There are currently three reports circulating. PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat is dead, Arafat is brain dead and will be dead as soon as he is taken off life support, or Arafat is in very critical condition. The second possibility is the most probable, but no matter what Arafat's health is out of all probablity going to prevent him from serving in any real capacity. Since Arafat is the only leader the Palestinian people have ever known and he hasn't groomed a successor I'm predicting major chaos.
Posted by Tstorm (Member # 1871) on :
I'm predicting terrorist attacks. </sarcasm>
IMO, it's about time both sides had a leadership change. Sharon doesn't seem to care, and he's had plenty of time to try, for peace.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
Yep, it's way past time to toss Dubya out.
Posted by Bean Counter (Member # 6001) on :
Actually he has a personal hatred of Arrafat that is well known.
After the PLO blows up a few things and one of them lands on top, he may find Sharone a bit more willing to sit down and talk.
I hope so because I think that if Iran does make a bomb, they will drive it in a truck and deliver it the PLO and say "do what you want with it!"
Perhaps that is what happened to Arrafat, did anyone wave a Gieger counter over the old maniac?
BC
Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
I'm actually rather enthusiastic about the prospect of a change in leadership for the Palestinians. I'd like to see Mahmoud Abbas take control now.
Posted by newfoundlogic (Member # 3907) on :
Well with each new update its becoming clear that Arafat is losing his battle with whatever ailment has afflicted him. If he had died yesterday (the 4th) it frankly would have been quite fitting as it would have coincided with the anniversary of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's assasination nine years ago.
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
Newfoundlogic, agreed... chaos is in order.
I'm not sure this is necessarily a bad thing, for the Palestinians to try and follow a new leader... Arafat was rather obstinate, and turned down the peace offer that Barak offered him at Camp David four (or was it five?) years ago. It really was more than the Palestinians had expected to get (though not more than they ideally wanted), but Arafat turned it down. That caused things to go majorly downhill.
But of course the Palestinians trust Arafat in everything, because, as you said, he's the only leader the Palestinians have ever known. He's not dead yet, but he's close... clinically, he's dead, but he's in a coma, he's still alive, technically. (I'm in this country, so hopefully my information is somewhat accurate!)
But yes, this will cause major chaos... and I'm actually here during it, so we'll see what happens... I hope it's not tooo dramatic.
Posted by newfoundlogic (Member # 3907) on :
I can't guarantee that your information is accurate because the Palestinians, French, and Israelis all have conflicting reports. Personally I wouldn't be suprised if he is dead, and the Palestinians are just holding off the official news in order to prepare to keep the West Bank and Gaza from exploding.
Unfortunately, there's no clear path to succession and according to public opinion polls of the Palestinian people, the second most popular man is the leader the youth Fatah and is sitting in an Israeli prison with a life sentence.
Posted by Generational Storm (Member # 6500) on :
I'm sure OSC will have a lot to say about this when he comes to MA (MIT) to speak about this on Sunday 11/7. Should be interesting. (see my other topic thread)
quote: The two U.S. officials say that since Muslim custom requires burial within 24 hours of death, no one will declare Arafat dead until they figure out where to bury him. They said Arafat will not be taken off life support or declared officially deceased by his family until the negotiations are complete, and they hope to have those talks wrapped up within 24 to 48 hours.
Well if they're deadset on Jerusalem Arafat is going to be on life support for a long time.
Posted by Xaposert (Member # 1612) on :
Israel should let him be buried there.... not doing so would cause a lot of serious trouble (trouble that might be measureable in deaths) for nothing more than a symbolic snub.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
They should let him be buried there, but no way should they allow a giant gathering when they do. And this may be unacceptable to the Palestinians.
Dagonee
Posted by newfoundlogic (Member # 3907) on :
Ahmed Yassin's funeral had about 200,000 attendees. Arafat is the father of the Palestinian people in more ways than one. I'd expect the entire West Bank to show up and there would be no way to prevent those people from attending the funeral. The issue for the Israelis has to be to limit the rioting to outside of Israeli soil. Israel can't and shouldn't allow Arafat to be buried in Jerusalem. They also announced that they simply aren't going to allow it. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=2&u=/ap/2004 1105/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_arafat_burial_2 Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
Aha! I see it all now!
They'll negotiate, his followers will be permitted to bury him in Jerusalem with a small ceremony.
Then, at night, when everyone's asleep, the Palestinians that have hidden in his body will climb out and storm the guards and Brad Pitt will get shot in the ankle.
Masterful, truly masterful.
Posted by Shigosei (Member # 3831) on :
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