The Wonk Room

Iraq’s Leaders Condemn Gaza Strikes

Of the various premises on which the U.S. invasion of Iraq was sold to the American people, one of the most bizarre was that a post-Saddam Iraqi government would be friendly to Israel. As with claims about WMD and Al Qaeda connections, this one has proved to be a work of imagination.

Just as they did during Israel’s 2006 war against Hezbollah, Iraq’s leaders are now showing where their true sympathies lie. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s Da’wa Party “issued a statement condemning the attacks and calling on Islamic countries to cut relations with Israel and end all ’secret and public talks’ with it.”

Khalid Hussain of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI) told Gulf News “We have obligations towards Palestine and all Iraqi people are in solidarity with the people in Palestine, and we will support the people in Gaza.”

Liwa Smeisim, Head of the Sadr’s political movement, has called for demonstrations in various Iraqi cities in solidarity with the people of Gaza and is also raising money to send to Gaza.

“Palestinian blood which was shed in Gaza and Iraqi blood which was shed in the Iraqi city of Kadhimiya [in reference to the bombing, which occurred in Baghdad at the time of the Israeli aggression on Gaza] is one blood,” Omar Abdul Sattar of the Islamic Party told Gulf News.

Iraqi parliamentarians called for the convening of a special session of parliament to discuss the situation in Gaza and the nature of the Iraqi move to support the Palestinians and stop Israeli aggression.

“Iraqi resistance groups have to retaliate against the Israeli aggression on Gaza by escalating their operations against the US military in Iraq since the US position is in favour of this aggression, firstly, and secondly because the United States and Israel are both enemies of the Arabs,” Omar Al Kubaisi, an activist of the Sunni Muslim Clerics Association.

Iraq’s senior Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Sistani also issued a statement condemning the Gaza strikes. (Juan Cole has the English translation.) Iraqis all over the country expressed solidarity with the Palestinians.

Looking on the bright side, if one can call it that, as with opposition to the U.S. occupation, Gaza is an issue on which Iraqis have achieved rare political consensus.