While neighboring Israel nervously braces for the possibility of war with arch-enemy Iran, Palestinians are greeting the crisis with a yawn.
Opinions about the international showdown over Iran's burgeoning nuclear program are mixed, but Palestinians largely don't see themselves a party to the conflict and don't expect to be drawn into any violence — even though two decades ago Iraqi missiles toward Israel sent them scurrying for cover too.
"We haven't discussed war scenarios simply because we don't expect any war," said Azzam Al-Ahmed, an aide to President Mahmoud Abbas, head of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. "The U.S. is not willing to attack Iran and Israel won't dare attack a strong country like Iran."
That remains to be seen.
Israel believes that Iran is developing a nuclear bomb, and has repeatedly threatened to attack Iran's nuclear facilities if it thinks that is the only way to prevent the Iranians from building a weapon. Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has expressed skepticism over international efforts to halt the Iranians through diplomacy and economic sanctions.
Israel considers a nuclear-armed Iran to be a threat to its very existence, citing calls by Iranian leaders for Israel's destruction, Iran's sophisticated missile arsenal and Iranian support for hostile militant groups on Israel's northern and southern borders. Iran, for its part, claims its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only.
Iranian commanders have said that an Israeli airstrike would draw an Iranian missile counterattack.
Experts believe such a scenario could involve either Iran firing its long-range Shihab missiles at Israeli population centers or acting via local proxies of Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza or even groups in Syria. Military intelligence estimates that Israel's enemies now have some 200,000 rockets and missiles aimed at it.
As part of its preparations, Israel has deployed mobile rocket-defense systems and beefed up its civil-defense infrastructure, with large public bomb shelters, public safety drills and handing out gas masks to its citizens. The possibility of war dominates water-cooler conversations, radio programs and evening newscast.
Just a few miles away in the West Bank, the mood is far different. Palestinian officials have not taken any steps to protect the public, due to a combination of denial, lack of budget funds and in some quarters, satisfaction if Israel is attacked.
Many Palestinians sympathize with Iran and say they would be pleased if Iran develops atomic weapons, noting that Israel is believed to possess a nuclear arsenal of its own.
"Why does Israel only have the right to possess nuclear weapons?" said Ahmed Muhsin, a 22-year-old university student in Ramallah. "Iran has the right too, and I think Iran will be the country to defeat Israel one day and kick it out of our land."
Sympathy alone won't provide protection. In 1991, some Palestinians cheered from their rooftops as Saddam Hussein's missiles flew overhead toward Israel during the first Gulf War. But some of the rudimentary Scud missiles went wayward and landed in the West Bank as well.
20 Sep, 2012
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Source: http://feeds.abcnews.com/click.phdo?i=78f5bfc6e41f716c78f16cc699c9913a
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