Saddam the Martyr?

It won't be the end of conflict in the Middle East although the United States and allies have effectively 'silenced' former Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein.

Saddam was executed yesterday following a decision by the court of the US-backed regime. CNN and Reuters reports are quite extensive, plus very troubling footage from Iraqi TV on the noose being placed around Saddam's neck.

He has been hanged and is now buried next to his sons. What a tragic symbol of the end of the despot.

What is indeed troubling is that Saddam may go down in history as a victim rather than a tyrant. He was defiant, refusing to be hooded, yet subdued as he was led by the hangman to his final moments. His apparent courage in his final moments may elevate him to the status of martyr by his supporters. Even UK and Australia -- the two deputy sheriffs to US President George Bush in the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 -- have condemned the hanging as they don't support capital punishment.

Yes, Saddam was a tyrant when he was in power. He has been hanged for giving orders to wipe out 148 men and boys following an assassination attempt on him.

What about successive Israeli leadership's role in killing thousands of Palestinians and flattening countless Palestinian villages following each suicide bombing by desperate Palestinians on hapless Israelis? Will the US invade Israel one day and put its leaders on trial for crime against humanity?

Or will the world put President Bush on trial for crime against humanity one day? He issued the orders for the wrongful invasion of Iraq that led to the death of more than 650,000 Iraqis.

Impeachment is too light a punishment.

Note: Earlier postings on Saddam Hussein.

Inside Israel: Part 2

Eye-opening Israel trip evokes thoughts of home
By PETER H L LIM
The New Paper, 22/11/2006
(C) Singapore Press Holdings Limited

ISRAEL is not a common destination for Singaporeans for holiday or for business. Yet many Singaporeans have been there, including those on pilgrimage. Back home after 11 days in the country - which is situated on territory that is Holy Land to the Christian, Islamic and Jewish religions - the most frequently asked question was: Were you in any danger at any time?

No, the Singapore Press Club group of 30 did not face any imminent danger even though the places we visited included spots close to the Lebanese and Syrian borders, the Golan Heights being one of the highlights. Usually, I do not like being buss-ed around for sightseeing. I would much rather explore on my own, at my own pace. But the sightseeing packaged for us gave me rewarding glimpses of historical sites and contemporary attractions.

I studied the Bible when I was in a mission school and, though I have no religion, I felt a distinct sense of place when we visited locations where Jesus had been, like beside and on the Sea of Galilee. I had read and heard about the Holocaust and the millions of victims of Nazi anti-Semitism. Yet it was still a discovery of facts and feelings as I walked and paused at the Holocaust memorial. The memorial was more a shrine than a museum. It comprised gorgeous architecture, designed to bring to glorious life the old saying that there is light at the end of the tunnel. It also conveyed grim remembrance, reminding us of murderous racism and of how one people, one religion and one vision could keep the Jews alive through centuries of having no home to call their own.

Now Israel in the Middle East is their beloved home - and the Jews are hated for that by many people because of the way the nation came about and what it cost, and is still costing, countless Muslim Arabs and others. Of more interest to me than the sightseeing were the discussions about Israel and its neighbours that we had with Israeli thinkers and doers.

The discussions came very close to home for us Singaporeans when we heard statements such as these: 'Israel, like Singapore, is a small country,' said an Israeli Foreign Ministry official in defence of his country's pre-emptive strike military doctrine. 'We have no second-strike capability.' 'In Singapore, your Muslims see themselves as part of the system,' said an Israeli parliamentarian. An Israeli social activist said in another discussion: 'In Israel, there is not yet equality of treatment for both races (the Jews and the Arabs).' 'We are part of the global village, we're very high-tech,' said the director of an Israeli think-tank. 'Our people are very mobile, they move around and are in high demand in the West. Yet, whenever we have to call up our reservists, the combat units get 100 per cent response. We have a very strong sense of commitment.'

What our trip lacked was access to Arab thinkers and doers, especially those who could speak for the Palestinians. For among the Palestinians too is a very strong commitment to homeland. And so my thoughts turned to home and to hopes for the same strength of commitment from my fellow citizens.

Inside Israel: Part 1

When sworn enemies rock 'n' roll together
By PETER H L LIM
The New Paper, 15/11/2006
(C) Singapore Press Holdings Limited

She was one against 12 in a group of 33 teenagers from as many countries. She was a Jewish Israeli, representing Israel. The 12 were from Arab or Islamic countries, or Muslims from other nations. When they first met in New York in the winter of 1956/57, she tried to make friends with the 12. They refused to even acknowledge her greetings. But she had no problems making friends with the others attending the New York Herald Tribune youth forum. I was the delegate from Singapore.

I watched as the lanky Daphna took the rejection from the 12 in her stride. Even though she understood the reasons for their hostility, it was clear that she was hurt. The main reason, which persists to this day, is that the Arabs are angry that their Palestinian brothers and sisters have been driven from much of their motherland by the post-World War II creation of the state of Israel. Non-Arab Muslims share in the pain of the dispossessed, refugees in their own territory or in other peoples', victims of big-power politics. The Jewish Israelis feel that they are the true victims, dispersed and persecuted for thousands of years in many countries, who have finally come home. And they are not safe at home because of constant attacks by enemies who want to delete Israel from the world map.

As an 18-year-old from colonial Singapore , I was shocked by the depth of the animosity between the Jews and the Arabs, and by the unconditional support given to the Arabs by the other Muslims in the group. Then, over the three months of the youth forum when the delegates stayed together or separately with American families, I learnt an abiding lesson in human relations: Even the worst of enemies can become friends when they see each other as fellow human beings.

Before the end of the forum, Daphna was treated as a friendly delegate by all of the 12 who had spurned her.

The most heartwarming sight: Moroccan delegate Mohd Amine, who is much shorter than Daphna, dancing the rock 'n' roll with her and repeatedly swinging her over his shoulder! In Israel during the last two weeks, from what I saw and heard as a first-timer in the country, I came to the sad conclusion that there is probably no solution to the Israel-Palestine problem for so long as both states want to exist.

To so many of the protagonists on both sides, co-existence itself is a no-go word. I was one of 30 members of the Singapore Press Club on a 'sightseeing and seek understanding' visit facilitated by the Israeli Foreign Ministry but paid for by club members themselves.

It was heart-wrenching hearing the Holocaust stories again and seeing the memorials and the museums of a people who not only survived their diaspora, but who have also hung on to their identity and thrived to the extent that many others feel threatened or, at best, envious. What was heartwarming, though, was to hear a few Jewish Israelis telling us that it was time for the Jews to drop their victim syndrome and help alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians, their fellow human beings.

The writer is the former editor-in-chief of Singapore Press Holdings' English and Malay Newspapers Division.