arafat dead...

[bythebeach]

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat has died, top official says

26 minutes ago

RAVI NESSMAN

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) - Yasser Arafat (news - web sites), who triumphantly forced his people's plight into the world spotlight but failed to achieve his lifelong quest for Palestinian statehood, died Thursday at age 75. He was to the end a man of many mysteries and paradoxes - terrorist, statesman, autocrat and peacemaker.

Canadian Press Photo

Palestinian cabinet member Saeb Erekat confirmed to The Associated Press that Arafat had died. The Palestinian leader spent his final days in a coma at a French military hospital outside Paris. Arafat died in intensive care at 3:30 a.m. local time, a French military hospital spokesman confirmed Thursday.

"Mr. Yasser Arafat, president of the Palestinian Authority (news - web sites), has died at the Percy Military Training Hospital in Clamart on Nov. 11, 2004 at 3:30," hospital spokesman Gen. Christian Estripeau told reporters.

Arafat, 75, was flown to Paris on Oct. 29 for treatment of an undisclosed illness. He fell into a coma a week later and was put on a life support machine.

Arafat's last days were as murky and dramatic as his life. Flown to France on Oct. 29 after nearly three years of being penned in his West Bank headquarters by Israeli tanks, he initially improved but then sharply deteriorated as rumours swirled about his illness.

Top Palestinian officials flew in to check on their leader while Arafat's 41-year-old wife, Suha, publicly accused them of trying to usurp his powers. Ordinary Palestinians prayed for his well being, but expressed deep frustration over his failure to improve their lives.

Arafat's failure to groom a successor complicated his passing, raising the danger of factional conflict among Palestinians.

A visual constant in his checkered keffiyeh headdress, Arafat kept the Palestinians' cause at the centre of the Arab-Israeli conflict. But he fell short of creating a Palestinian state, and, along with other secular Arab leaders of his generation, he saw his influence weakened by the rise of radical Islam in recent years.

Revered by his own people, Arafat was reviled by others. He was accused of secretly fomenting attacks on Israelis while proclaiming brotherhood and claiming to have put terrorism aside. Many Israelis felt the paunchy 5-foot-2 Palestinian's real goal remained the destruction of the Jewish state.

Arafat became one of the world's most familiar faces after addressing the United Nations (news - web sites) General Assembly in New York in 1974, when he entered the chamber wearing a holster and carrying a sprig. "Today I have come bearing an olive branch and a freedom fighter's gun," he said. "Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand."

Two decades later, he shook hand at the White House with Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin (news - web sites) on a peace deal that formally recognized Israel's right to exist while granting the Palestinians limited self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip (news - web sites). The pact led to the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize for Arafat, Rabin and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres.

But the accord quickly unravelled amid mutual suspicions and accusations of treaty violations, and a new round of violence that erupted in the fall of 2000 has killed some 4,000 people, three-quarters of them Palestinian.

The Israeli and U.S. governments said Arafat deserved much of the blame for the derailing of the peace process. Even many of his own people began whispering against Arafat, expressing disgruntlement over corruption, lawlessness and a bad economy in the Palestinian areas.

A resilient survivor of war with Israel, assassination attempts and even a plane crash, Arafat was born Rahman Abdel-Raouf Arafat Al-Qudwa on Aug. 4, 1929, the fifth of seven children of a Palestinian merchant killed in the 1948 war over Israel's creation. There is disagreement whether he was born in Gaza or in Cairo, Egypt.

Educated as an engineer in Egypt, Arafat served in the Egyptian army and then started a contracting firm in Kuwait. It was there that he founded the Fatah (news - web sites) movement, which became the core of the Palestine Liberation Organization (news - web sites).

After the Arabs' humbling defeat by Israel in the six-day war of 1967, the PLO thrust itself on the world's front pages by sending its gunmen out to hijack airplanes, machine-gun airports and seize Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics (news - web sites).

"As long as the world saw Palestinians as no more than refugees standing in line for UN rations, it was not likely to respect them. Now that the Palestinians carry rifles the situation has changed," Arafat explained.

[Thorgnor]

Sad day...

My condolences to the Palestinian people.

May he find peace in death he could never find in life.

[Boochawan]

Now there's one less terrorist in the world.

lets hope that this signifies a positive change, and a new chapter - a hope that both sides of this issue can find peace. Stop with the suicide terrorist bombings. Stop with the airstrikes. Stop the violence, stop the hate. Both Israel and the Palestinians deserve a homeland and peace. We're all human. Remember that.

[Thorgnor]

"Stop the violence, stop the hate."

HERE HERE!!!!!

[bokonon]

if we didn't have these arbitrary classifications of religion, nationality, race and even gender the world would be much more peaceful.

RIP arafat, even though you did some horrible sh!t in your life. we all think we are justified when we do evil things.

[Spudly]

Boochawan, if by "terrorist" you mean "non-christian freedom fighter who's political organization isn't fully sanctioned by the UN", then yes, there is one less "terrorist" in the world.

You use that word very "conservatively", I wonder what your views are on Sharon, who is directly and personally responsible for many more deaths than Arafat and who is as close to a fascist as Hitler was (politically) and just as apt to sanction the deaths of innocent human beings based on their race.

[Boochawan]

by "terrorist" I mean, as the leader of the PLO had its members hijack Western airliners and blew one up on a Cairo runway and, in their words, "teach the Americans a lesson for their long-standing support of Israel."

Oh, and by "terrorist" I also mean In Sept. 1972, terrorists in his Fatah-movement kidnapped and murdered 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympic games.

Arafat also indirectly led the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, a Fatah group that claimed responsibility for countless numbers of deadly attacks against Israeli civilians between 2000-2004. Though the media described a mere 'loose affiliation' between Arafat and this terrorist group, evidence indicates otherwise, with $50,000 a month being funnled by the PLO for bombings, snipings, etc. Look at http://www.ict.org.il/articles/articledet.cfm?articleid=431 if you want more info on the connection.

My views on Sharon? I don't agree with his political moves either. I believe in some circumstances Sharon has been too much on the offence. However I do believe that both states, Palestinian and Israeli, have a right to exist.

To compare Sharon to Hitler is absolutely incorrect, and I will excuse your ignorance with the assumption that you will do your research into your fraudulant association.

I do not condone violence. I just hope that with Arafat's passing there will be a new face to the peace process that does not support violence and of rearing a culture of hate. I hope that both Israel and that Palestinians can lay down their guns and work towards a more diplomatic means to acheive a more peaceful peace process.

[AdamH]

I'm with you on this one Boochawan. I'm sorry that someone has died but I'm breathing a sigh of relief that he's no longer in power. I acknowledge that both israeli and palestinaian leaders ahve at times been hawks, but the Palestinians have ultimately had the same one as a terrorist supporter for 30 years.

I did't wish him death but regime change couldn't have happened sooner.

[Esau]

Lets not forget what started all this sh!t...although I am not taking sides as I believe that both are equally guilty of terrorism & murder,both were & are the problem.

No love loss here for me,regardless.

The majority of Palestinian refugees were displaced or expelled during periods of armed conflict in the Middle East. Between the end of 1947 and the beginning of 1949 an estimated 750,000 Palestinians, comprising 50 percent of the Palestinian population were displaced from their homes and villages. In that area of historic mandate Palestine that became the state of Israel on May 15, 1948 around 85 percent of the Palestinian population was displaced and subsequently dispossessed of some 17,200 km2 of private and communally-held land. Israeli and Palestinian researchers estimate that around 80 percent of the refugees fled under military assault or were expelled by force. In June 1967, approximately 350,000 Palestinians were displaced or expelled from their homes and villages located in the West Bank, including eastern Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip. The refugees were subsequently dispossessed of some 450 km2 of private land and more than 11,000 buildings. Researchers estimate that more than 60 percent of the refugees displaced in 1967 fled under military assault.

There are three primary groups of Palestinian refugees. The three groups include: (1) approximately 5.2 million 1948 externally displaced Palestinian refugees of whom around 3.8 million are eligible and registered for international assistance with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA); (2) an estimated 260,000 1948 internally displaced Palestinian refugees; and, (3) approximately 700,000 externally displaced 1967 Palestinian refugees. Today more than 80 percent of Palestinian refugees continue to reside either in the West Bank, including eastern Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip or within 100 km of the borders of their historic homeland.

Today, Palestinian refugees constitute one of the largest and longest-standing unresolved refugee situations in the world. The lack of a durable solution is related largely to the absence of political will inside Israel (as the country of origin), among Arab host states, and within the international community to facilitate a durable solution consistent with international law, as applied to other refugee cases. Approximately one in three refugees worldwide is Palestinian. Of a total worldwide population of around 8.5 million Palestinians, approximately three quarters are refugees.

http://americansforpalestine.org

plo

n : a political movement uniting Palestinian Arabs in an effort to create an independent state of Palestine; when formed in 1964 it was a terrorist organization dominated by Yasser Arafat's al-Fatah; in 1968 Arafat became chairman; received recognition by the United Nations and by Arab states in 1974 as a government in exile; has played a largely political role since the creation of the Palestine National Authority.

[Thorgnor]

I think that the comparison is not only informed, but possibly correct.

Sharon and Hitler do have something in common... both have been comdemned at least through the issue of charges of war crimes against them. Hitler died before even having been served and Sharon has not been held to trial by the international communtiy.

However, (and this is really not me trying to be a dick but rather pointing something out) Arafat was awarded a nobel peace prize (although a politically motivated decision by the organization) recently for his efforts towards settling the conflict and for steadfastly standing for the needs of a disenfranchised people...

The whole thing makes me sad.

I am just playing devil's advocate and I do not support killing... period.

[AdamH]

I agree with you Esau. There are two sides to this and they are equally guilty of furthering the deaths of their own people in some way.

FYI - Arafat shared the Peace Prize with Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres.

Here's that Timeline I posted a little while ago, that gives a good overview of the area's history:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/world/2001/israel_and_palestinians/timeline/

I'll put aside your comparison of Sharon and Hitler, because I can't tell you what a fair and unfair comparison is without giving my own opinion. What I have a problem with is Martyring Arafat as a freedom fighter and sidestepping his long history of terrorist actions, that he inflicted on what I'm going to call "innocent" people. Of course, according to the PLO (originally, that is) Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the word "innocent" is unnecessary, since every Israeli citizen has served or will serve in the army. Fair game!

I'll also allow you to overlook Arafat's cheers and support of the Death of Innocent people as bombs from Iraq came down on "innocents" during the first Gulf War.

Those that have died on the Palestinian side have died needlessly but as casualties of war, either because of Israeli airstrikes, during gun battles or any other fighting between the two side. But never in the history of the conflict have young Israelis resorted to strapping themselves with dynamite and metal shrapnel and detonating themselves in fruit markets, buses and public places. But if they adopted the Hamas rationale, well then a Palestinian mother and her baby would make a good target. I keep referring back to Hamas because of it's original links to the PLO, and because you conveniently overlooked the number of times Arafat has been asked by international community to clamp down on terrorism within his own people. In 40 years as a leader he never did so, even when Israeli citizens were being killed unnecessarily by suicide bombers.

There's a need for regime change on both sides of the conflict. It has happened on one side for now. Until one of the "doves" on the Israeli side (Peres, for instance) gets elected we probably won't see a real and lasting peace in our lifetime.

[Hux]

Sharon's tactics in Lebanon in '82 (is that right?) certainly justifies some less than flattering comparisons.

[MarcO]

This is a really interesting and informed discussion. Thanks, keep it up. I don't have much to add because I have never quite been able to wrap my head around this whole issue, but I'm getting there.....

There's a need for regime change on both sides of the conflict. It has happened on one side for now. Until one of the "doves" on the Israeli side (Peres, for instance) gets elected we probably won't see a real and lasting peace in our lifetime.

And as much as I feel informed to have an opinion, this is something I would agree with whole-heartedly.

[Jaimoe]

There was some fanatical, but great live video footage of Arafat's funeral today - showing a Canadian flag waving in a mass of Palestinians. I'm sure the Republicans will love it when they see this.

[AdamH]

Good point Hux, I should have referenced that. Here's the scoop for those that aren't familiar:

From Human Rights Watch:

The massacre at the Sabra and Shatilla refugee camps occurred between September 16 and 18, 1982, after Israel Defense Forces (“IDF”) then occupying Beirut and under Ariel Sharon´s overall command as Israeli Defense Minister permitted members of the Phalange militia into the camps. The precise civilian death toll most likely will never be known. Israeli military intelligence estimated that between 700 and 800 people were killed in Sabra and Shatilla during the sixty-two-hour rampage, while Palestinian and other sources have claimed that the dead numbered up to several thousand. The victims included infants, children, women (including pregnant women), and the elderly, some of whom were mutilated or disemboweled before or after they were killed. Journalists who arrived on the scene immediately after the massacre also saw evidence of the summary execution of young men. To cite only one contemporaneous account, that of Thomas Friedman of the New York Times: “[M]ostly I saw groups of young men in their twenties and thirties who had been lined up against walls, tied by their hands and feet, and then mowed down gangland-style with fusillades of machine-gun fire.”

By all accounts, the perpetrators of this indiscriminate slaughter were members of the Phalange (or Kata´eb, in Arabic) militia, a Lebanese force that was armed by and closely allied to Israel since the outbreak of Lebanon´s civil war in 1975. It must be noted, however, that the killings were carried out in an area under IDF control. An IDF forward command post was situated on the roof of a multi-story building located some 200 meters southwest of the Shatilla camp.

Former Defense Minister Sharon´s decision to allow the Phalange into the camps: The Kahan Commission report detailed the direct role of former Defense Minister Sharon in allowing the Phalangists into the Sabra and Shatilla camps. For instance, then-Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Rafael Eitan testified that the entry of the Phalangists into the refugee camps was agreed upon between former Defense Minister Sharon and himself. Thereafter, former Defense Minister Sharon went to Phalangist headquarters and met with, among others, a number of Phalangist commanders. A document issued by former Defense Minister Sharon´s office containing “The Defense Minister´s Summary of 15 September 1982” states: “For the operation in the camps the Phalangists should be sent in.” That document also stated that “the I.D.F. shall command the forces in the area

So, as I mentioned I am no Sharon supporter.

This issue is so complex it's hard for anyone to wrap their head around it. It's also why my ears perk up when I feel the conflict is being radically summarized as "persecuted peoples vs. Israel". Some random facts to confuse you further:

1. Jews had no homeland, and at the time that Palestine was British-occupied they were just getting on their feet after losing 6 million of their own (and yes, all you PCers, I know that other subgroups suffered too)

2. Are Jews a religion? A culture?

3. Are Palestinians a real subgroup? Some would say they are an invented group of marginalised people. They were Arabs who migrated into Palestine because of the fertility, so maybe they're just Lebanese and Jordanians?

4. If Rabin hadn't been assasinated by a conservative Israeli, what would the Middle East look like right now?

5. What does Dubya plan to accomplish?

[paisley]

with Arafat now gone think I'd like to see Sharon disappear from Israel and let the whole region try to make a new start under new leaders

get some of the old hate off the table (maybe)