According to CNN, more moderate PLO officials are moving swiftly to arrange an order of succession now that Arafat is in Paris:
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei and former prime minister Mahmoud Abbas have divided the Palestinian portfolio and come to an agreement, the sources said.
Under the agreement, Abbas would become leader, as chairman of the PLO and the Fatah organization, while Qorei would be in charge of the Palestinian Authority and security services, the sources said.
Qorei would recognize Abbas as the main leader who would take over in the event that Arafat is fully incapacitated or dies, they said.
Abbas (Abu Mazen) is the natural choice in order to achieve international recognition. He performed relatively well on the world stage as PM until he was undercut by Arafat. A crossroads has been reached. If Abbas and Qorei are able to avert a Palestinian civil war, then negotiations with Israel will begin again rather shortly (at least on Middle East time), no matter who wins the US presidential election. But if all Hell (or something close) breaks loose in the West Bank and Gaza, obviously we will all have to wait that out. I am one of those, however, who is secretly optimistic that the man and woman of the famous Palestinian street have had enough. Although the Hamas crowd will engage in their usual psychotic behavior, they will not prevail.
The real wild card is the Monster Arafat himself. If he rises from his leukemia (or is it a different blood disease?) death bed, the peace process will be derailed once more. If there’s one thing we know by now El Caudillo Yasser won’t tolerate while he’s alive and semi-kicking, it’s a two-state solution.
UPDATE: Now leukemia is being denied. This AP report is accompanied by a photo of Arafat holding hands with his wife Suha who, for reasons unexplained, never found time to make the journey from Paris to Ramallah for the last three years. Perhaps she’s not a diplomat.
Roger:
What a strange turn of events. I am wondering if maybe Arafat’s illness is more than fortuitous.
Times, they are achanging. If we are lucky we are entering a new phase in hsitory in which the Arafats will have no place.
Please God.
The evil Arafat is in many ways the creation of the United Nations and the liberal elites. Heís similar to Fidel Castro and Che Guevara in his ability to charm these useful idiots. Arafat played the ìinternational communityî for the anti-Semitic fools that they are. Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and the liberal Jews may have meant well—but their naive cooperation with Arafat only resulted in the murder of thousands of innocent human beings.
Mmm. Very interesting; let’s hope you’re right, Terrye. Hey, contact me at the link below, would you? I have a question/offer.
And if there’s one thing we could reasonably surmise about a likely Kerry administration – in thrall to UN/ Arab pressure – is negotiations with Arafat should he survive, thereby delaying the inevitable.
Apparently he has had an organ transplant,but the organ rejected him.
Roger,
I read an unspoken lesson in your comments. It’s a strong one, and I have no wish to put words in your mouth, so please tell me if I’m wrong:
If so many people will have their lives made better by this horrible man’s death, then we shouldda killed him decades ago. Likewise, we should, today, kill any other Arafats as soon as possible.
The slippery slope aspect of such an approach merits caution, for sure, but in Arafat’s case, an entire generation of terrorism could have been avoided had he been killed after his first terrorist attack.
Anyway, I am reading a LOT into your words. Any of it pass the RLS sniff test?
Roger your analysis is WAY OFF the mark.
A Abbas and Queria administration” would really powerless on the street. They are both nearly as corrupt as Arafat though noone (except Ereket) is in Arafat’s league there.
However, the bottom line is they would only set up a sham situation where the incitement “may”? temporarily stop and then there would be immediate pressure for Israel to make tremendous concessions… However, nothing on the street or in real power will have changed.
Your analysis that the “only real problem” is Hamas is buying into the over simplified accepted UN/EU PC garbage of the situation.
The entire PA is completely corrupt and a bunch of different mafias and dons competing for power.
With Arafat gone it will just enable them to get back the old shine they enjoyed during the early years of Oslo…..
NOW IS THIS JUST MY OPINION?
A PALESTINIAN TOLD ME THIS….
GUYS GET A CLUE.
Mike
He likely has AIDS?
Ever heard of an un-explained blood condition?
HELLO????????
David Thomson:
Arafat was a creation of the KGB
This from Ion Pacepa in an interview with Front Page Magazine-
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=12387
Mike, to start with, avoid upper case. We are not idiots here. Those who use upper case excessively will be banned.
Secondly, most people are aware the PA is corrupt. I certainly am. The question is self-interest. For Arafat, the dream of a Palestine to the Mediterranean trumps all. To an Abu Mazen, perhaps a local kleptocracy will do with adjusted borders. This is to Israel’s advantage.
As for the Arafat AIDs rumor, many have heard it. It is the kind of incendiary charge that it is best not to make until proof is substantial. That is why I have not made it here.
Roger,
I too, will disagree.
The PA is Arafat. Well, at least for now it is, just as the Soviet Union was once Stalin.
Arafat has total authority, but not total control, of what goes on in Gaza and the West Bank. And what control he lacks, mostly by choice, is left to the system of the various murderous and rival gangs (“factions”) therein.
As for his illness, whatever it is, we cannot and will not know for sure. And no, the diagnosis is not in doubt, it may already be known or the differential is down to just a few likely diagnoses.
No, nothing much will change for now, especially evidenced by the fact that no one will even sit in Arafat’s seat at the “governing council’s” table.
Arafat being flown to Paris is beyond farce or absurdity, it is grotesque, but not surprising. Rather it is predictable of a country and a continent that has for centuries allowed for the murder, and advocacy of the murder, of Jews.
Lastly, if you are a Jew, and you want to see Abu Amar (Arafat), the oldest living terrorist, and the Terror Master responsible for the death of thousands of Israelis and Jews, dining again in the White House, vote for John Forbes Kerry for President. The junior Senator from Massachusetts, along with James Earl Carter, Richard Holbrooke, the Rev. Al Sharpton, Michael Moore, and William Jefferson Clinton will all be there.
Don’t miss it.
I am getting ahead of the CNN/BBC/French Press curve of recounting the life of the warrior for ‘the Palestinian’ people Arafat…. which will come.
In response to your rejoinders……..
Roger
First, the goal of all of them is the same. Abbas just realized that for now the only way to get there is to “make peace” or get concessions going again. The war didn’t serve their purposes.
Second, even if Abbas/Queria were to grudgingly accept an adjusted border state they have no credible authority to do it – to speak for “Palestine” – and wouldn’t/can’t risk their “power” to do so. Plus, Al Jazeera would be running cartoons of the American puppet masters pulling their strings… It would NEVER work. Also, in order to prop them up for this sham show America would force Israel to agree to an insane amount of up-front concessions.
I don’t say this bcs I am against “peace” whatever that is now, but bcs its not real, the underlying situation is there will never be “peace” moderate Palis have told me this… Sharon knows this… The question is how much is Israel going to lose to play the game if Abbas/Queria can actually pull in their out of control ship long enough to get with “peaceful extensions” that they have lost in murdering Jews?
Third, none of these ‘leaders’ would sign the final document stating refugees come to the new state only – PLO officially ENDS the conflict – Israel is accepted in Arabic on television and in signed print, which they never did….
Roger
I understand why you are reticent about talking about it, sure he’s a disgusting piece of dirt, but the homosexual undertone shouldn’t be thrown out. My point is how the Arab and Parisian medical staffs are covering it up, it will never come out, who are you kidding?
The accesion to power within a criminal enterprise is rarely accomplished by democratic process. The fiction lovingly promoted by the MSM, the UN and our boy Bill that Arafat was in some way “different” than Carlo Gambino and that the nature of the PLO/PLA is in any way different than the Mafia of the 1930′s is about to be unmasked (once again). The capo di tutti capi is slipping away and succesion will be determined by the bullet – not the ballot. Some thin pretence of of a “peaceful transition” may be presented for the gullible to gobble but the real transfer will be effected by bullets and bombs. About the best that can be hoped for is that the rival factions don’t kill too many bystanders during the “transition period”.
Assuming my analysis is accurate (which it is) then Israel had to do several things in expectation of the next round of sham game playing with the Palestinian “leadership” as a result of whatever impetus, a “new PM” or Arafat’s demise.
1) Prove they could eliminate attacks on their own since the PLO wouldn’t act to. The failed talks with Abbas proved what the Israelis already knew would happen. Now the Palis and world (UN/EU) can’t claim the bogus charge ‘look what happens when Israel comes to the table, less attacks.’
They (Sharon) has done this.
2) The wall not only accomplished (1) but will function as a de-facto border that Israel decides UNTIL the Palis (not the Israelis) make real moves towards peace – which they will NEVER (incapable as well) do.
This reverses a little bit the Old Game Of…
Palis “talk peace” Israel gives up concrete things.
Now the PLO has to do something real to get Israel to move the fence.
3) The wall also prevents the Palis from utilizing the Israeli economy to prop up their sham/corrupt government. Car thefts, illegal arms trading, workers coming into Israel are HUGE amounts to the PA economy. This forces the Palis to look at their own house and either put up with it or rebel against it, which is starting to happen.
4) Begin an initial withdrawal only from areas they don’t want to be in for sure. This would ensue a power vacuum and struggle forcing the PA to address all the things they don’t want to.
NOTE, Marty Indyk and his “trusteeship” ‘brilliant’ idea wants to hold the Palis/PLO’s hand to do this or in essence squeeze Israel and prevent a real and necessary hand wringing in Gaza and forcing the PLO to make some actual tough decisions and be accountable for them like a real government is supposed to.
Marty wants to go back to band aiding the real problems which would prevent a real change/shift there. Perhaps, Hamas would step in if the PLO doesn’t act, but maybe that has to happen for Hamas to then become hated by Palis and for the PA to really face the consequences of this.
The withdrawal also gets (if only very slightly) Int’l org’s off Israel’s back and delays UN Sanctions. The strong resistance in Israel helps Sharon only in the sense that it shows how difficult withdrawals are if in fact they are right… debatable.
Now that’s the best analysis you’re going to get… lol
Mike
“But this is what we can we expect from a country whose Ambassador to England called Israel “that little shi..y country” or whose new Ambassador to Israel calls Sharon a “rogue.” Last year, this same individual attending a dinner in Israel decided that appetite was more important than compassion. While one of the speakers described the blowing-up of his daughter in the Sbarro bombing in Jerusalem, the French representative went on enjoying his meal. After being strongly advised to pause for a moment like everybody else did, the French Ambassador declined. This brutal snub is not an exception, because in the case of a few families of French Jews killed in terrorist attacks in Israel, French officials have never presented their condolences. Obviously, France does not care much for Jewish lives lost, whether French or not. But saving their killers, YES.”
I’d heard the story about the comment but not heard the part about the snub. WOW. From Prosecute Arafat in Paris.
UPDATE: Now leukemia is being denied. This AP report is accompanied by a photo of Arafat holding hands with his wife Suha who, for reasons unexplained, never found time to make the journey from Paris to Ramallah for the last three years. Perhaps she’s not a diplomat.
I think that probably settles it. Leukemia, late stages, terminal.
(I will say that were I Arafat, I might keep my wife and kid the hell out of Ramallah.)
Late-stage leukemia is no longer fatal.
Based on his appearance, if it were leukemia, he would be in “blast stage”. 15 years ago, that would have meant “two weeks”. Now it means 50-50 survival for 2 years with a fairly normal life.
Abbas and Mazen probably have good intel on what he’s got. I’d say they think it likely that he’s not returning.
OT—Emotional rant—Post of Last Resort
How…can….any…Jew…with his or her head screwed on correctly possibly vote for KERRY?????
/thumps head against wall
/hyperventilates
/joins the JDL
his wife Suha who, for reasons unexplained, never found time to make the journey from Paris to Ramallah for the last three years
Hmmmm: A) Stay in Paris with an ATM card drawing on some of the hundreds of millions Arafat has stolen, or B) visit my ugly terrorist “husband” in his Palestinian hellhole. What to do, what to do?
Dulce: other than beating your head against a wall which is not conducive to your health. I would love to hear your take on why Jews continue to support the democratic party–our colleague Samuel addressed that question last summer–but it is such a mystery to me I continue to try to understand. I think it was Wretchard (IIRC) who pointed out that if Kerry is elected and proposes to get the “allies” signed up with him, his only bargaining chip is to sacrifice the State of Israel to the anti-semites of the EU. Please share your perceptions–either on the thread or off the thread–At the risk of sounding like a Seinfeld show, I grew up with Jews, my playmates as a child were Jews, I have been to brisques and bar-mitzvahs, and my “aunt Betty and uncle Al” were my surrogate parents.
Charlie (Colorado): Knowing the Arab Mind as you do I thought you must be correct, but I think Dishman maybe correct, therefore he must have something even worse than leukemia.
As for the “wife” I have no idea why anybody assumed that she was a wife in the same sense that Nancy is my wife. My best guess is that she was the bookeeper and the bagman, and that she has been allowed to skim a percentage as her commission. I thought I heard earlier that she was sent off to the side lines this morning.
Arafat, handled all of the money as his personal property and passed it out to the various gangs in order to keep them in a state of what Charles Atlas would have called Dynamic Tension. But in such a system, there is always a suspicion that the boss is cheating or favoring one side too much. Thus the bookeeper.
Charlie (Colorado): Knowing the Arab Mind as you do I thought you must be correct,….
Who, me? I just operate on the theory that if a PA spokesperson’s lips are moving, they’re lying.
(After the appearance of Arafat’s neurological problems, this hasn’t been wholly reliable….)
I have to say, though, just based on seeing him on TV, he doesn’t look much like he’s got acute HIV disease; the continued mental impairment and apparent dementia sound more like some sort of general systemic failure, or brain tumor stuff.
Not that a quick look on TV is really much use, but I enjoy playing “Name that pathology” as much as anyone.
The suggestion (Rumor? Disinformation?) on the news today is that Arafat may have been poisoned.