Arafat is dead.

[Blaksmoke]

No report yet, but it's on TV right now.

What do you think will happen now? With Palestine and all that.

[Pro A.]

They'll hand the reins to Abbas.

[Blaksmoke]

Well, not just leadership. Everything.

[Viper]

I just hope the Isrealis don't take this as a sign to just all out attack now that Palestinian leadership is changing and I hope the Palestianians don't lose faith that the confilct can be resolved peacefully.


Damn, that's a lot of hope.

[Michael Bluth]

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20041111/capt.ny54411110444.obit_arafat_ny544.jpg


RAMALLAH, West Bank - Yasser Arafat, who triumphantly forced his people's plight into the world spotlight but failed to achieve his lifelong quest for Palestinian statehood, died Thursday at age 75.

The French military hospital where he had been treated for since Oct. 29 said he died at 3:30 a.m. The Palestinian leader spent his final days there in a coma.

Palestinian Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat and Tayeb Abdel Rahim, a top Arafat aide, confirmed that Arafat died in a conversation with reporters at Arafat's headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

President Bush issued a statement of condolence to the Palestinian people.

"The death of Yasser Arafat is a significant moment in Palestinian history. We express our condolences to the Palestinian people. For the Palestinian people, we hope that the future will bring peace and the fulfillment of their aspirations for an independent, democratic Palestine that is at peace with its neighbors," the statement said.

"During the period of transition that is ahead, we urge all in the region and throughout the world to join in helping make progress toward these goals and toward the ultimate goal of peace."

The Palestinian parliament speaker will be sworn in as Palestinian Authority president in the coming hours.

Palestinian officials have said they want to ensure a smooth transition. Under Palestinian law, Parliament Speaker Rauhi Fattouh, a virtual unknown, is to become caretaker president until elections are held in 60 days.

Arafat's last days were as murky and dramatic as his life. Flown to France on Oct. 29 after nearly three years of being penned in his West Bank headquarters by Israeli tanks, he initially improved but then sharply deteriorated as rumors swirled about his illness.

Top Palestinian officials flew in to check on their leader while Arafat's 41-year-old wife, Suha, publicly accused them of trying to usurp his powers. Ordinary Palestinians prayed for his well being, but expressed deep frustration over his failure to improve their lives.

Arafat's failure to groom a successor complicated his passing, raising the danger of factional conflict among Palestinians.

A visual constant in his checkered keffiyeh headdress, Arafat kept the Palestinians' cause at the center of the Arab-Israeli conflict. But he fell short of creating a Palestinian state, and, along with other secular Arab leaders of his generation, he saw his influence weakened by the rise of radical Islam in recent years.

Revered by his own people, Arafat was reviled by others. He was accused of secretly fomenting attacks on Israelis while proclaiming brotherhood and claiming to have put terrorism aside. Many Israelis felt the paunchy 5-foot, 2-inch Palestinian's real goal remained the destruction of the Jewish state.

Arafat became one of the world's most familiar faces after addressing the U.N. General Assembly in New York in 1974, when he entered the chamber wearing a holster and carrying a sprig. "Today I have come bearing an olive branch and a freedom fighter's gun," he said. "Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand."

Two decades later, he shook hand at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin on a peace deal that formally recognized Israel's right to exist while granting the Palestinians limited self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The pact led to the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize for Arafat, Rabin and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres.

But the accord quickly unraveled amid mutual suspicions and accusations of treaty violations, and a new round of violence that erupted in the fall of 2000 has killed some 4,000 people, three-quarters of them Palestinian.

The Israeli and U.S. governments said Arafat deserved much of the blame for the derailing of the peace process. Even many of his own people began whispering against Arafat, expressing disgruntlement over corruption, lawlessness and a bad economy in the Palestinian areas.

A resilient survivor of war with Israel, assassination attempts and even a plane crash, Arafat was born Rahman Abdel-Raouf Arafat Al-Qudwa on Aug. 4, 1929, the fifth of seven children of a Palestinian merchant killed in the 1948 war over Israel's creation. There is disagreement whether he was born in Gaza or in Cairo, Egypt.

Educated as an engineer in Egypt, Arafat served in the Egyptian army and then started a contracting firm in Kuwait. It was there that he founded the Fatah movement, which became the core of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

After the Arabs' humbling defeat by Israel in the six-day war of 1967, the PLO thrust itself on the world's front pages by sending its gunmen out to hijack airplanes, machine gun airports and seize Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics.

"As long as the world saw Palestinians as no more than refugees standing in line for U.N. rations, it was not likely to respect them. Now that the Palestinians carry rifles the situation has changed," Arafat explained.

Arafat's failure to groom a successor complicated his passing, raising the danger of factional conflict among Palestinians.

A visual constant in his checkered keffiyeh headdress, Arafat kept the Palestinians' cause at the center of the Arab-Israeli conflict. But he fell short of creating a Palestinian state, and, along with other secular Arab leaders of his generation, he saw his influence weakened by the rise of radical Islam in recent years.

Arafat became one of the world's most familiar faces after addressing the U.N. General Assembly in New York in 1974, when he entered the chamber wearing a holster and carrying a sprig. "Today I have come bearing an olive branch and a freedom fighter's gun," he said. "Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand."

Two decades later, he shook hand at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin on a peace deal that formally recognized Israel's right to exist while granting the Palestinians limited self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The pact led to the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize for Arafat, Rabin and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres.




http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041111/ap_on_re_mi_ea/obit_arafat_14

[speed stick]

It diden't help him that he was pretty much under house arrest for 3 years. It will be intertesting to see what the outcome of this is.

[Dwhitten]

In my opinion I think Israel's Prime Minister was the biggest reason for not having peace.

It's utter bullshit they won't let Palestine be it's own state. They wonder why they have suicide bombers there when they have their Israel army taking over the west bank every month.

They say Arafat is the main reason for the terror but it's ridiculous to think that when they had him under house arrest for 3 years.

I wish death upon Sharon and then we'll have peace.

[peasantlover]

Dwhitten = liberal

[Lord Worm]

Both the Israelies and the Palestinians are retards.

[peasantlover]

Your spectacular and comprehensive grasp of world affairs is obvious from your posts, Worm.

[HereticPB]

Now for a chance of actual peace as Arafat was the leader of Palestine Terrorists.

[Darkness_Essence]

^^ and Sharon was the leader of a bunch of happy cheerleader ?!!

Please, do some actual research on the whole Palestinian-Israeli conflict before making a statement like that.

[Colin™]

All we are is dust in the wind.

[plebben]

Arafat was a symbol for palestinian freedom.
He and his "government did not like to work with hamas or any other militant islamists during the last 15-20 years but it must also be remembered that Arafat was the leader of the terrorist group PLO 40-30 years ago, the group that now represents the political party PLO.
What Arafat has done against the state of israel as terrorist is not excusable but to say he is the leader of the suicide bombers of today is not correct. It is hamas and other fundamentalist groups that are responsible for that. It is true that Arafat and his ministers have not taken distance towards those actions strong enough but it is also reasonalbe to see why he didnt considering a lot of people do agree with the hate towards israel because they are treated as less worth in human value in comparrisin to israelis.

But as long as they support hamas and their terrorist methods i do not feel very sympathic towards the palestinian people.
I do feel sympathic in a way because i do not feel that the israeli government handles this any good. To many fundamental religous groups seem to have more influence that they should in the israeli governing buisness.

[Dwhitten]

Dwhitten = liberal lol that humors me. I'm against abortion, gay marriage and less government control plus voted for Bush and i'm a liberal? This is world affairs buddy so you better have more information to back up your comments.

[HereticPB]

The motherfucker funded terrorism simple enough.

[Lord Worm]

Your spectacular and comprehensive grasp of world affairs is obvious from your posts, Worm.

That's my condensed view on the situation in Palestine and Israel. They both do nothing to solve the problem, even though they say they will.

They're both guilty.

[Dwhitten]

The motherfucker funded terrorism simple enough. He condemned the terrorist attacks.

[shadowrunner]

:wave::(

just like add those two smilies together.

[peasantlover]

lol that humors me. I'm against abortion, gay marriage and less government control plus voted for Bush and i'm a liberal? This is world affairs buddy so you better have more information to back up your comments.

relax, buddy, I was teasing you..

[Dwhitten]

lol sorry for misunderstanding you, bro :D

[peasantlover]

He condemned the terrorist attacks.

of course he did, he wasnt stupid. He condemned the terrorists attacks while funding them and encouraging them behind closed doors. He was a monster, plain and simple, a vicious and brutal murderer, and the world is a better place with him dead.

[Jesus]

All we are is dust in the wind.

The scariest thing in this thread. Was I was listening to This exact song whn I read this....

[Omega]

This conflict could be likenend to a faction of Native Americans wishing to form their own "sovereign nation" in an area of one of our existing states.

[plebben]

except it was only 60 years ago the palestinians were driven away while its been 150-200 years ago for native americans

[Blaksmoke]

The Native Americans weren't so much driven away than they were cheated and killed off.

[plebben]

yeah.. bastard founding fathers :P

[peasantlover]

The native Americans dont form terrorist groups and send suicide bombers to destroy Oklahoma, however.

[The Dude]

Araft was a terrorist, Clinton gave him the best deal the palestinians will ever see and he turned aroud and pissed on it.

I'm glad he's dead, hopefully they will get a new leader that actually cares about the palistinian people

[Lord Worm]

Sharone isn't a fucking angel, either. There was no Israel 60 years ago. There were a bunch of displaced Hebrews who had nowhere to go [after the war]. The UN decided to give them a chunk of land in Palestine, but they weren't very diplomatic about it. They forced out all the Palestinians (Even the Jewish ones) and gave Jerusalam to Israel. Another bad fucking move. This created discontent. I have a feeling America is for Israel just because it was partially their creation.

I think that, first of all, Jerusalam should be made an independant district, just like the Vatican. This is smart, because the Vatican is holy for a lot of people, not just the Italians. This way, Jerusalam can belong to everyone that it means something to.

That'd be a good start. But you have to remember that these people obviously hate each other. Before diplomacy can begin, there has to be understanding. These people don't see eye to eye.

[Lammie]

You can see why the Palestinians and Israelis hate each other. Put yourself in their shoes for a minute - if one of your family members got killed by a suicide bomber you wouldnt be too forgiving would you? And if an unarmed family member got shot and killed by a Israeli soldier, or your home got bulldozed to make way for a Jewish settlement I don't think you'd be too fond of the Israelis either.

So it's going to be no simple task in getting everyone to move on and get out of the current cycle of retaliation. Both sides have to come to an agreement, if one side decides to stop the violence, the other will walk all over them. It has to be a bilateral ceasefire.

[Blaksmoke]

The native Americans dont form terrorist groups and send suicide bombers to destroy Oklahoma, however.
No, they did it the old-fashioned way. Go on a complete fucking rampage and kill everything with spears, bows and horses.


http://digilander.libero.it/magaangela/Cochise.jpg

[peasantlover]

hehe. Good point Blaksmoke.. I guess they didnt have car bombs when the injuns were losing their land. Modern day redskins are pretty tame, though. OOH! I have a solution, why not let the Palestinians open up Casinos in Israel, and sell cigarettes and pipeweed tax free, like we do for the Native Americans now? It seems to work out well for everyone in America.

[plebben]

well the ortodox jews wont let muslims in on their holy ground. Also, isnt gambling forbiden in the Koran?
The palestinians have always been pissed on. In the longrun other muslims dont like them either. Its just that theyre seen as brothers in the battle against a jewish state.
No other muslim state wants the palestinian people on their soil either.

[peasantlover]

Palestinians arent really that religious, though. They are more Arab and less Muslims ;).

Besides, Muslim holy ground is, for the most part, in Saudia Arabia, not Israel.

[plebben]

the 3rd most holy place in islam is the same place as the jews keep as their holiest.. the place where arafat wanted to be buried.
the temple mountain where solomons temple is said to have stood for the jews/hebrews and the al-Aksamosque of today for the muslims

[The Dude]

I think that, first of all, Jerusalam should be made an independant district, just like the Vatican. This is smart, because the Vatican is holy for a lot of people, not just the Italians. This way, Jerusalam can belong to everyone that it means something to.


I agree 100% with you on that one

[MagicJuggler]

Hmm...we should simply nuke Jerusalem; it ain't the Holy Land no more if it's covered in radioactive grit.

Jk, although imagine the results.
Israeli: You want a state? You can have it.
Palestinian: No, you can have it.
Israeli: No, I mean it. You can have it.
Palestinian: After you.