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The Shocking Palestinian Vision of Reform
June 3, 2002
Contributed by www.IsraelForum.com

What does an arch-terrorist at the helm of a terrorist regime do when demanded to reform? Yasser Arafat, head of the Palestinian Authority answered that question recently with a move that would bring pride to his peers, like Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Ladin. Arafat has just announced that he would invite the Hamas, PFLP and Islamic Jihad to join the soon-to-be-reformed Palestinian regime. Such is Arafat's vision for "reform".

If it were not for the incredible slap in the face to President Bush and his policy-makers, Americans might actually laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Arafat, under pressure to mend his ways from his own people, as well from the U.S. and his patron-apologist EU, has chosen a path that is calculated by Arafat to derail any last hope of a peaceful resolution to the Palestinian problem.

By choosing to officially place groups that are on the U.S. and the EU list of terrorist organizations into a position of national leadership, Arafat has exposed his blueprint for the future -- more and more terrorism on an even larger scale than previously imagined.

To be fair, the latest Palestinian outrage is not surprising. Since his return to Gaza from Tunisian exile, Arafat has conducted an all-out terrorist war against Israel, with the express purpose of destroying the Jewish state. There has always been a high level of mostly behind-the-scenes cooperation between the Palestinian Authority and other terrorist groups like the Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Arafat has personally provided ample incitement, training and financing, as well as logistical coordination between the various groups that comprise the Palestinian terrorist infrastructure.

Yet, there is something new and startling about Arafat’s plan to include terrorist groups as part of his potential future government. Arafat is betting that the international community is willing to acquiesce to any scheme concocted by the Palestinians. Apparently, based on past experience, Arafat is certain that he will receive the usual hypocritical support of his EU friends to something as mind-boggling as placing terrorists at the head of a Palestinian government. But even though Arafat thinks he can pull this one off, he is dead wrong this time.

The seemingly endless caché of international goodwill has all but run out for Arafat, who himself, as a known terrorist, is hanging by a thread, does not have the power to pull his co-terrorists on board. In fact, it is very possible that his invitation to Hamas and Islamic Jihad to join his government is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. The international community would do well to listen to Arafat himself and understand that the Palestinian vision for reform is tantamount to a start of a potential full-scale regional war.