This is a report by Andrea Mitchell, NBC News. Mudcatters, what are your thoughts?

April 1 - There is, it seems, a seemingly endless supply of suicide bombers with unlimited support from Iran and Palestinians around the world. And recently, millions of dollars from Saddam Hussein. THE IRAQI LEADER appeared on Iraqi television this weekend, along with his sons and advisers. "It's a disgrace on all Arabs and believers everywhere if they don't help their Palestinian brothers in their battle," Saddam said in the appearance. What does Iraq provide? Intelligence sources tell NBC News: money for the bombers' families, channeled through the extremist group Hamas. On Monday, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld harshly criticized Iraq, as well as Iran and Syria, as supporters of terrorism. "The Iraqis - Saddam Hussein has announced that they're offering stipends to families of suicide bombers. They've decided that that's a good thing to do. So they're running around encouraging people to be suicide bombers. I would suggest that that is very actively trying to kill innocent men, women and children, and that's exactly what the Iraqis intend to be doing by doing that," Rumsfeld said.

LIFE INSURANCE, COURTESY OF IRAQ
So, before these young Palestinians blow themselves up, they get what amounts to a life insurance policy financed by Iraq - cash annuities for their parents, subsidized food, scholarships for siblings and, since Israel usually destroys their family homes, replacement housing. Experts say Iraq also provides some weapons to Palestinians, smuggled through neighboring Jordan. What does Iraq get in return? Ken Pollack of the Council on Foreign Relations said, "This is useful for Saddam because he has recognized that the worse the violence between Israelis and Palestinians, the harder it is for the U.S. to come after him. By the same token, it builds up his own popularity in the Arab world." Iraq is not the only country supporting Hamas and other militant groups. They get sophisticated weapons from Iran. Israel captured one shipment last January.