than the unity of ranks in the face of the danger that threatens everything. Any flexibility among the Palestinians is legitimate, while this flexibility should be calculated carefully with the enemy.
Blood can only be rewarded by victory. It is the only thing that can spare blood from being shed at a later time. Victory can save blood. Any operation that does not lead to victory will be part of history, but it will not reward blood. As long as the objective is not guaranteed this action will possibly be repeated at any time and the bleeding will continue. Historical opportunities are not always available for peoples so that victory will be the price for their blood unless their leaders are really alert.
The Arab people have not so far fulfilled their duties. They are called upon to target US and Zionist interests everywhere and target those who protect these interests. The latter will either correct their position — through supporting the battle and being part of it — or fall down. The Arab people should not labor under the illusion that they have done their duties. They have not done so, neither in Iraq nor anywhere else. In Iraq, the people have not fulfilled their duties yet. We struggle to have the opportunity to fulfill our duties. Thus, no one has the right to say that he or she has fulfilled his or her duties. Only when we liberate Palestine can we say that we have fulfilled our duties. No one has the right to say so before this is achieved.
The Arabs — or some of them to be accurate and fair — are working, at the official level, more enthusiastically than America and the Zionist entity to stop the intifadah at any cost at the expense of the Palestinian question. They should know that either they embrace the right position, in which they do not believe, or they will fall down or be isolated.
The Arab people must not stop using all means possible to feel that they are supportive of the Palestinians and to make the latter feel this support. If they say that Palestine is their cause and that it is holy, then they should offer a level of sacrifice that is commensurate with this description. However, if they are only seeking to help [the Palestinians] from afar — like when Russia would help an African state, the United States would aid an Asian country, or an Arab country would help a distant third world country — the matter is different.
The Arabs are one nation and Palestine is our cause. We are not offering help, but rather playing our role. Do you think that the leadership — now that Iraq has expressed its position and made preparations — does not realize that it should be ready for a level of sacrifices that are higher than what is ordinary in life? The Iraqi leadership is aware of this and knows the fighters who have volunteered to fight for the sake of Palestine.
We know that America and the Zionism are full of hatred against Iraq because of its position. We, however, do not care because our position is based on the principle that we are one nation, and that what happens in Palestine is similar to what happens in Basra, Mosul, and Baghdad. We have offered rivers of blood to keep Basra, Mosul, Baghdad, Karbala, Al-Najaf, Al-Diwaniyah, Karkuk, and Irbil proud. We have to rise up to this level of readiness to sacrifice for the sake of Palestine. Any readiness that falls short of that signals a flaw in our principles. We have sound stands and a fair-minded view of principles. All Arab states, including Iraq, have thus far failed to meet the minimum requirements of the stand they should adopt vis-a-vis the Palestine cause.
The Arab masses must uphold their principles, expose the stands of the cowardly, and encourage those who, we hope, will continue to struggle against the United States and the Zionism and their interests wherever they are. They have to direct their real struggle and jihad against the US interests in order to deter the aggressors. Only then will the Arabs be said to have performed their duty. Some will have performed the minimum level of their duty, while others will be said to have performed a fair enough share of their duty.
The demonstrations that took to the streets are not enough, nor is it enough that people volunteered in Baghdad. The volunteering that took place in Baghdad is a preparatory step so that soldiers can fight on the land of Palestine or around it in order to liberate it. Participating in the demonstrations and voicing condemnation or denunciation are quite natural. We have to shift the preparations and efforts to a higher level. We should not allow maneuvers and attempts to let down the mujahid Palestinian people on the land of Palestine.
As far as principles are concerned, we in Iraq say that every immigrant Jew must leave the land of Palestine and return to his country. This is Iraq’s stand. This is the sound stand that will stabilize the world and the region and make everyone regain his fair rights. As long as the immigrant Jews continue to live on the land of Palestine and as long as Palestine continues to be usurped by the Zionism, the region will never be stable at all.
The Arabs should communicate this to Britain, and to the United States above all. They should tell them that their interests are threatened as long as the Zionist entity continues to exist. If they [the United States and Britain] do not feel this and if the United States does not feel that all its interests and the flow of oil to it are not guaranteed as long as the Zionist entity exists, they will never disengage their strategic ties with the Zionist entity and stop supporting it to the detriment of the Arabs. The Arabs should, therefore, make the United States feel that all its interests in the Arab World are threatened as long as the Zionist entity exists.
I would like an official memorandum to be sent to the United Nations, saying that we, in Iraq, would like to include the Palestinian people in the oil-for-food formula and give a share from our money to the Palestinian people. This memorandum should be officially dispatched in the name of Iraq to the Security Council and the UN secretary general. From there [the UN], a share will be set aside for the Palestinian people.
The memorandum should be prepared on a pan-Arab level. In other words, we have to tell them that we are one nation and that the Palestinian people are part of the Iraqi people. We have to tell them that the Palestinian people are currently under siege and what harms them does the same to the Iraqi people. This is our money. We want a share in the memorandum of understanding to be allocated for the Palestinian people in order to support their national and pan-Arab stand, which is a legitimate right in defense of their territory in accordance with the UN Charter. Once this approval is received, we are ready to draft a list of the needs of the Palestinian people to be added to our needs and subtracted from our funds. [end recording]
The cabinet also looked into the issues listed on its agenda and took the appropriate decisions and recommendations.
The cabinet discussed amending Revolution Command Council [RCC] Resolution No. 172 for the year 1991 pertaining to the soldiers department. Under the proposed amendment, nonmilitary personnel who played a distinguished role in the Al-Qadisiyah and the mother of battles will be included and thus transferred to this department. The cabinet recommended that this draft law be passed to the RCC for endorsement.
The cabinet also agreed to introduce amendments to the special constraints that restrict granting pieces of land to the military personnel through their affiliate societies.
The cabinet also ratified a proposal by the Ministry of Transport and Communications to grant incentives to the employees of the State Facility of the Civil Aviation and the Central Bank.
The cabinet endorsed the funds allocated for digging wells in Altun Cupri to provide Al-Ta’mim governorate with its water needs, offset water scarcity, and provide drinking water for Karkuk on condition that the project be included in the investment plan of the Interior Ministry for the year 2001.
The cabinet also agreed to increase the annual allocations for the housing units project which is intended to serve the faculty member doctors, so that the Higher Education and Scientific Research Ministry will be able to complete the requirements of this project during the remaining time of this year.
The cabinet discussed a proposal to set up a fund for supporting the internal departments of the Higher Education and Scientific Research Ministry with the aim of providing the financial resources needed to build or rent the internal departments, support, develop, and maintain them. The cabinet recommended that this be passed to the RCC for endorsement.
In order to reduce the construction of buildings and installations without an official license issued by the Baghdad Municipality or the concerned municipality in the administrative units, and in order to maintain the basic design of Baghdad and the basic designs of other municipalities, the cabinet endorsed a draft law amending the law of the administration of municipalities No. 165 for the year 1964. After introducing some amendments to it, the cabinet recommended that the law be passed to the RCC for endorsement. [Video shows Saddam addressing cabinet members]
[Description of Source: Official television station of the Iraqi Government]
II. SADDAM’S SPEECH PRINTED IN IRAQ PRESS
Saddam Urges Palestinians to Continue Uprising BAGHDAD, Nov 26 (Reuters) – President Saddam Hussein urged Palestinians to continue their uprising against Israel and to ignore “short-sighted political solutions” sponsored by the United States.
Iraq has supported the Palestinians over two months of Israeli- Palestinian clashes and has called for Islamic Jihad “holy war” to liberate Palestinian territory from Israel. “What we hope from Palestinian leadership is that they should not pin hope on short-sighted political solutions and they should be patient because anyone who wants to liberate his country should show patience,” Iraqi newspapers on Sunday quoted Saddam as saying. Saddam, speaking during a cabinet meeting late on Saturday, also called for confronting U.S. interests anywhere in the world. “Arabs should direct their struggle and jihad against American interests,” he said.
Middle East diplomacy shifted to Egypt where President Hosni Mubarak and a senior aide to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak met to explore ways of ending two months of bloodshed in the West Bank and Gaza.
The Israeli official, Danny Yatom met Mubarak less than a week after Egypt, the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel, recalled its ambassador to Tel Aviv and accused the Jewish state of aggression towards Palestinians. Saddam had urged the United Nations to include relief supplies for the Palestinian people under Iraq’s oil-for-food deal with the world body.
“I want an official memorandum to be submitted to the Security Council and the Secretary-General asking for a quota for the Palestinian people to be deducted from Iraq’s revenues of the memorandum of understanding,” Iraqi television quoted Saddam as saying during a cabinet meeting on Saturday.
Baghdad has always taken a hard line towards Israel and fired Scud missiles at the Jewish state during the Gulf War. It also opposes peace agreements signed between Israel and the Palestinians and those signed with neighbouring countries.
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