November 24, 2004

The November 18th edition of the United Arab Emirates newspaper Al-Bayan carried an abstract of what it claimed was a Turkish newspaper report on Israeli activity in Iraq.


The reported activity includes buying land and buildings by way of Turkish Jews in northern Iraq, and encouraging Jewish businessmen to increase Israeli trade with Iraq. Specifically cited were the purchase of 1,500 acres in Kirkuk, 500 acres and 30 buildings in Irbil, and 500 houses near Mosul. The Turkish newspaper, Cumhuriyet, said that its information came from a high-level Turkish intelligence report on Israeli activity in Iraq.

The newspaper said that Israel's policies in Iraq are aimed at strengthening the mostly Kurdish northern province of Arab Iraq in order to counter any possible future Iraqi threat to the Jewish state. To this end, Israel began its investments in northern Iraq under the cover of the semi-autonomous area the US established even when Saddam Hussein was still in power, as early as 1993.

On the other hand, according to the Al-Bayan newspaper, the Turkish report cites an Israeli desire to make land in Iraq "holy" for Jews. The Turkish intelligence officials allegedly report further that Israel is not interested in a confrontation with Turkey, but is acting to keep a Turkish military influence out.

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