Israeli troops bag Arab terror donor

By DEBORAH BLACHOR SPECIAL TO THE NEWS

JERUSALEM - Israeli forces busted Saddam Hussein's Palestinian moneyman yesterday in a move to choke off the big-bucks awards the Iraqi despot has been sending to families of suicide bombers.

Soldiers disguised as Palestinians nabbed Rakad Salem, leader of the Arab Liberation Front, in Ramallah. Salem handed out $25,000 checks from Saddam to families of bombers and $10,000 to families of any Palestinian killed by Israeli bullets.

Palestinians regard him as a humanitarian missionary. Israel says he's only encouraging more terrorist killings.

"The money from Iraq encourages suicide bombers," an intelligence source said. "This arrest will make it more difficult for families to get the money from Iraq, and Israel hopes to cut off this tool of encouraging young men to blow themselves up."

Saddam's terrorist bounty has won him loyal support from the Palestinians, who feel abandoned by their leadership and the Arab world.

For some, he is the only Arab leader who has put his money where his mouth is.

"Although I do not agree with those supporting Saddam Hussein, I can understand it because of the terrible situation many Palestinians are living in," said Palestinian human rights activist Bassem Eid.

Threat of war

Palestinian support for the Iraqi dictator has only grown as President Bush threatens war.

"They see him as a person who stands up to the West and the only one to stand up to the sole superpower - the United States," said Dr. Ofra Bengio of Tel Aviv University, an Israeli expert on Iraq.

The support for Saddam among Palestinians also worries Israeli security officials - especially since intelligence forces have recently discovered terror cells trained and funded by Iraq.

A Shin Bet source told the Daily News that two other members of the pro-Iraqi Arab Liberation Front were busted last month on suspicion they were planning an attack at Ben Gurion Airport and that investigators are examining whether Salem had any role.

Fear widespread attacks

A war between the U.S. and Iraq is expected to inflame Palestinian militants, the source said.

A senior official traveling with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Russia said Israel fears the Palestinians will try to "set the ground ablaze" to provoke a response ahead of an attack on Iraq, the Jerusalem Post reported.

"The concern now is not about a few Scud missiles, but suicide bombers everywhere," the official told the Israeli paper.

In Gaza, Palestinians marched and burned Israeli and U.S. flags yesterday to protest a U.S. measure recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The measure, signed by Bush, requires the U.S. to list the holy city as the Israeli capital in official documents. The administration said it will ignore the measure - for now. The Palestinians want part of Jerusalem for the capital of a future state.

Meanwhile, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's grip on power has tightened after the 10-day Israeli siege and the destruction of his government compound last week. Yesterday, Palestinian legislators backed off plans to name a prime minister, a move that would have taken power from Arafat.

-- Anonymous, October 03, 2002