Experts agree Israel has most to gain from Saddam ouster

An American attack on Iraq would have sweeping regional implications for non-combatant Middle East states, with Israel the nation that has the most to gain from the ouster of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, according to panelists at a Bar-Ilan University seminar yesterday entitled "The Regional Implications of a US Attack on Iraq."

The US campaign against Iraq could just as easily consist of "a bullet in Saddam's head" or a weapons inspection regime with teeth, as a massive and costly ground invasion, according to Dr. Amin Tarzi, Radio Free Europe's regional analyst for Afghanistan and Iraq, and Prof. Ephraim Inbar, the director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies (BESA).

"I don't think the US is ready for a large number of body bags," Tarzi said, referring to the loss of American lives an invasion could entail.
He said he believes the US will set a "minimalist goal," such as eliminating Saddam or putting him on the run not necessarily democracy-building in a "Saddam-less" Iraq.

Inbar said Israel has the most to gain from an Iraqi regime change, which could isolate Syria and Iran, and possibly push Syria from Lebanon and result in the disarmament of Hizbullah.