Arafat

[CHOPS'R'US]

What are your views on him? Are you glad he is not around anymore? Do you think we can now get peace? I was saddened but at least the guy is not in pain anymore even if he was abit of a dodgy guy getting involved in terrorist stuff, no-one deserves to die do they?

[andy hughes]

Arafat was certainly a unifying force in Middle East politics - the worry is who will follow him, and the future for the Arab-Israeli conflict, which America will no doubt put its oar in sooner or later.

[woofgang]

well now he's found out what Allah thinks of terrorism

[Artemis]

I personally think we would have had peace in the Middle East a good few years ago if it wasn't for Arafat.

[saffstar]

I agree (as usual!) with Andy Hughes.  I believe that he was mostly decent and that things could've been a lot worse if he hadn't had such a firm hold over his people.  I hope I'm wrong, but I think the future's even more worying now he's gone.

[Bangkok]

Not convinced he deserved the Nobel Peace prize, but he was often a voice of reason in a near impossible situation.  The problem of sucession in these circumstances (no advanced planning) is that the hawks usually gain more attention than the moderates.  Therefore it is not merely his passing, but the lack of planning that is lamentable

 

Artemis, you could equally say if the US had not blocked the UN resolutions condemning Israel (or didn't provide arms) then peace may have been achieved

[camille79]

well said ********!  Although some might say there is more chance of peace, I would have to ask whether this would be military enforced peace by the Israeli's.  Some seem to think that Arafat was out of line by refusing to agree to a peace that would prevent palestinians returning to their homes.  I know if it was me, that would certainly be a dealbreaker, but perhaps I'm just picky....

[camille79]

that was weel said bangkok - misspelling got it edited. Oops!

[el duerino]

whatever his dubious roots, for the last few years he has been a statesman for palestine. its not easy having the fate of your people resting on your shoulders. apparently the men likely to replace him are moderates, but whether israel try and abuse that impression remains to be seen.

[FP]

Totally agree with Andy Hughes about Arafat.  I dread to think about who might follow, and hate to think about Palestine's future and what Israel might now achieve.

[Philtaz]

I fail to see how a man who sanctioned the abduction and murder of 11 Israeli athletes can be seen as a man of peace.  Also, what about the Israeli in a wheelchair who was thrown from a ship by terrorists of the PLO?(I think it was the Achille Lauro).   Furthermore he was the only Arab 'leader' who stood by Saddam in 1991 prior to Desert Storm.

 

I'm glad he has gone.  The major stumbling block to a possible Middle East settlement is finally removed.  After all it was he who was blamed by the Palestinian Prime Minister as the direct cause of his resignation after only 3 weeks, stating he was being undermined by Arafat.

[ursula62]

If you start citing the terrorist actions of the PLO, you need to look at what the Israelis have done to the Palestinians. There is right and wrong on both sides.

The real problem in the Middle East is that nobody will break the circle of retaliation. Until someone says stop, the idea of an eye for an eye will carry on until the whole world is blind.

Israel's government refuses to see the other side's point of view, and uses the "chosen people" argument to basically say that they have a G-d given right to do things any way they choose.

From the Palestinian viewpoint Israel appears to be able to do just what it pleases, e.g. build walls, eject families from their land, shoot peace keeping volunteers etc etc.

Israel has the support of the US because the US government need the Jewish vote to stay in power. Yhe US appear to be able to veto common sense at the UN and always support Israel whenever anyone tries to stop it from doing something. Is it any wonder that, in frustration at such a situation, the Palestinians have turned to violence?

The other thing to remember at is that prior to 1948 the state of Israel as it is now didn't really exist. Land was effectively taken from Palestinians to allow Jewish immigrants to settle. I suspect they are still rankling about the paltry compensation paid for the land taken from them.

By the way... before anyone says I'm antisemitic I should point out that I am half Jewish. :-)

[FP]

Ursula62.  Your answer reflects what I think.  Thanks for putting it so well.

[chaff]

perhaps we should read what "palestinians" said about themselves... Way back on March 31, 1977, the Dutch newspaper Trouw published an interview with Palestine Liberation Organization executive committee member Zahir Muhsein. Here's what he said: The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct "Palestinian people" to oppose Zionism. For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan. Arafat himself made a very definitive and unequivocal statement along these lines as late as 1993. It demonstrates conclusively that the Palestinian nationhood argument is the real strategic deception � one geared to set up the destruction of Israel. In fact, on the same day Arafat signed the Declaration of Principles on the White House lawn in 1993, he explained his actions on Jordan TV. Here's what he said: "Since we cannot defeat Israel in war, we do this in stages. We take any and every territory that we can of Palestine, and establish a sovereignty there, and we use it as a springboard to take more. When the time comes, we can get the Arab nations to join us for the final blow against Israel." Palestine was ruled by Rome, by Islamic and Christian crusaders, by the Ottoman Empire and, briefly, by the British after World War I. It was never ruled by Arabs as a separate nation.

[flanker]

He was an animal and the world should be pleased that he is dead.

[flanker]

And Jack Straw is a spinless snivelling little pillock for praising Arafat - in much the same way that the cretin shook the hand of that other murderous animal Mugabe - It was dark and I didn't see him - yeh, right, what a ridiculous thing to say.