The 70 fords of the Jordan River by which terrorists and contraband have crossed to and from Trans-Jordan as easily as the peasantry and Ghor Arabs for many generations present another type of problem. Thirty-five of the fords can be watched effectively from high ground near by. The remainder will be rendered impassable by fences on the banks, supplemented by submerged wiring which will serve the same purpose as the wooden stakes used by the ancient Britons and Romans. The erection of this formidable barrier, which is quickly becoming known as Tegart's Wall, is unquestionably a necessity in present conditions, just as Hadrian's Wall in the past, concludes the Times correspondent. But if the other experiments being made in Palestine are to be permanent, the necessity for such wartime precautions must be removed by so just a settlement of the problems of the country that her frontiers will be guarded by the mutual good will and confidence of herself and her neighbours. It would be a tragedy if the future State or States could only exist behind barbed wire entanglements.

What is it about America's allies in the war on terrorism that some are more equal than others? Take the recent announcement by the Pentagon that it will award prime contracts for the reconstruction of Iraq only to nations that supported the effort to oust Saddam Hussein. Under the formula devised by the Pentagon, a country must have contributed to Saddam's defeat either militarily or financially for its companies to be eligible to bid on post-war reconstruction work.

Fair enough. France, Germany and Russia have opposed the U.S. liberation effort, so their companies are excluded from bidding on any of the 26 contracts tied to the Iraqi Reconstruction and Relief Fund, or IRRF contracts valued at $18.6 billion. They may, however, sign up as subcontractors.

The situation is a bit more ambiguous for a country like Canada, which opposed the war but is contributing, nonetheless, to the post-war rebuilding effort. The Canadian government recently pledged upwards of $300 million to the effort. Initially, the Pentagon placed Canada on the "no bid" list. It was only after Ottawa cried "Eh!" that the White House backtracked and moved it into the preferred column.

Today, companies from 63 countries may tender bids on IRRF prime contracts. Among them, states like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, and Egypt were anything but enthusiastic supporters of the liberation effort in Iraq. Several, such as Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, were outright hostile to the Bush administration and worked to actively obstruct its war aims. All three went so far as to deny coalition forces staging areas, over-flight rights or troops, actions that significantly hampered U.S. logistical operations prior to the conflict.

Noticeably absent from the list of preferred countries is Israel, a nation that contributed significantly to the American-led effort to topple Saddam. In a decision that stunned many observers, the Pentagon made a point of publicly singling out the Jewish state as one of the countries excluded from the Iraqi post-war bidding process. No reason was given.

But in a Pentagon memorandum describing the new policy, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz states that restrictions are "necessary for the protection of the essential security interests of the United States" and that "limiting competition for prime contracts will encourage the expansion of international cooperation in Iraq and in the future." He concludes, "Coalition partners (must) share in the U.S. vision of a free and stable Iraq."

The Pentagon made a point of publicly singling out the Jewish state as one of the countries excluded from the Iraqi post-war bidding process.

Allowing Israel to administer prime contracts in Iraq is of more than just symbolic importance. It goes to the heart of what the Iraq war was about and President Bush's goal of a democratically reconstituted Middle East. If the U.S. is to expect Israel to make sacrifices in the name of peace, then its citizens must know that they will be accepted as full partners in the economic life of the region.

The Pentagon policy pronouncement was more than a little surprising given that the administration considers itself to be a close friend of Israel. Surely there is no country in the world more in sync with the "vision of a free and stable Iraq" than Israel. Not only has Jerusalem borne the brunt of Iraqi hostility for nearly 56 years, but it has given its unconditional support to the U.S. in each of its recent conflicts with Baghdad.

Israeli leaders even went so far as to provide Washington with assurances prior to the war that in the event of a surprise Scud missile attack from Iraq, it would not take pre-emptive action without first coordinating its

February 2004               - 7 -               Outpost