The road to Mideast peace now runs through… Lebanon? AP quotes Italian PM Romano Prodi, who met with Lebanese leaders:
“If there is not a solution to the Lebanese problem, there will be no solution to the other problems in the Middle East,” he said in English.
Israel-Iraq linkage theories take a further blow. McClatchy reports Iraqi Shiite insurgents are targeting Palestinians in Baghdad:
The attacks include kidnappings, mortar barrages, drive-by shootings and Palestinians forced from their homes. Palestinians and U.N. aid officials say Shiite militias are behind most of the attacks….
The widespread belief that Palestinians received more privileges than ordinary Iraqis drew resentment from both Shiites and fellow Sunnis. Immediately after the fall of the former regime, Iraqis pushed Palestinians out of some districts and took over their homes. Many Shiites branded the Palestinians “terrorists” and accused them of supporting or joining the then-nascent Sunni insurgency.
