Rick Francona
In the latest European court attack on American troops involved in the war in Iraq, a Spanish judge announced that he will re-issue an arrest warrant for three American soldiers he claims are culpable in the death of a Spanish journalist killed at the Palestine Meridian Hotel in 2003. What we have here is Spain, a nation that caved to terrorists’ demands in the aftermath of the 2004 bombing o f some trains in Madrid, trying to re-assert itself as an antiwar, anti-American state. They’ve been successful – I’ll call this episode “The cowards who want ‘justice.’”
Incident at the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad
To get a better understanding of Spain’s convoluted logic, it might be useful to explain the significance of the venue of the alleged crime – Firdus Square, located on the east bank of the Tigris River, across the river from and a bit north of the Republican Palace.
The square, which is actually a circle, is the location of two of Baghdad’s better hotels, the Palestine (formerly the Palestine Meredien) and the Ishtar Sheraton (no longer affiliated with Sheraton). This is also the site of the Saddam Husayn statue that was attacked and pulled down when American forces entered the city.
