Arafat has finally kicked the bucket (though, they apparently do not know why yet.) He is done. Toast (hopefully, literally.) Several world leaders have chimed in:
French President Jacques Chirac eulogized Arafat as a "man of courage and conviction who, for 40 years, has been the incarnation of the Palestinians’ combat for recognition of their national rights." (asshole)
Yeah. Uh huh. Arafat was the worlds most recognizable terrorist for a long, long time. Breaking my own writing rules a 2nd time: screw you, Chirac.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard said Arafat could have helped secure Middle East peace by accepting a deal in 2000 that would have resulted in the Israelis "agreeing to about 90 percent of what the Palestinians had wanted," Howard said. He also said Arafat could have done more to restrain terrorists.
Arafat didn’t. He didn’t want to. He liked being who he was. Being the leader. Socking away all that money, which could have done great things for the Palestinian people. While a new study (presented over at I Love Jet Noise) suggests that there is no connection between terrorism and poverty, there are others that do (linked there, as well.) Certainly, dumping several billion dollars into the Palestinian "economy" for the people, would have raised their standard of living, lessening the need to take money from sub-humans like Saddam ($25K a martyr) when their family members go into Israel and murder people. Sure, it wouldn’t work for everyone, but it would have been a start. That, and Arafat staying with the deals he made and was offered.
President Bush gets it, as well:
The death of Yasser Arafat is a significant moment in Palestinian history. We express our condolences to the Palestinian people. For the Palestinian people, we hope that the future will bring peace and the fulfillment of their aspirations for an independent, democratic Palestine that is at peace with its neighbors. During the period of transition that is ahead, we urge all in the region and throughout the world to join in helping make progress toward these goals and toward the ultimate goal of peace.
Significant. He expresses his condolences for the Palestinian people. And is pushing peace. Wise move. Now is the time for the USA and the rest of the world to really push for a lasting solution between Israel and the Palestinians. This would significantly lower the animosity towards Israel that is the main root of ME terrorism, and hatred of the US, due to our support of making sure the Israeli state does not disappear.
The Palestinians can start by doing away with the Palestinian Liberation Organization. It is synonomous with terrorism.
Furthermore, the New York Times still takes Slick’s position that Arafat wasn’t the leader of a terrorist org. Pathetic.
Does Islam have a version of Hell? If so, Rest in Hell, Rahman Abdel-Raouf Arafat Al-Qudwa.
More from Little Miss Attila, Barking Moonbat EWS, Captain Ed, and Blogs For Bush, among others at this time.
Yassir That’s My Baby
Cap’n Teach has a nice little summary of why we must not lionize Arafat, and he doesn’t lapse into the obscenites I employ when I think about that murderous fuck (oops; there it is again). (And in case you didn’t…