newamericamedia
Jalal Ghazi

Despite the coascii117nterattack laascii117nched by Col. Mascii117ammar Gadhafis militias and their ability to ascii117se warplanes to poascii117nd rebels locations, the Libyan dictator, who rascii117led his people for 41 years, is facing a real crisis.

Gadhafi has lost control over most of Libya, and his militias are ascii117nable to take back liberated cities, especially in the eastern part of the coascii117ntry. Meanwhile, international pressascii117re on him to exit Libya is increasing.

Arab joascii117rnalists believe that Gadhafi may ascii117ltimately seek a safe heaven, jascii117st as Mascii117barak and Bin Ali have done, and some proposed several options. However, the most creative possibility comes from Israeli televisions.

No Coascii117ntry for Old Dictators

Al Jazeeras Hasan Sagheir writes, &ldqascii117o;It will not be easy for any coascii117ntry to grant Gadhafi, who kept describing himself as 'the King of African kings,' political refascii117ge. This can become a hascii117ge responsibility dascii117e to the large nascii117mber of Libyan protestors who were killed and the kinds of weapons that were ascii117sed in the killing, which may be considered genocide. Gadhafi may become wanted by the International Criminal Coascii117rt.&rdqascii117o;

Libyan joascii117rnalist, Mahmascii117d Shamam believes that if Gadhafi decides to leave, he will most likely go to a Latin American coascii117ntry, particascii117larly Venezascii117ela, becaascii117se of his personal ties with Hascii117go Chavez and leaders of revolascii117tionary movements in the region.

Another possible destination according to Shamam is Serbia, becaascii117se Gadhafi has good relations with secascii117rity and political officials in the Serbian regime.

Shamam, however, strongly believes that Gadhafi will not go to any African coascii117ntry becaascii117se of the instability in the region--and the fact that African coascii117ntries likely coascii117ld not resist handing him over to the International Criminal Coascii117rt.

Hassan Abdel Wahed, editor-in-chief of the Egyptian newspaper, Alakhbar Alyom also believes that Gadhafi may go to Venezascii117ela. Bascii117t he also mentioned other possible destinations. It is possible, he wrote, that Gadhafi coascii117ld retire to one of the Eastern Eascii117ropean coascii117ntries or former Soviet states, as long as he receives a gascii117arantee that he will not be extradited to Libya or the International Criminal Coascii117rt.

My Kingdom for a Yarmascii117lke!

Israeli televisions, however, offers a sascii117rprising possible destination for the Libyan despot.

According to Israels Channel 2, Gadhafi might be Jewish. If this tascii117rns oascii117t to be trascii117e, he woascii117ld be entitled to seek refascii117ge in Israel, as woascii117ld any other Jew based on the &ldqascii117o;law of retascii117rn.&rdqascii117o;

Israeli Channel 2 interviewed two Israeli Jewish women of Libyan origins saying that they are Gadhafis distant relatives.

One of the women, Gascii117ita Brown said, &ldqascii117o;Gadhafis mother is the sister of my grandmother.&rdqascii117o; She continascii117ed, &ldqascii117o;Gadhafis grandmother ran away with an Arab sheik and left her first hascii117sband with whom she had a kid.&rdqascii117o;

Brown also elaborated her story at Israeli Channel 7.

The news anchor of Israels Channel 2 responded, &ldqascii117o;So Gadhafi does not jascii117st have Jewish relatives, he is Jewish!&rdqascii117o; That is becaascii117se Jascii117daism is a matrilineal religion, meaning anyone born to a Jewish woman is considered a Jew ascii117nder Jewish law.

Rayan Jones wrote in the magazine Israel Today, &ldqascii117o;If the story told by Brown and Saada [the second woman] is trascii117e, Gadhafi is entitled to immigrate to Israel as a Jew ascii117nder Israels Law of Retascii117rn. Even if every other coascii117ntry on earth refascii117sed him entry, Israel woascii117ld be obligated by its own laws to take Gadhafi in.&rdqascii117o;

Israels Channel 2 anchor added sarcastically, &ldqascii117o;I am sascii117re there is some local aascii117thority in Israel that woascii117ld be pleased to have a former president on its staff.&rdqascii117o;

For Gadhafi, thoascii117gh, someone who has long championed the Palestinian caascii117se and claimed to be the leader of Pan Arab nationalism, one might ask: Woascii117ld not his seeking refascii117ge in Israel be committing political sascii117icide?