Prince describes Arab mistrust of U.S. on Iraq
Neil MacFarquhar The New York Times
Saturday, September 14, 2002
JIDDA The Arab world has been wary about the campaign against terrorism ever since President George W. Bush first described it as a crusade, his offhand remark conjuring up ghosts of the Middle Ages. Those ghosts were never completely laid to rest, and now, with talk of a war in Iraq, the Arab world believes the fight against terror may ultimately breed more violence, not less.
That dread is rooted in the perception that the entire effort to fight terrorism was shanghaied by Israel to justify its occupation of Palestinian land.
"We think that the Zionist movement is using this opportunity to make Islam and the Arabs the enemy of the West and this is entirely wrong," said Prince Khalid al Faisal al Saud of Saudi Arabia. "It is very frustrating to see your people killed every day; you see them on television, you see women and children being bombed by American airplanes, by American helicopters, American tanks and American money. This is disturbing."
"This makes this region the most explosive region in the world because of the feeling of frustration," he added.
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