Scenario for Arafat's demise

[NewsGuy]

Seeing the reports of Arafat himself telling Abu Dahbi TV that there are a bunch of Palestinian corpses and wounded bodyguards near him, gives me the hope that Israel's promise to the US that Arafat will not be physically harmed, is still not an absolute barrier to his demise.

Here's a quote from Israel's Central Command Press Briefing, Major General Yitzhak Eitan:

"The IDF is operating throughout the entire area of Ramallah, excluding the offices in which Arafat is staying. I regret saying that from the offices in which Arafat is present, shots were fired toward us. Our forces returned fire. We are not operating within the compounds of the Chairman himself. This is a military operation, and in military operations, tanks are involved alongside armed vehicles. We requested that the officials in the Mukata surrender themselves, but when Palestinians started shooting toward the forces, we responded with fire. We do not shoot or fire intentionally towards Arafat's bureau. We are not fighting Arafat. We are fighting terror..."

Very good. This means that while the IDF is ordered not to target Arafat personally, if he or his bodyguards fire at the IDF soldiers, the Israelis can return fire, and hopefully in the exchange, Arafat could possibly by hit.

There is still reason for hope, then.

[L@mplighterM]

We can always hope.

Sharon has pledged not to shoot Arafat and he?ll most likely keep that promise to Bush.

What I don?t understand is why anyone would restore his electricity, feed him, let him broadcast via satellite TV, etc.

What is the purpose? I?d jam all radio transmission to and from his headquarters. Whenever Bin Laden released videos they weren?t shown on CNN or MSNBC or other network for fear that it would give him an opportunity to send coded messages. A coded message could be as simple as scratching his nose or ??????????. What gives is Sharon soft in the head. For all I know the latest café bombing could have been ordered from the second floor of his compound.

The way I see it is that Arafat is gaining popularity by the minute. The Palestinians are demonstrating worldwide and gaining support from the media. That is not to say that the media hasn?t shown bias in the past, now however it seems like its gaining momentum.
The media can be a powerful ally and it certainly will not help Israel if the Israelis keep him caged for an extended period of time.


What to do is a difficult question with no easy answer. What is obvious is that the looser is showing stress and that by itself is a little bit of punishment. That will however never make up for all the evil acts that he has orchestrated.

[ibrodsky]

I would also not rule out Sharon announcing that he can no longer guarantee Arafat's safety.

It is amazing how nothing ever changes in the Arab/militant Islam world. Just like before the US attacked Al Qaeda and Taliban, we heard all sorts of dire warnings from Arab and Islamic states and groups. During the Persian Gulf War, Iraq claimed it had a new weapon that would shock the world.

These people beat their chests and make alot of noise, but when it becomes clear they are being beaten they quiet down quickly. Likewise, we hear all sorts of threats from all quarters about what would happen if Arafat were killed. Supposedly, the whole Arab world would erupt. Yeah, right. More likely, with Arafat dead they will start killing each other in the mad dash to find his replacement. But the Arabs always need a thug to follow, and it is hard to quickly establish one's credentials as the top thug. It takes years of brutality.

Thus, with Arafat gone, I think you will see the Palestinians in even more disarray than usual. The Europeans will bitch and moan about how Israel killed a legitimate leader, but then the land that brought us Hitler and the Spanish Inquisition is hardly qualified to lecture Israel.

It's time to at least start publicizing Arafat's long and distinguished career as a terrorist. We really need someone like President Bush to do this. (Unfortunately, he doesn't have the backbone.) Fortunately, we have George Will and Rush Limbaugh... and Dick "You can hang Arafat" Cheney.

[L@mplighterM]

Yes the Arabs are windbags. The thing is that Israel has complained about how the conflict is understood by the rest of the world. As a matter of fact I printed out documentation a few months ago from jpost.com indicating that they were going to embark on a PR campaign (don’t ask for details names,etc. because I cant remember)

A lot of people are not too happy about Arafat being trapped and phoning everywhere for help. Don’t get me wrong because I wouldn’t shed one tear if someone put a bullet between his eyes.

[Flame]

Anyone here know the details (or if it is true) that King Hussain had 90,000 pal thugs killed during some sort of uprising.... several several years ago?

[Negev]

Originally posted by Flame
Anyone here know the details (or if it is true) that King Hussain had 90,000 pal thugs killed during some sort of uprising.... several several years ago?

it's called black september. i think it was 1970.

arafart and his plo rats tried again to take over any arab country they are in. king hussein, the papa, handled it like all arab rulers handle these situations because they are experts in understanding how to treat their fellow arabs.

they lined up 20,000 palestinian terrorists are blew their heads off and then threw their carcasses to rot in the desert sun.

since then it was like magic. no more problems from arafart and the palestinians.

[ibrodsky]

Is it Arafart or Terrorfat?

[NewsGuy]

The Israeli press is now reporting that the IDF was instructed to arrest the top Palestinian terrorists holed up in Arafat's offices, as well as in Palestinian preventative security chief Jibril Rajoub's offices. There are believed to be 60-70 wanted terrorists involved.

According to the Israeli press report, the IDF was ordered to capture these terrorists "at any price."

This is very significant because Arafat is said to have a machine gun by his side, and has threatened to battle the IDF troops if they enter his office. If that happens, the IDF is sure to shoot back, hopefully ending Arafat's career of genocide, as a Palestinian Swiss cheese poster-boy.

[L@mplighterM]

Thanx for the laugh (Poster Boy ) it brought tears to L@mps eyes and the laughter it brought to other family members.

I imagine it'll be tear gas city in his compound and percussion grenades will most likely be used as well.

If they capture him alive perhaps they should give him to the EU so they can use him as a mascot. I only say this because after all Sharon did promise Bush not to hurt him.

[Moon]

In the beggining of the Intifada, there was an "incident" which was on the headlines for days and maybe weeks. Between a cross-fire, a boy was killed and the father wounded. The Palestinians said the Israelis did it and the Israelis said something I don't remember. Problably that they would investigate, but they didn't made any acusations. Anyway, the boy was considered a martyr as every dead Palestinian is...

There was an article in the Jerusalem Post a couple of weeks ago about this, saying some society related to the press (I think) somewhere in the European Union which managed to proove through the images and investigation that the boy was clearly shot by the Palestinians. Unfortunately these news didn't show up as much or as strong as the news related to the boy's death.

I wrote in a vague manner because I don't recall the exact details and the name of the boy.

Anyway, the current situation of Arafat made me think. What if one of the guys who are with him right now thinks "This dude is more useful dead as a martyr than alive, why not killing him and say the Israelis did it?"

How possible is this to happen and what would be the possible consequences/reactions over this?
Do you think this would be a desaster?

Note that I don't mind if he dies... I'm just concerned about what would happen after.

Perhaps it's not a big deal speculating on this.

[NewsGuy]

Another possible scenario for Arafat's demise Here are some excerpts from a piece written by Emanuel A. Winston, a Middle East analyst & commentator:

AA: AFTER ARAFAT

The death of Yassir Arafat may be imminent. I do not think he will die at the hands of the Jews - although this would be justice at its truest form.

I think Arafat will be martyred (as he requests) by his own people.

He has become useless in terms of expanding his radical Jihad. Therefore, he would be far more valuable to the Arab terror organizations and nations as a dead martyr.

So, do not be too surprised if, quite soon, there is a gun shot or an explosion with shouts that Arafat has been killed by the Israelis - or more specifically, by Arik Sharon. These claims will range from his being hit by a sniper’s bullet, or a tank shell, mortar or missile.

His body will be whisked away, denying forensic experts a look at the body with a determination of how he really died.

...

Arafat has been screaming at the top of his voice to become a ‘shahid’ (Martyr killed by Jews). Clearly, he is ready to leave this life for an Islamic Warriors’ Paradise, with his name forever enshrined in Islamic lore. His picture will hang in an Islamic homes, even in Arab nations who hate the thought and presence of Palestinian Arabs. Let us remember that Palestinian Arabs were not made welcome in Syria, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and never extended citizenship. But, for purposes of shouting, they love their brother Palestinians and for use in targeting Israel, they were temporarily convenient.

Yassir Arafat has been a visibly ill man for a long time. It seems doubtful that he has a long life line and, thus, going out now in a blaze of martyrdom would be a desirable end to his life. Whether he is part of planning the method of his death or whether he will be merely assassinated by his close associates is of little matter.

What does matter is blaming Israel for his death. Arafat in his death may be able to achieve what he could not achieve in his life - namely arousing the familiar Arab street hysteria, thereby pulling the Arab nations into war. This would be Arafat’s funeral pyre to be burned into the memory of Islamic history.

So, if Yassir Arafat is executed in the near future know that it was his people who are experts in assassination who lit the match. It will be the Israelis who will be blamed as planned and the nations will send high ranking representatives of their government for a grand and glorious farewell funeral.

I am sure that these same nations where dictators and bigots rule would have done the same for Adolph Hitler as some did for Joseph Stalin...

Killing off Arafat would not leave a gaping hole in the fabric of our planet. When Gamal Abdel Nasser, Pol Pot, Hafez al Assad, and other dictator tyrants left this world, nothing cataclysmic happened. They were quickly forgotten and the vacuum of their absence was quickly filled by others.

* * *

Your thoughts?

[L@mplighterM]

When Arafat croaks the world wont stop turning.

It’s said to achieve martyrdom one must be remembered 25 years after death. If Israel off’s Arafat he will go down in history as a great freedom fighter having fought all his life to ward off Israeli aggression. On the other hand if he dies from natural causes or from the bullet of another Arab I don’t think Palestinians’ll revere him until the end of time.

The sun will still rise in the morning when Arafat has descended into Hell or maybe he’ll end up in purgatory with the Pope. I would have kept the Pope out of this but since the Vatican City issued an opinion today (biased in my opinion) regarding the latest situation I think it’s only fair that I take a snipe at their leader.

I would rather be humiliated than have my limbs or other parts of my anatomy ripped away by a madman’s explosives while I’m sitting down celebrating or watch my child in my arms. A statement like that from the leader of the Catholics just pours flames on the situation and gives Palestinians cause for their evil actions.

[Elena]

The sun will still rise in the morning when Arafat has descended into Hell or maybe he’ll end up in purgatory with the Pope.

The pope? but what is hapenning here?

Is the Pope bought by the oil power of the arabs too?

Maybe, a little of respect for who thinks different is neccesary.

In the cuestion of Arafat, If Arafat is killed (accidentally or not) in Ramalla he will be remembered like a symbol a martyr etc etc..
Sharon know that he can´t give this postume victory to Arafat and invites Arafat to go out Israel.
Arafat hasn´t any credibility now, but is the Leader of the Palestinians recognized in the international community.

I hope that a new palestinian Leadar with any links with terrorism actions replaces Arafat, but this must do the palestinians, not Israel.

The boy that you say was killed by the israeli forces, probably was accidentally, but the TV images don´t lie.

[L@mplighterM]

The Pope brought himself into the fray so why should I suspect him???? He isn't anything to me. How about him showing a little respect.

As far as the little boy that was killed it's been established by the German media with a high degree of probability that it was a Palestinian bullet that killed the boy. Most likely it was intensional.

[Elena]

Yes, it´s true. I Forgetted that only the palestinians kill innocents and when Israeli forces kill someone is because is sure an evil terrorist.

[L@mplighterM]

Dont take it up with me take it up with the German media that studied the incident frame by frame and reached that conclusion after a lenghty study.

Dont shoot the mesenger I'm not even German.

All of sudden you start expanding the arguement. For the record I DO NOT believe that the IDF has ever intentionally killed a Palestinian child.

[L@mplighterM]

Should there be wars to settle disputes? My answer would then be NO. Does a nation have the right to self defense? My answer would be YES.

Arafat with his refusal to issue orders in Arabic condemning the attacks directed against innocent civilians is fully responsible for whatever happens.

Are you going to justify a terrorist walking into a hospital maternity ward and killing new born babies?

You Spaniards are always running from bulls so I guess it doesn?t leave you much time to think,

[Elena]

I don´t justify any terrorism, but it´s so easy to get the blame ever to the same side. If something is wrong the palestinians get the blame. If we did a mistake, it doesn´ t matter the palestinian are guilty.
The terrorism is horrible and I undertand that many familys in Israel have fear, but in Palestina many innocent familys have fear too, fear because the soldiers of Israel shoot in their towns and can hurt them.
In Palestina there are terrorists, but also people innocent that don´t understand why they can´t live in peace.

I don´t know what is the meaning of spaniard because I prefer to be una Española.

[NewsGuy]

Hi Elena,

I just wanted to take this opportunity to say that I appreciate your points of view, whether or not I agree with them.

I see that you finished the "Trial" period and you are a member of the Israel Froum now.

Welcome! :)

I am glad to have you here.

[Elena]

Thank you NewsGuy

I only want express my sincere opinion without offend

[L@mplighterM]

Have you ever heard the expression that all is fair in love and war?

I’m certain that the majority of the IDF soldiers would rather be at home watching TV, playing with their children, being with their family.

On the other hand a country has an obligation to defend its citizens. Is Sharon doing the right thing right now? I think so. Am I right in thinking that? Time will tell.

On the other side of the coin the Palestinians see the Israelis as invaders or squatters in which they consider their land.

If individuals came onto my land and improved it and produced food for sale (we are talking about barren land) would I have justification for killing their child? Would I have justification for killing a woman with child? Would I have justification for killing the woman? Would I have justification for killing the man?

I’m an atheist but with everything that I hold holy (lousy choice of a word) my answer would be no.

Would I fight until death defending my conviction? Yes!

When the dogs of war are unleashed it no longer becomes a simple mathematical equation. People are going to get hurt with stray bombs, bullets, land mines and the like. When you put it on a scale I suppose that all life is precious and should be considered a treasure.

Therefore if you kill a 100 to save a 1,000 it seems worth it to me. But believe me all avenues of diplomacy should be pursued before the first shot is fired.

In the current situation it was the Palestinians that broke the peace fire in a most horrid and despicable way. Could you give me instances where Israel has attacked the Palestinians or other Arab states without provocation?