Yasser Arafat is reportedly near death and is not expected to last out the night. In your opinion, will his death and the attendant changes within the Palestinian Authority leadership be a good or a bad thing for the peace process in the Middle East?
It’s tempting to say things can’t get much worse, but we know that things can always get worse. That said, I can’t imagine how much worse it could make things. The Palestinian leadership has been mostly ineffective controlling terrorism against Israel. Perhaps there is nothing the Palestinians can do, but I would like to think they could do more. Whether they will now that Arafat is going is anybody’s guess. I am not sure you can lay it all at the old man’s feet, but I am hoping someone new can come in with better ideas/more ability to get the job done.
Replace “imminent” with “final.”
I can’t imagine how Arafat’s death could be a bad thing. He can’t be made into a martyr, and he was about the worst imaginable person to sit on the opposite side of the negotiating table. Whether it turns out to be a good thing largely depends on who succeeds him.
Oh, and go look at the CNN web site front page. Anybody else want to vomit when they see that image? Geeze. It’s like a goddamn Hallmark card. Ode to Arafat, how we loved thee so.
Editer
5
Our top story tonight: Yassir Arafat is still dead.
The guys in line to succeed him said they were hopeful this could make for real negotations with the Israelis.
The Israeli PM responded that he wasn’t going to talk to the current leadership.
Infuriating situation.
Dirt
6
Did anyone else immediatelly think “Red suicide bomber needs food, badly!”
Very hopeful sign in the CNN story.
He will be buried outside the Palestinian Authority headquarters compound in the West Bank city of Ramallah – a resting place Erakat called temporary.
“One day, we will have our own independent state with east Jerusalem as its capital,” Erakat said.
East Jerusalem as its capital – that’s already a bigger concession than Arafat was ever willing to make, publicly or otherwise.
Arafat’s death is a great day for the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. Let’s hope the opportunity is seized.
Toddy
10
Can’t be made into a martyr? Nope. I’m sure once the real story comes out about what killed Arafat – probably some form of cancer – a lot of people will spin a story about how Arafat’s illness was worsened because of the Israelis refusing to allow him to leave Ramallah the past few years. They’d have a point, too, because there have been rumors floating around the past couple of years that Arafat was seriously ill, but didn’t want to leave Ramallah for treatment because Israel wouldn’t let him return. I’m sure Sharon only said that Arafat could return this time because he was sure Arafat would only be returning in a box.
Anyhow, good riddance. Now someone just has to find out where Yasser and Suha hid the billions that they stole from the Palestinian people. Not sure if this means much for the peace process, though. The deal that Arafat turned down in 2000 would have been turned down by any sane Palestinian negotiator. Israel today probably won’t even go that far, so I think the chances of a deal are as far away as ever. A lot of people on both sides need to expire before any kind of real peace can be attained.
I have a hard time seeing how they’d have stolen multiple billions of dollars when Palestine’s GDP is only a billion or so.
Wow. My exact thought was, “wizzard, your life force is running out!” when I read that.
bago
13
Jason: He signed every check for the PLO, and HE personally got all of the foreign aid. There’s been a brouhaha about the fact that he hasn’t told anyone the swiss bank account numbers that he used before he went comatose.
That’s why I linked it’s a mad mad mad mad world.
A big question is if whover succeeds him will have the power to handle Hamas, and I don’t really think they will.
Tyjenks
15
I wanna know why the goat fucker did not blow himself up as he sent his followers to do back in the day. His death by “natural causes” means he is shut out of the whole 72 virgins deal. I would blow myself up tomorrow for 72 virgins if I had his money for my family.
Here ya go Jason:
Jawad Ghussein, who was secretary-general of the Palestinian National Fund until 1996 but now lives in London, charged last week that Mr. Arafat had for years misappropriated Palestinian funds — much of it donated by oil-rich Arab governments — for personal use.
“The billions Arafat has stolen over the years from the Palestinian people facilitated the corruption of the Palestinian leadership, and is the source of his power over them,” Mr. Ghussein says.
Mr. Ghussein says that for 12 years he had deposited $7.5 million to $8 million each month into Mr. Arafat’s personal bank account.
“The money is in personal accounts under his complete control,” he was quoted as saying. “Only one person knew where [the money] went, and that was Arafat.”
Saudi contributions until 2003 amounted to $15.4 million every two months, and the United States has increased its annual contribution to the Palestinian Authority to $223 million.
An International Monetary Fund report, “Economic Performance and Reforms under Conflict Conditions,” released in September 2003, concluded that $900 million in Palestinian Authority revenues from 69 commercial enterprises had “disappeared” between 1995 and 2000.
The report also found that $34 million out of the $74 million 2003 budget for Mr. Arafat’s own office was missing after having been transferred to pay unidentified organizations and individuals.
EDIT: Had to edit in the part that tells who Ghussein is.
So for 20 years, he stole 5% of all palestinian income? I guess it’s possible, but even Suharto wasn’t that big of a thief.
So the guy gets a honor guard treatment(The French) and will have a funural attended by world leaders in Cairo. All this for a a guy who was basically an Arab mob boss is pathetic.
Tyjenks
18
WHo wouldn’t want to show up for the “Father of Modern Terrorism”. That is quite an honor. Where would airplane hijackings, hostage taking, and self-blower-uppers be were it not for Arafat’s foresight and trailblazing in those areas?
Editer
19
This just in: Yassir Arafat is still dead!
[size=1]I’m Denny Atkin, and you’re not.[/size]
Ah, ok; I can see skimming the foriegn aid. I just couldn’t figure out how he could possibly take that much from the Palestinians themselves.
