But this year, when the Christians' solar calendar and the Jews' lunar calendar have coincided and Easter and Passover fall together, it's a safe bet that George W Bush will make the connection. The first time I ever heard him speak, he spoke openly about his faith and about Christ in a way that would be unimaginable for a British politician. He will know all the details - "the baby tried to crawl away, but it died, too". Unlike the Europeans, he must know too that Yasser Arafat could never run any kind of state: give him Switzerland and he'd turn it into a sewer.
The news clip of President Bush's response to this bombing was very telling. He paused and then said "Mister Arafat". I believe this was a signal that he will not recognize Arafat as a Chairman of anything. I also believe that the Israelis who have Arafat under siege got the message from our president, too.