THE ARGUMENT AGAINST ARAFAT: Jonah

THE ARGUMENT AGAINST ARAFAT: Jonah Goldberg says that the official tough question on every cable news show seems to be:

“How can you expect Yasser Arafat to stop suicide bombers when he can’t even use his cell phone?” ask one interviewer after another of any Israeli official they can find.

I find this bizarre. When we put Mafia bosses in jail, we rarely pay them much heed when they complain that incarceration will make it difficult for them to stop their hit men from committing more crimes. When we catch Osama bin Laden, will the peaceniks who look so adoringly upon Arafat also nod sagely when bin Laden declares, “How can I stop more terrorist attacks from inside my prison cell?”

And yet, for some reason, Western diplomats, activists and journalists seem to believe that Arafat cannot be held accountable for anything he’s done. He can only be supported because “Israel has to negotiate with somebody.” That he did nothing to stop suicide bombers when he could, means nothing.