Word: arafats
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...PALESTINIAN WHO IS AN ADVOCATE of peace, I am very saddened by the assassination of Rabin. Peace sometimes is very costly, but as Yasser Arafat said, this is the peace of the brave. The Palestinians lost a peace partner; the Israelis lost a peacemaker; and the world lost a good leader. There are hard-liners on both sides who oppose peace, but we shall not reward them by breaking down. We must continue with the process, as Rabin would have wanted us to do. MOHAMED HASSAN Hemet, California...
...today's politics one can to some extent deemphasize Arafat's past. After all, he signed an agreement with the Israeli government in September 1993, and he has pledged to work for peace. People, especially political leaders, can change. Yet it is not clear whether Arafat has indeed turned from terrorism to peacemaking. Those who care about peace cannot ignore Arafat's recent declaration that the Oslo accords are simply his implementation of the 1974 "10-Point Plan" (the destruction of Israel in phases). We cannot ignore his continuing calls for violent jihad. We cannot ignore his praise for hijackers...
...light of such statements, questioning Arafat is far from illegitimate. His declaration of support for peace obligates him to explain such warlike rhetoric. Those who question Arafat do not seek to prevent him from gaining support, as Lebwohl and Mayers claim. The questioners seek to assure themselves that Israel's partner in this critical process is truer committed to peace...
Only this process of questioning and clarification will build a relationship of trust for the future. Israel's relationship with Arafat will not end with the successful completion of negotiations. The goal of those negotiations is autonomy for Palestinians. As neighbors, Arafat and Israel will need to maintain a stable relationship. We must build trust...
...unrealistic to assume that worthwhile negotiation can continue with such contradictions unmentioned and unaccounted for. The claim that we must overlook Arafat's less than peaceful rhetoric so as not to "delegitimize" him endangers the construction of true peace. Such attitudes threaten the formation of the comprehensive Middle East peace that has been Israel's dream for so long. --Miriam Goldstein...