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Source: http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0420/p01s03-wome.htm
Mideast "Axis" Forms Against West
(Christian Science Monitor) Nicholas Blanford - Rising tension between the West and Iran is coinciding with the emergence of an anti-Western alliance spanning the Middle East. The alliance includes Syria, Lebanon's Hizballah, radical Palestinian organizations such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command, as well as some Iraqi allies that share its hostility toward Israel and the U.S. "The alliance that is emerging in this part of the world is a creation of Iran," says Sami Moubayed, a Syrian political analyst. "It wants to bolster its position by allying itself with countries or groups that can temporarily enhance its regional role and influence." On Tuesday, Israel's UN envoy Dan Gillerman dubbed this alliance the "new axis of terror," following a suicide bombing claimed by the Iranian-funded Islamic Jihad in Tel Aviv the previous day that killed nine Israelis. "A dark cloud is looming above our region, and it is metastasizing as a result of the statements and actions by leaders of Iran, Syria, and the newly elected government of the Palestinian Authority," Gillerman said.