NationStates Jolt Archive

As I write this Arafat is barely clinging on to life. When he dies, opinions will be divided about his life and legacy.

My own view is that he is/was a man who did the best he could for his people. Calling him a just a terrorist, or terrorist-enabler, is too simplistic and accords all too easily with the neocon/pro-Israel Jewish lobby in the United States which has a power out of all proportion to its numbers.

Let’s not forget that Sharon as a young man helped to support Israel state terrorism as the leader of a commando unit in Kibya in 1953 that murdered scores of Palestinian women and children. That he has been responsible for terrible atrocities against the Palestinian people since he’s been in power. That previous Israeli prime ministers like Shamir and Begin were leaders of the Stern Gang, and the Irgun, both terrorist organizations that killed thousands of innocents.

Arafat may be no saint but he’s no worse than many of the past/present leaders of Israel.

Neither. Though at various times in his life he has been accused of one, the other and both.

He's a politician. ANd one of the most skilled ones in history. If anybody doubts that, just look how long he survived 'peace negotiations' between Israel and the terrorist organizations in Palestine.

Doesn't make him a good man. But it makes him a noteworthy one.

in the begining of his fight he wara hero, but he became a terrorist when he could not adapt to the new paradigm. He fought for his state, and that was good. But he could not bring himself to change when his enemy was willing to give him everything he was fighting for.

As Nietzsche would say "great man? I see only the actor of his own ideal." No hero here. That's not a bad thing, mind you, nor a good thing. It's just a thing.

Let’s not forget that Sharon as a young man helped to support state terrorism as the leader of a commando unit in Kibya in 1953 that murdered scores of Palestinian women and children. That he has been responsible for terrible atrocities against the Palestinian people since he’s been in power. That previous Israeli prime ministers like Shamir and Begin were leaders of the Stern Gang, and the Irgun, both terrorist organizations that killed thousands of innocents.

Arafat may be no saint but he’s no worse than many of the past/present leaders of Israel.

Exactly.

Arafat's a bit of both. He was a terrorist leader, but became a politician later in his life. The neo-cons and the Israeli lobbyists label him a terrorist and refuse to deal with him. Luckily, that will soon change.

Truth is in the eye of the beholder. Ones mans terrorist is, after all, another mans freedom fighter.

I guess i agree with Crunk Ones.

Let’s not forget that Sharon as a young man helped to support Israel state terrorism as the leader of a commando unit in Kibya in 1953 that murdered scores of Palestinian women and children. That he has been responsible for terrible atrocities against the Palestinian people since he’s been in power. That previous Israeli prime ministers like Shamir and Begin were leaders of the Stern Gang, and the Irgun, both terrorist organizations that killed thousands of innocents.

Arafat may be no saint but he’s no worse than many of the past/present leaders of Israel.
Israel leaders aren't terrorists. before we had a countrey we fight on it against britain army, not their citizen. before we put bomb at britain aims, we told them for nobody died.
and after we had a countrey we had a army so we can't be a terrorists. maybe sometimes we kill in accident to many inoccent arabs, but this is nothing in comparison to what USA do at iraq, russia did at the cold war days, and europe did at the imperialism time.
and arrafat is terrorist because he deliver your european money that you send to the poor palastinian, to the terrorists.

To quote myself from another arafat thread:

Hopefully the PLO (that corrupt organisation we call the palestinian authority) can be dismantled, and the israeli's can once again take control of the gaza and the west bank, like they did untill 1993 (in that time they build a lot of schools, the economy went up (although it was brought down thanks to our friend Arafat) and schools (most of them build by the israeli's) were used to actually learn something to the kids, not teach them how to detonate yourself in a bus full of jews.)

Arafat led the Al Aqsa Brigades, one of the most feared terrorist organisations. Arafat blocked the peace process at Camp David, while the Palestinians (while they are actually not Palestinians, they are usually a mix of Egyptians, Jordanians, Syrians, Lebanons, not even Arafat was born in Palestine, he was born in Cairo) got a very profitable offer, which the Israeli's agreed with.

Truth is in the eye of the beholder. Ones mans terrorist is, after all, another mans freedom fighter.

I doubt the althetes at the 72 Munich Olympics hold quite the same impression, that is if they could even have an opinion now, since they were murdered at Arafats orders.

But I guess its better to just forget inconvenient facts, eh?

Let's think of it this way. Who do you hear about more...Hitler or Ghandi (I wasn't completely sure how to spell "GAHN-di", which just adds to my point) :)

It depends on what happens in the middle east.

Palestinians will remember him as a hero (in retrospect) and Israelis as a terrorist, and if a Palestinian state is establsihed, he'll become recognised internatinoally as the altter, probably.

It's like Oliver Cromwell, many English remember him as a republican revolutionary, although a flawed one, while many Irish remember him as a butcher.

History is written by the victors and all that.....

They don't generally give Nobel Peace prizes to terrorists, now do they?

Read his very moving acceptance speech here: http://www.myisraelsource.com/content/arafatnobel

Whatever he is. He's rich thats for sure. His wealth is estimatet at some 300 million dollars.

He won the Nobel Peace Prize.

How many Arafat threads ?

How many Arafat threads ?

Does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

They don't generally give Nobel Peace prizes to terrorists, now do they?

Receiving the prize doesn't, logically speaking, exclude one from being a terrorist. I suppose it depends on how you defind terrorism. There are some that accuse Nelson Mandella of terrorist tactics, too.

Is it only about what side of the conflict you are on? Is there no absolute morality to political struggle? No line which must not be crossed?

Whatever he is. He's rich thats for sure. His wealth is estimatet at some 300 million dollars.
I stand corrected. It´s about 900 million Euro´s.

I don't know what he is, 'cause I don't know all what he did, but... George W. Bush was nominated to the Peace Nobel Prize ¬¬, so that doesn't means nothing

Neither.
Both!

He is has used Terror and he is a Hero.

Hero or terrorist? Hmm... both.

Does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

We may never know...

I doubt the althetes at the 72 Munich Olympics hold quite the same impression...it does not matter what their impression was.

Let's think of it this way. Who do you hear about more...Hitler or Ghandi (I wasn't completely sure how to spell "GAHN-di", which just adds to my point) :)
Gandhi, but then I've been deliberately pruning my circle of acquaintances.
Good point bringing up Gandhi, though. Within what used to be the British Empire, he's the benchmark for judging 'freedom fighters' since he was a) successful and b) respected for his non-violence.
Violence may be needed elsewhere, but he at least proved it wasn't needed within the British sphere of influence.
Now, comparing Arafat to Gandhi - doesn't measure up too well, does he? Despite being near contemporaries.

They don't generally give Nobel Peace prizes to terrorists, now do they?

Read his very moving acceptance speech here: http://www.myisraelsource.com/content/arafatnobel



Arafat is now, and always was throughout his 50-odd year career, a TERRORIST. His nobel peace prize is a load of horse shit that is an insult to all the REAL, DESERVING laureates.

I spit on his memory.

However, it is true what people are saying, about it depends on who is remembering whom on how they are remembered.

Revoke the Prize! (http://www.revoketheprize.org)

I said "Yassir!"
He said "Yessir!"
I said "Yassir!"
He said "Stop it"

(pardon the old SNL reference)

Well, "just another terrorist" wouldn't be accurate no matter what. If you consider him a terrorist, he is a big deal as far as terrorists are concerned.

He was once a terrorist, and probably still condones terrorism. After all, the al-Aqsa martyrs' brigade is still in his Fatah movement. But there are worse things he has done. He was the one mostly responsible for the collapse of the Camp David accords by rejecting a Palestinian state. Why? Because the agreement wouldn't grant Palestinians the right to return to Israel proper. He has done nothing to help his people, nor liberalize his government. He reminds me of Putin or Chavez, being what Fareed Zakaria calls an "elected autocrat". I have great hope that the next president of Palestine will be much more liberal and peaceful than he is, and will work to create a Palestinian state. The downside, however, is that this leader, whoever he is, must survive the Islamic terrorists that undoubtedly want a greater role in the occupied territories.

Well, "just another terrorist" wouldn't be accurate no matter what. If you consider him a terrorist, he is a big deal as far as terrorists are concerned.I say he could become a second "che" .... posters and all...

That is even bigger than a Nobel Prize.

The troll is dead. Long live peace in Israel and the middle east.

terrorist

He was a creepy terrorist. My friend Mario, who owns Mario's Pizza across the way wants to know if he can have his table cloth back that Arafat stole so long ago?

I doubt the althetes at the 72 Munich Olympics hold quite the same impression, that is if they could even have an opinion now, since they were murdered at Arafats orders.

But I guess its better to just forget inconvenient facts, eh?
Dead people dont have opinions and dont try and insinuate that I take either side in this debate.