BESETZTE GEBIETE

Globeandmail: Palestinians expect Israeli takeover once Iraq war starts

GAZA CITY -- Standing on a muddy street flanked by the ruins of small workshops recently blown up or knocked down by Israeli forces, Zaki Fora voiced the common view in Gaza City.

"Ninety per cent of Palestinians believe that in the case of a [U.S.-led] war with Iraq, Israel will occupy all of the Gaza Strip," he said. "Israel will take the opportunity while the rest of the world is looking the other way."

In a series of spectacular raids in recent weeks, including one yesterday in which 11 Palestinians were killed, Israeli armoured columns have punched deep into the Gaza Strip.