Has Arafat “lost consciousness“? This news is being reported by several sources. We know, however, in the past Yasir has used his deteriorating physical condition to garner political sympathy. Is that happening again or…?
UPDATE: Here’s what Debka is reporting: Palestinian Authority finally admits Arafat’s condition serious – as DEBKAfile has reported since Saturday. Palestinian leader, 75, refuses to leave his Ramallah HQ although his situation worsening.
Tunisian medical attendants have improvised a makeshift sickroom for minor diagnostic procedures under partial anesthetic. They insist on full-scale tests in overseas hospital before deciding if he has cancer.
Haaretz, of course, is watching closely and has similar information. Maybe he’s not crying wolf this time. It’s hard to imagine a world without Arafat. What will it mean?
I hope this evil man dies. Please Lord, hear our pleas. Who might replace Arafat? Might this person be even worse? Nope, I doubt very much any other man is lurking in the background who possesses Arafatís diabolical charisma. As matter of fact, I canít think of any Palestinian radical who even comes close.
Let’s hope Clinton’s favorite foreign leader remains permanently unconscious.
I think this may well be true. Arafat has been a sick man for many years, but here of late I have noticed his color has been gray, the color of a dying man.
I wonder if he has been helped along. I hear that now historians say Stalin was probably poisoned. Surely not.
“What will it mean?” One thing might be a seaside tourist industry in Gaza, empolying thousands of Pals, and beginning an era of cooperation to mutual benefits. Capital and labor, emerging markets, a world which rises and rejects all evil. Ariel Sharon rides a wave. Pray, pray, pray for the possibilities which must first pass through the eye of the needle in six days.
We can only pray that it is true, and that with his passing new possibilities for peace in Israel and the territories might evolve.
They can still prop him up for a couple of meetings, like Soviets did with Andropov. After that I am sure that embalming and nice Mausoleum will keep the faithful coming. If Palestinians are clever, they will build this mausoleum right next to the Wall and declare it another Muslim Holy Site. No doubt the UN and the EU will immediately recognize this claim and demand that Israel tears down the Wall and withdraws the border guards, so that Palestinians may pay respects to their holy leader undisturbed.
Castro and Arafat are conveniently ill around election time, I smell something
Are these the leaders Kerry heard from who “reportedly” quietly back his candidacy and hope he defeats Bush in November?
Is this the best they can do?
You know, now after the memos somebody should go back and check this world leaders story.
It’s Karl Rove’s “evil mind control ray”!
/LLL off
… I wonder what this does to the prospects for new PA elections. Ahh.. who am I kidding?
The world will mourn the passing of a great leader. I on the other hand, will break out my special bottle of Jameson’s purchased at great expense at Heathrow and have a shot in celebration.
We all know it’s going to end up. Faster please.
Ah — Both Arafat and Castro ill! Why, oh why, won’t the both of them just go ahead and croak, as final, parting gifts to the civilized world?
What this means is that the Palestinian Civil war is just hours or days from starting.
Get yer popcorn.
When the B—— stops breathing let me know. I’m hoping it is soon. But Im sure Bill and John will miss him.
‘e’s only restin’s all. Touch o’ flu. Back on ‘is feet in the mornin’, right as rain.
May “Bush in a landslide” be the bon voyage message that he carries as he leaves for a warmer clime.
For Arafat and Castro to both go out to the tune of a Bush victory? Excellent.
While I don’t see rapid enormous changes in the PA, I do believe this will be an improvement.
It’s hard to imagine a world without Arafat. What will it mean?
Excellent question…perhaps Daniel Pipes or someone who is an expert on Middle Eastern and Arab/Palestinian/Israeli affairs can better sum up what the immediate and long-term implications for Israel and the non-Islamic world might be.
We can only speculate, but it does, indeed, cause one to quicken one’s heartbeat.
Is it good for Bush, or good for Kerry?
AVI,
It will definitely be an improvement but I believe that there will be a rather protracted factional fight involving a large number of civilian deaths. The real question is who is going to referee. What is there to be gained by either Israel or the US getting between Pali factions?
This is a job for the Blue Helmets. They love the Palis, let them sort it out.
Here, let’s think this through step by step.
1) Tremendous outpouring of grief and rage throughout the Middle East by populations.
2) All the Arab leaders (who privately hated him), promise their people that the Palestinian Struggle will never die.
3) The Arabs demand that Arafat be buried in Jerusalem, excuse me, Al Quds with full honors.
4) Israel says NO, he’s not being buried in Jerusalem, the undivided capital of Israel.
5) …..?
Can a war start over the burial of a body? You betcha.
I suspect it will be just lip service amongst the Arabs . . . I mean, nobody really likes him that much and the Arab rulers seem to privately consider him a thorn in their side. Look at how they’ve given him support – yes, they gave him money but it was mostly to keep him away, and they kept pulling the rug out under his feet.
Would it not be charitable of me to pray that he repents of his sins before he departs the world?
A war “could” start — but Palis have already been at war, the intifadah. And losing.
The death of Arafat will be like a message from God, er, Allah — to END the terrorism.
Will Sharon get the settlers out of Gaza in time? Will the Palis have an election? Who will get the EU guilt money?
Yes, interesting — and I have this feeling he’s really, really, sick … to death.
I wish the Israeli Public Relations would stress more often that the Palis don’t seem to have freedom of the press, to criticize themselves — because other Palis beat up any critics. Palis need criticism.
Who says there’s no good news?
“Driven home into the heart of the stone figure attached to it, was a knife. Round its hilt was a frill of paper, on which was scrawled:
`Drive him fast to his tomb. This, from JACQUES.’ “
Roger,
You inspired me to “imagine” a world without Arafat!
You should also ask what will this mean to the Kerry Middle East policy?
Ever since Jimmy Carter elevated a terrorist thug to the role of ‘statesman’ (to use John Kerry’s description), the Democrats depended on Arafat to decide the fate of the Palestinians.
Arafat played with Carter and Clinton, and got them to do the work that he couldn’t do with a thousand terrorist attacks; make Israel back down.
The Democrats tied their Middle East policy to Arafat’s fate. If he fell, the legacy of Jimmy Carter and the Camp David Accords would be exposed for what they really were; allowing a terrorist political legitimacy.
Bill Clinton used the influence that he had to keep a strong anti-Arafat Israeli leadership from being re-elected, and stood alongside Arafat as once again, the Israelis made concessions after arm-twisting by a Democrat President.
Did Arafat provide peace? Of course not! Once he conned Carter, he intensified his campaign of terrorism. His corruption ensured that the Palestinians would remain poor and dependent upon him for the necessities of life. Arafat continued to support attacks against Jews, and fostered intense hatred against Israel.
The Kerry foreign policy team is filled with leftovers from the Carter and Clinton era. They never wanted moderate Palestinians to assume power, because they wouldn’t know what to do with a freely elected Palestinian governing body. They knew Arafat and depended upon him to control things; despite the fact that he was still the terrorist thug who most likely had a hand in the Munich Massacre.
The Bush adminstration saw Arafat as a problem, and made no bones about how they thought the Palestinians would be better off without him.
John Kerry cannot separate himself from Arafat. When he dies, and I hope he will soon, John Kerry will have no other representative of the Palestinians to look toward.
John Kerry and the Democrats made their bed with Arafat, and their middle east policy will join old Yasser under the sun-baked earth, near the Jordan River.
One imagines future SNL newscasts… “This just in! Yasser Arafat is still dead!”
Lola”
“Would it not be charitable of me to pray that he repents of his sins before he departs the world?”
It is always right to pray that the sinful repent. In his case, I wouldn’t bet the farm on his doing it. He is one of those who are so filled with hatred that it is seared into his heart, I don’t see it in him to repent.