[monkeyshine]

The floor is now open for discussion.

[monkeyshine]

Sorry, the links don't work because they refer only to the economist's website.

[xm177e2]

Israel might be even less safe from terrorist outrages without him

That was always Arafat's threat. "Tolerate my terror, or things will be even worse!"

[LarryM]

The Economist is a rabidly Anti-Israel publication. You can see from the bias in the article. Arafat "did not prevent terrorist attacks" was their formulation. The fact is he deliberately planned and executed a terrorist war. His intelligence chief (named Tirawi) runs the whole terrorist operation.

[samtheman]

Although Arab populations surely have the same bell-curve of intelligence as exists elsewhere in the human race (some smart, most average, some dumb), Arab culture in general, and Palestinian culture in particular is as stupid as a box of rocks. If they had accepted the Barak deal, even with its flaws, they would have been on the road to getting many things that they wanted, including economic gains and better lives for all their people. Instead, they've chosen to fight and die for an impossibility. And keep their people rock-bottom rock-stupid stinking-poor in the process.

How should this concern the USA? Perhaps in this way: let the Israelis do their worst. Let the Palestinians hate America as much as they want. In fact, America is probably safer in an atmosphere of maximum distrust and belligerence. In that kind of atmosphere we have our guard up, we are suspicious of Palestinians and other Arabs coming into our country. As we should be. In the previous era, pre-9/11, we were sanguine. We thought the Arabs loved us. We were wrong. They want to murder us as much as they want to murder Israelis. Discord in the Middle East probably will make the USA a safer place, because it will hopefully prevent us from sagging back into our own rock-stupid-ClintOOnesque-sense-of-security.

To Israel I say: fight on.

To the USA I say: vigilance.

[DoughtyOne]

Let me see, rock throwing on a daily basis. Sniper fire every 48 hours. Rockets incoming every 72 hours. Suicide bombings on a weekly basis. Massive bombings on a monthly basis. Well it may just get worse after Arafat. And the next guy can be rubbed out too. Until the PLO gets it through their head that this stuff is going to stop, I'd advise Israel to keep engaged rather than let this be totally one sided. Israel has been way way way more restrained than I would have been. And if I were a citizen of Israel I'd have been screaming for Arafat's head!

[Kermit]

"The Palestinians' point of view is rather simple: they believe that they are an occupied people fighting a colonial war against their military occupier. They do not accept that they were offered a fair deal last year."

Remember, when the Palestinians say 'occupied territories', they mean all of Israel. So, if the Palestinian people believe they are occupied and fighting a war against their military occupier, they want war. They must then accept the consequences. You can keep starting wars, lose, then say "do over". That's what the Arab world has been doing for 50 years.

BTW, the Palestinian People don't know about the deal Arafat turned down. When reporters have told Palestinians about it, they've been stunned and disbelieving.

[sheik yerbouty]

No, Hamas or Hezbollah would have to shi'ite, or get off the pot! they will have to choose war or peace, not the Clintifada crapola.