Palestinians Mourn Saddam's Execution

A Palestinian man watches details of the execution of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein on television, in Jerusalem's Old City, Saturday, Dec. 30, 2006. The execution of Saddam Hussein sent many Palestinians into deep mourning Saturday as they struggled to come to terms with the demise of perhaps their most steadfast ally. Unlike much of the rest of the world, where Saddam was viewed as a brutal dictator who oppressed his people and started regional wars, in the West Bank and Gaza he was seen as a generous benefactor unafraid to fight for the Palestinian cause _ even to the end.(AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos) (Alvaro Barrientos - AP)

Sabha Mohammed, 57, was stunned when her son told her that Saddam had been executed. Saddam had given her $25,000 to rebuild her house after a 2002 Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp.

"I immediately cried, because I felt that we, as Arabs and Muslims, lost a strong leader like Saddam," she said. "I hope the same thing happens to all the Arab and Muslim leaders because they didn't support Saddam and they stood silent, starting with the occupation of Iraq, through the U.S. army's arrest of Saddam, to his execution in the end."

Some Palestinians cited reports that Saddam had remembered them toward the end as evidence of his unshakable support.

But the grief was muted. Many in the West Bank and Gaza gave up on Saddam when he was captured by American soldiers three years ago.

In Bethlehem's "house of condolence," mourners sat beneath Iraqi flags and played Iraqi revolutionary songs, surrounded by pictures of Saddam. Outside, several cars parked outside had black strips of fabric tied to their antennae.

In the central Gaza town of Khan Younis, about 25 men and children marched through the street with pictures of Saddam.

In Gaza City, about 20 people sat in a garage that had been converted into a mourning area for Saddam. A poster on the wall displayed a picture of Saddam next to one of Arafat.

"Saddam Hussein gave Palestinians what no other Arab leader ever gave," said Mahmoud Abu Hasira, whose family organized the mourning area.

"He wanted the Palestinian people to have a state and a government and to be united," said Ghanem Mezel, 72, from the town of Saeer in the southern West Bank. "But God supports us, and we pray to God to punish those who did this."

In Israel, the response to the death of one of the nation's bitterest foes was muted. The government had no official comment on Saddam's execution

Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh expressed concerns about Iraq's path in the post-Saddam era. He told Israel Radio that Israel was concerned about the strengthening of Iranian influence in the Shiite sections of southern Iraq and also in the central government.

Iraq had also become a regional "power station" for terror that could spread chaos throughout the Middle East, he said.

"We have to be worried about what is going to happen now," he said.