"...democratic rule, it will disengage and isolate what up to now has been a relatively united front against Israel."

Umm....I don't see your reasoning, Claymore -- why would democratic rule in Iraq, where the vast majority are Muslims sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, provide any less of a united front against Israel? Or does "democratic" mean "USA-led" in your vocabulary?

One of the problems with your leader's plan is that neither he nor the Muslims he is hoping to organize are willing to separate religous conviction from governmental concerns. This will prove to be the core issue of the effort to establish self-rule in Iraq.

I imagine if a perfect democratic system were put in place in Iraq, there would still be a lot of support there for the Palestinians.

A