FactsOfIsrael.com: Iraq calls shuttle space Columbia explosion "God's vengence"

February 02, 2003

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Iraq calls shuttle space Columbia explosion "God's vengence"

Reuters (www.reuters.com) reports that Iraq believes that the explosion of the space shuttle Columiba is "God's vengence":

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Immediate popular reaction in Baghdad on Saturday to the loss of the U.S. space shuttle Columbia and its seven-member crew -- including the first Israeli in space -- was that it was God's retribution.
"We are happy that it broke up," government employee Abdul Jabbar al-Quraishi said.

"God wants to show that his might is greater than the Americans. They have encroached on our country. God is avenging us," he said. [...]

Car mechanic Mohammed Jaber al-Tamini noted Israeli air force Colonel Ilan Ramon was among the dead when the shuttle broke up over the southwestern United States 16 minutes before its scheduled landing.

The 48-year-old Israeli astronaut was a fighter pilot in the Israeli air force. He was the youngest pilot in a team that bombed Iraq's nuclear reactor in 1981. Israel said the reactor was intended to develop nuclear weapons.

"Israel launched an aggression on us when it raided our nuclear reactor without any reason, now time has come and God has retaliated to their aggression," Tamini said.

During the Gulf war in 1991, Iraq launched missiles targetting Israeli civilians. Israel never retaliated but the bombings continued until Iraq lost the war. See the History page for details.

I copy the full article below.

Iraqis Call Shuttle Disaster God's Vengeance
Sat February 1, 2003 03:24 PM ET
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml
;jsessionid=BJKKZDZVFUFBACRBAELCFEY
?type=worldNews&storyID=2152926

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Immediate popular reaction in Baghdad on Saturday to the loss of the U.S. space shuttle Columbia and its seven-member crew -- including the first Israeli in space -- was that it was God's retribution.
"We are happy that it broke up," government employee Abdul Jabbar al-Quraishi said.

"God wants to show that his might is greater than the Americans. They have encroached on our country. God is avenging us," he said.

Iraqis are braced for a possible U.S.-led war to rid their country of any chemical, biological or nuclear weapons it may possess. Iraq denies it has such weapons.

Car mechanic Mohammed Jaber al-Tamini noted Israeli air force Colonel Ilan Ramon was among the dead when the shuttle broke up over the southwestern United States 16 minutes before its scheduled landing.

The 48-year-old Israeli astronaut was a fighter pilot in the Israeli air force. He was the youngest pilot in a team that bombed Iraq's nuclear reactor in 1981. Israel said the reactor was intended to develop nuclear weapons.

"Israel launched an aggression on us when it raided our nuclear reactor without any reason, now time has come and God has retaliated to their aggression," Tamini said.

There were no such signs of jubilation over the shuttle disaster in any of the Palestinian territories. The official response from the Palestinians was one of condolence.

"President (Yasser) Arafat and the Palestinian Authority offer their condolences to the six American families and the Israeli family who lost their loved ones in the catastrophe," Saeb Erekat, a senior Palestinian official and spokesman, told Reuters.

Erekat said Arafat had sent President Bush a message of condolences over the loss of the NASA space agency's shuttle. The United States, Israel's closest ally, is the chief Middle East peace broker.

Posted by David Melle

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Does anyone who reads this have the link to a slide show which shows an Isreali jet piloted by Ilan Ramon on its way to bombing the Iraq's new-at-the-time nuclear reactor. It is a very impressive movie like presentation which requires a pause to download it for play. Link pls? Thanx.

Posted by: Stan Rocklin at April 17, 2003 01:16 AM

How about facing up to the Truth - During the Reagan administration, CIA Director William Casey initiated the recruitment of Islamic fundamentalists from around the world to go to Afghanistan in the 1980s to fight in the decade-long guerrilla war against the Soviet military intervention. They received training in terrorist tactics, including the planting of bombs, from US intelligence agents. This was the milieu out of which Osama bin Laden—himself a collaborator with the CIA in Afghanistan—recruited the initial forces for his Al Qaeda organization. After the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, many of these fighters, most of them Arabs, were allowed entry into the United States as a reward for their services in the war. In the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War, some of these Islamic fundamentalists turned against the US government, bombing the World Trade Center in 1993 and carrying out other attacks on US targets overseas. The phenomenon of former CIA-backed guerrillas using their US training to attack American targets became known as “blowback.” The C.I.A funded these assholes to hurt the Soviets and they are now hurting us all.

Pity President George W. Bush can't bring himself to tell the truth, then maybe just maybe the rest of the world would understand, instead of thinking that the U.S have gone absolutely and totally barking mad.

Israel get no security benifit by the United States creating the conditions for a fundamentalist regime to emerge in Iraq. Just more
problems. Tell the Yanks to use their brains for God sake, and get out Iraq ASAP.

Remember this war - fought on the basis of a total lie (ie The WMD question) has no chance of sucess at the end of the day - only failure.

Posted by: William Wallace at September 4, 2003 05:23 AM

Please visit my memorial / tribute YAHOO group in loving honor of the Columbia Crew. I invite you all to join in dedicated rememberance...I hope to see you all soon...

Thank you..

Posted by: shawna at March 28, 2004 12:14 PM