As a Jew (living in Ausralia) I get depressed reading letters like Michael Bokarell's with the usual Israeli propaganda line. I have vowed never to set foot in Israel whilst Palestinians are not given justice.

Until that day happens it is a duty for all fair minded Jews who hate Zionism and what it has done to their race, to fight for the freedom of Palestinians to live peaceful lives in their own land.

Until that is acheived, Israelis and all Jews are diminished as a race.

yours sincerley,

That's the bet that Iraq will become a bigger, nastier mess than

Afghanistan did after America's ``victory?'' US blunders have been much

more serious this time and the consequences will be much more disastrous.

The US will have many reasons to regret its victory. Consider just four:

Israel as the prime mover of policy.

The Jewish lobby was powerful enough in Washington to force America into

war in defiance of world opinion. Protecting Israeli interests was the

undeclared war aim. That aim is stronger now that the first round is won.

After Iraq, the two remaining ``threats'' to Israel are Syria and Iran. And

sure enough, America has already accused Syria of having weapons of mass

destruction etcetera. If the US military machine now turns on Syria, it

will fill Arabs with still deeper hatred and revulsion against America. The

fury of a humiliated race could threaten the safety of even a superpower.

Oil as America's principal interest.

In the thick of battle looters devastated Baghdad including the priceless

National Museum and the National Library. US spokesmen said American forces

were unable to control the looters. But they were quite able, from Day One,

to protect the oil fields. The first field has already begun commercial

production and company employees were ready with uniforms bearing S.O.C.

initials __ for Southern Oil Company.

It should cause no surprise if America finds oil more important than the

cultural treasures of a region where human civilisation began. America can

rarely comprehend any culture that's older than its own, which is all of

200 years. Even so, the efficiency and speed with which Iraqi oil business

has been revived tells its own tale.

Media as chauvinistic propaganda.

One undeniable reality of the Iraq war is that the much-touted independence

of the American media stands condemned without a doubt. Never has

Time-Newsweek-CNN partisanship been more unashamed. Never again will they

be believed, no matter how big their reach and how polished their production.

Unfortunately for them Internet made other views, other angles and other

facts widely available. Even some independent British newspapers tried to

present a balanced picture. And of course Al Jazira , Al Arabia and Abu

Dhabi TV provided consistently more credible coverage. All of which merely

nailed the lies of the American media.

Let two samples of American journalism suffice for now. Pictures of the

statue-toppling photo-op carried the caption ``Iraqis pull down Saddam

statue.'' The pulling down was done by US Marines with the help of a US

tank. Another photo caption in Time said, ``Iraqis mourn a relative killed

in a blast, perhaps caused by US bombs.'' Perhaps.

Christianity as an aggressive player.

The main religious element in this war is Jewish, but Christian evangelists

have rushed in looking for their own pickings. Two prominent organisations

are the Southern Baptists (the most fundamentalist Christian outfit in

America), and the Samaritans' Purse, an extremely rich aid dispenser run by

Frank Graham, son of the famous evangelist Billy Graham.

The Southern Baptists, who publicly describe Islam as evil, are

distributing food packets labelled, in Arabic, ``Truth was realised through

Jesus Christ.'' The Samaritans do likewise. Taking advantage of people in

distress will do no good to Jesus Christ, but that is a cherished tradition

of American evangelists.

Between exploiters of oil and peddlers of Christianity, the Americans will

establish themselves as an imperial occupying force in Iraq. Their enemies

will be legion. From these enemy ranks will rise new Osama bin Ladens.

America will never again know peace.