"In his response, Foreign Minister Jack Straw said that September 11 had not come in response to any Western attack, and was itself in part responsible for the Iraq War. Straw seems unaware that according to the September 11 Commission report, al-Qaeda conceived 9/11 in some large part as a punishment on the US for supporting Ariel Sharon's iron fist policies toward the Palestinians. Bin Laden had wanted to move the operation up in response to Sharon's threatening visit to the Temple Mount, and again in response to the Israeli attack on the Jenin refugee camp, which left 4,000 persons homeless. Khalid Shaikh Muhammad argued in each case that the operation just was not ready. As for Straw's contention that September 11 caused the Iraq war, he should be reminded that Paul O'Neil reported that the very first Bush cabinet meeting he attended, in late January 2001, was "all about Iraq" and that the 9/11 Commission found no evidence for operational cooperation between Saddam's Iraq and al-Qaeda."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Academics from the United StatesHistorians from the United StatesTranslators from the United StatesPolitical commentators from the United StatesPeople from Albuquerque
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Imported from EN Wikiquote
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Juan_Cole
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Juan Cole
6 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Juan Cole →
Related Quotes
"“A second issue was the attitude of Shi‘i clerics, government officials, and laypersons toward Hindus. The clerical a…"
"A group of Israeli rabbis has issued a call for the Sharon government to cease its policy of cavalierly allowing the …"
"The state of Israel is a project of Jewish nationalism that is as legitimate as any other national project. But Israe…"
"The precise reason for Hitchens’ theft and publication of my private mail is that I object to the characterization of…"
"One of his charges is that I am accusing the Neoconservatives in the Pentagon of "dual loyalties." That is true, but …"
"For him delicious flavors dwell In books as in old Muscatel."
"And in the evening, everywhere Along the roadside, up and down, I see the golden torches flare Like lighted street-la…"
"Song like a rose should be; Each rhyme a petal sweet; For fragrance, melody, That when her lips repeat The words, her…"
"Americans have always been especially prone to regard all things as resulting from the free choice of a free will. Pr…"
"Democracy is clearly most appropriate for countries which enjoy an economic surplus and least appropriate for countri…"