Rumors And Iraq

Iraq Pundit explains:

Pssst. Israel wants to colonize Iraq, pass it on. When talking about what might derail progress in Iraq, people rarely mention the power of the conspiracy theory. Rumors have traditionally done a great deal of damage in the Middle East, and Iraq was never spared from this exercise. Sometimes the talk can be so silly that it's harmless, such as Saddam Hussein wore a crucifix under his suit. And sometimes it can be so carefully constructed that it can persuade even the cynical. I used to think the stories were created only by locals. But here's an American-made conspiracy rumor that is spreading.

"Israel reportedly has plans to relocate thousands of Kurdish Jews from Israel, including expatriates from Kurdish Iran, to the Iraqi cities of Mosul and Nineveh under the guise of religious pilgrimages to ancient Jewish religious shrines," writes Wayne Madsen. Who?

A conspiracy theorist, of course. But his rumors get reprinted in Arabic and there's enough paranoia in Kurdistan for these stories to affect politics - and the war. Iraq has not finished providing us with nasty surprises.