Friday, April 23, 2004
IHT: Sharon says Arafat may be targeted
I'm about the last person to proclaim the value of Yasser Arafat's life right now. I think he's been a truly abysmal leader and a truly abysmal human being. Frankly, the Palestinians could have done better by selecting a donkey to lead them. BUT - and you knew this was coming - giving this jackass the martyrdom he claims to crave would be a bad call.
At this point, Israel has put the Arab world on notice that it is not to be fucked with and will not honor the trivial distinction between political terrorist leaders and military terrorist leaders. That is a good step toward maintaining the credibility of its deterrent. Whatever happens, no one will think that it will leave Hamas alone after a Gaza pullout should the group continue to plot attacks.
What does killing Arafat achieve? It will trigger more outrage, though the effect will be much the same as increasing the heat on a pot already bubbling over. But I don't really see any military benefit. Arafat certainly deserves to die before any Palestinian state emerges, but I think nature can probably take care of that if left to its own devices. The cons to this are more certain than the pros - I do think the backlash outside of the Arab world would be formidable. Israel really doesn't need that when time is on its side.
I'm about the last person to proclaim the value of Yasser Arafat's life right now. I think he's been a truly abysmal leader and a truly abysmal human being. Frankly, the Palestinians could have done better by selecting a donkey to lead them. BUT - and you knew this was coming - giving this jackass the martyrdom he claims to crave would be a bad call.
At this point, Israel has put the Arab world on notice that it is not to be fucked with and will not honor the trivial distinction between political terrorist leaders and military terrorist leaders. That is a good step toward maintaining the credibility of its deterrent. Whatever happens, no one will think that it will leave Hamas alone after a Gaza pullout should the group continue to plot attacks.
What does killing Arafat achieve? It will trigger more outrage, though the effect will be much the same as increasing the heat on a pot already bubbling over. But I don't really see any military benefit. Arafat certainly deserves to die before any Palestinian state emerges, but I think nature can probably take care of that if left to its own devices. The cons to this are more certain than the pros - I do think the backlash outside of the Arab world would be formidable. Israel really doesn't need that when time is on its side.
