Should Yasser Arafat be Buried In Jerusalem?
Yasser Arafat lies somewhere between life and death in a French military hospital near Paris. Whether he is braindead and just being kept barely alive by machines is anyone's guess. It is certain that the Palestinian territories are full of anxiety as to what will happen when he dies. Factions like: the AlAqsa Brigade, Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad are all vying for power along with the Palestinian Authority Leadership itself.
Unfortunately, Arafat has done little to assure a successor. Generally speaking, too suspicious and fearful of someone ousting him as leader of the Palestinians, he has been unable to share power with others and groom them for the day when they would take over the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). His motto seems to have been, "Divide and conquer". Many very gifted Palestinian leaders have resigned because of their frustration with Arafat.
Yasser Arafat won the Nobel Peace prize along with then Israeli Prime Minister Rabin (later unfortunately assassinated by one of his own). Those were the days when the Camp David accord was crafted with the help of President Bill Clinton and Madeline Albright. In perhaps the most stunning reversal, however, Arafat put the welfare of his people in jeopardy when he later refused to sign the Camp David accord. Such an acceptance would have guaranteed the Palestinians their own homeland adjacent to Israel and created a new country for them living at peace with Israel. Instead, Arafat and his Palestinian cronies chose the path of violence and bloodshed by initiating the infamous Intefadeh. One of his compatriots revealed the PLO leaderships' true intentions when she blurted out "We'll give them Hell!" So vitriolic has been their hatred of Israel that at the international conference on racism (buoycotted by the U.S. and Israel) held in Johannesburg, South Africa, the Palestinian representatives were handing out pamphlets showing Israelis with hooked noses and Palestinian blood pouring from them as well as a swastika on their jackets. This had to be the ultimate insult to Israel. You see, Arafat, in his heart, could not turn away from his hatred of Jews and desire to annihilate the state of Israel.
Where Chairman Arafat totally lost it was in his inability to change and modify in order to become a great leader and statesman for his people. Like many Israelis, Arafat fought a guerilla war to put his people on the map. His bloody machinations verged on terrorism. When he became the elected leader of his people, however, he had a unique opportunity to transition to a peacetime head of state. This he never quite seemed able to do as revealed by the fact that he did very little (except talk) to curb the militant groups which were rising up in his land. He installed a government that was based on cronyism and graft. It was a known scandal that he siphoned off money in the millions, donated to help his people living in squalid conditions in the territories so he could bankroll his young wife in Paris so she could live the life of the rich and famous. He even took money donated by Sadam Hussein and distributed it as reward money to the families of suicide bombers! Many are the executions of Palestinians he has publicly presided over for treason and collaborating with the Israelis. As a result of his ill-conceived manoeuvres, he incurred the never-ending hatred of General Ariel Sharon, who later became the present Prime Minister of Israel.
Israeli leaders who have the power in Palestine have overhwelmingly stated publicly that under no circumstances would Israel allow Arafat to be buried in Jerusalem, the city of peace, which has belonged to the Jew since the time of King David and which God decreed would be their's forever. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is anything but a pushover. His nickname, "the bulldozer", is well chosen. He has flatly said that Arafat cannot be buried in the Holy City. Perhaps the Israeli Justice Minister, Yosef Lapid, put it best when he went on record in the international press as saying "Jerusalem is the city where Jewish kings are buried, not terrorists!"
Unfortunately, Arafat has done little to assure a successor. Generally speaking, too suspicious and fearful of someone ousting him as leader of the Palestinians, he has been unable to share power with others and groom them for the day when they would take over the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). His motto seems to have been, "Divide and conquer". Many very gifted Palestinian leaders have resigned because of their frustration with Arafat.
Yasser Arafat won the Nobel Peace prize along with then Israeli Prime Minister Rabin (later unfortunately assassinated by one of his own). Those were the days when the Camp David accord was crafted with the help of President Bill Clinton and Madeline Albright. In perhaps the most stunning reversal, however, Arafat put the welfare of his people in jeopardy when he later refused to sign the Camp David accord. Such an acceptance would have guaranteed the Palestinians their own homeland adjacent to Israel and created a new country for them living at peace with Israel. Instead, Arafat and his Palestinian cronies chose the path of violence and bloodshed by initiating the infamous Intefadeh. One of his compatriots revealed the PLO leaderships' true intentions when she blurted out "We'll give them Hell!" So vitriolic has been their hatred of Israel that at the international conference on racism (buoycotted by the U.S. and Israel) held in Johannesburg, South Africa, the Palestinian representatives were handing out pamphlets showing Israelis with hooked noses and Palestinian blood pouring from them as well as a swastika on their jackets. This had to be the ultimate insult to Israel. You see, Arafat, in his heart, could not turn away from his hatred of Jews and desire to annihilate the state of Israel.
Where Chairman Arafat totally lost it was in his inability to change and modify in order to become a great leader and statesman for his people. Like many Israelis, Arafat fought a guerilla war to put his people on the map. His bloody machinations verged on terrorism. When he became the elected leader of his people, however, he had a unique opportunity to transition to a peacetime head of state. This he never quite seemed able to do as revealed by the fact that he did very little (except talk) to curb the militant groups which were rising up in his land. He installed a government that was based on cronyism and graft. It was a known scandal that he siphoned off money in the millions, donated to help his people living in squalid conditions in the territories so he could bankroll his young wife in Paris so she could live the life of the rich and famous. He even took money donated by Sadam Hussein and distributed it as reward money to the families of suicide bombers! Many are the executions of Palestinians he has publicly presided over for treason and collaborating with the Israelis. As a result of his ill-conceived manoeuvres, he incurred the never-ending hatred of General Ariel Sharon, who later became the present Prime Minister of Israel.
Israeli leaders who have the power in Palestine have overhwelmingly stated publicly that under no circumstances would Israel allow Arafat to be buried in Jerusalem, the city of peace, which has belonged to the Jew since the time of King David and which God decreed would be their's forever. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is anything but a pushover. His nickname, "the bulldozer", is well chosen. He has flatly said that Arafat cannot be buried in the Holy City. Perhaps the Israeli Justice Minister, Yosef Lapid, put it best when he went on record in the international press as saying "Jerusalem is the city where Jewish kings are buried, not terrorists!"
posted by Chaplain Laird at 7:58 PM
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