Palestinians in Ramallah are celebrating Iraq's capture of American and British soldiers. So reports WorldNetDaily.com, quoting a policeman at Yasser Arafat's battered headquarters saying that the news made it a "big day for the Iraqi people and all the Arabs and Muslims." "They have just shot down two Apache helicopters," an excited merchant shouted hysterically as he ran out of his shop. "This is unbelievable. The Americans are losing the war. Iraq is going to be Bush's Vietnam."
"Everyone here was happy," the policeman said, "to see pictures of American soldiers in Iraqi custody. This is a big blow for Bush and Blair." The Jerusalem Post quoted one of his colleagues in Arafat's Force 17 saying that the news made him so happy that "I felt like kissing all the people around me. Saddam has once again proven that he is a great leader, a defender of Arab rights. His men are brave. They have been able to teach the American and British dogs an unforgettable lesson."
Shortly after Saddam's speech was aired yesterday, about 50 girls in green and white school uniforms marched toward Ramallah's central square with signs denouncing U.S. "aggression" on Iraq. The girls were greeted by shopkeepers and others as they chanted choice sayings such as, "Oh beloved Saddam, bomb, bomb Tel Aviv;" "Oh Saddam, we love you, why don't you annihilate all the Jews;" "Bush, soon Saddam will bury you;" and "[King] Abdullah [of Jordan], your people don't want you, we hope you will follow your father."
A PA journalist told the Jerusalem Post yesterday that the capture of coalition soldiers brought a sense of pride to the PA: "Until yesterday, the feeling here was bad, but when the pictures of the American prisoners and bodies of soldiers were shown on TV, there was a lot of excitement. It's very moving to watch Arab soldiers … defeating American and British soldiers and killing them."
How do they feel about Saddam? "Saddam is now more popular than ever," the journalist said. "The feeling here is that Saddam has restored Arab confidence and dignity."
The widely televised footage of elated Iraqi villagers and militiamen waving their rifles next to an Apache helicopter may have left some wrong impressions. "An old man with a rifle was able to shoot down one of the world's most advanced helicopters," one Ramallah Arab said proudly, if mistakenly. "The Iraqis are very brave and we are proud of them."
A U.S. loss or lack of success in Iraq is dangerous for Israel, it appears. Hasan al Kashef, a noted columnist and senior PA official, wrote yesterday, "Iraq has presented to the Arabs and all the peoples of the world proof that it is possible to defeat the U.S. On this day, the Arabs and the rest of the world have come to learn that the U.S. is not the almighty superpower that is capable of doing anything anytime. Iraq has proven that surrendering to the will of the U.S. is the result of impotence, miscalculation and a lack of will."
"Everyone here was happy," the policeman said, "to see pictures of American soldiers in Iraqi custody. This is a big blow for Bush and Blair." The Jerusalem Post quoted one of his colleagues in Arafat's Force 17 saying that the news made him so happy that "I felt like kissing all the people around me. Saddam has once again proven that he is a great leader, a defender of Arab rights. His men are brave. They have been able to teach the American and British dogs an unforgettable lesson."
Shortly after Saddam's speech was aired yesterday, about 50 girls in green and white school uniforms marched toward Ramallah's central square with signs denouncing U.S. "aggression" on Iraq. The girls were greeted by shopkeepers and others as they chanted choice sayings such as, "Oh beloved Saddam, bomb, bomb Tel Aviv;" "Oh Saddam, we love you, why don't you annihilate all the Jews;" "Bush, soon Saddam will bury you;" and "[King] Abdullah [of Jordan], your people don't want you, we hope you will follow your father."
A PA journalist told the Jerusalem Post yesterday that the capture of coalition soldiers brought a sense of pride to the PA: "Until yesterday, the feeling here was bad, but when the pictures of the American prisoners and bodies of soldiers were shown on TV, there was a lot of excitement. It's very moving to watch Arab soldiers … defeating American and British soldiers and killing them."
How do they feel about Saddam? "Saddam is now more popular than ever," the journalist said. "The feeling here is that Saddam has restored Arab confidence and dignity."
The widely televised footage of elated Iraqi villagers and militiamen waving their rifles next to an Apache helicopter may have left some wrong impressions. "An old man with a rifle was able to shoot down one of the world's most advanced helicopters," one Ramallah Arab said proudly, if mistakenly. "The Iraqis are very brave and we are proud of them."
A U.S. loss or lack of success in Iraq is dangerous for Israel, it appears. Hasan al Kashef, a noted columnist and senior PA official, wrote yesterday, "Iraq has presented to the Arabs and all the peoples of the world proof that it is possible to defeat the U.S. On this day, the Arabs and the rest of the world have come to learn that the U.S. is not the almighty superpower that is capable of doing anything anytime. Iraq has proven that surrendering to the will of the U.S. is the result of impotence, miscalculation and a lack of will."