Former prime minister defends Israel's 1992 plan to assassinate Saddam Hus

[Judi Lynn]

Former prime minister defends Israel's 1992 plan to assassinate Saddam Hussein

PETER ENAV, Associated Press Writer Friday, December 19, 2003



(12-19) 23:54 PST JERUSALEM (AP) --

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak defended an Israeli plan to assassinate Saddam Hussein in 1992, breaking his silence on an operation that was canceled after five Israeli commandos were killed during a dress rehearsal.

The Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot said Tuesday that commandos from the elite Sayeret Matkal unit planned to kill Saddam as he attended a relative's funeral in his hometown of Tikrit, Iraq.

Saddam was captured by American forces near Tikrit on Dec. 14.

Barak was Israel's military chief of staff at the time of the planned operation, and was at the army base where the soldiers were killed in a missile accident. Ever since he has been hounded by allegations -- later proven false -- that he fled the scene, leaving behind wounded soldiers.
(snip/...)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/12/19/international0254EST0439.DTL

[Spider Jerusalem]

1. Defend the indefensible.

Assassination is completely illegal under international law; countries which engage in assassination as a means of implementing foreign policy are violating countless rules agreed upon and codified by the UN, in the Geneva conventions, etc...but then, one almost expects this of Israel. Just as one would expect it of the US, also not above using assassination to further its interests.

[J B]

2. Well they claim they're at war with Iraq.

So assassinating a military commander of an enemy state is technically legal....

But it stinks.

[Jim Sagle]

3. That was then, this is now. Nobody gives a fuck.

:boring: