Israel Dusts Off Gas Masks
The Israeli army opened gas mask distribution centers Thursday in preparation for a possible attack by Iraq if the United States uses force in the latest Persian Gulf crisis.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with top ministers today to discuss Israeli readiness for a possible U.S. strike that might trigger an Iraqi attack on Israel.
"We feel that the chances of any kind of attack are... close to zero, but as long as there is any possibility at all, we have to be prepared," said Netanyahu adviser David Bar-Illan.
The United States has threatened to use force against Iraq if it does not back down on its decision late last month to stop cooperating with U.N. arms inspectors, who must certify that Iraq has eliminated its weapons of mass destruction before sanctions imposed after Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait can be lifted.
The Palestinians, meanwhile, urged the United States to exhaust the diplomatic option.
"I hope and urge that there will not be an attack against Iraq," Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat told The Jerusalem Post. "Peace in the Middle East will be negatively affected by a U.S. attack."
Arafat supported Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in the 1991 Persian Gulf War in which Iraq fired 39 Scud missiles at Israel. However, the Palestinians have remained neutral in subsequent crises.
The State Department issued an advisory Wednesday suggesting that employees in nonessential positions in Kuwait and Israel leave the region.
The army opened 65 gas mask distribution centers around Israel, the army spokesman's office said. The number will gradually be increased to 150 centers that will be open 24 hours a day.
About 25 percent of Israelis do not have gas masks or have outdated ones, Israel radio said.
Israel first began distributing gas masks to its citizens in the months leading up to the 1991 war, following threats by Saddam to attack Israel with chemical weapons.
Since the war, Israelis have from time to time exchanged their gas masks for newer models with fresh filters.
Written by Sari Bashi
©1998 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed
© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with top ministers today to discuss Israeli readiness for a possible U.S. strike that might trigger an Iraqi attack on Israel.
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The United States has threatened to use force against Iraq if it does not back down on its decision late last month to stop cooperating with U.N. arms inspectors, who must certify that Iraq has eliminated its weapons of mass destruction before sanctions imposed after Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait can be lifted.
The Palestinians, meanwhile, urged the United States to exhaust the diplomatic option.
"I hope and urge that there will not be an attack against Iraq," Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat told The Jerusalem Post. "Peace in the Middle East will be negatively affected by a U.S. attack."
Arafat supported Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in the 1991 Persian Gulf War in which Iraq fired 39 Scud missiles at Israel. However, the Palestinians have remained neutral in subsequent crises.
The State Department issued an advisory Wednesday suggesting that employees in nonessential positions in Kuwait and Israel leave the region.
The army opened 65 gas mask distribution centers around Israel, the army spokesman's office said. The number will gradually be increased to 150 centers that will be open 24 hours a day.
About 25 percent of Israelis do not have gas masks or have outdated ones, Israel radio said.
Israel first began distributing gas masks to its citizens in the months leading up to the 1991 war, following threats by Saddam to attack Israel with chemical weapons.
Since the war, Israelis have from time to time exchanged their gas masks for newer models with fresh filters.
Written by Sari Bashi
©1998 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed
