"I appreciate that." - President George Bush, after being told of Yasser Arafat's reported death at a news conference.
These were President Bush's first words when a reporter informed him on Thursday, November 4, that Yasser Arafat apparently died and asked for his reaction. One would think that Bush was merely thanking the reporter for passing on significant news and posing a legitimate question.
I wonder. Bush acted statesmanlike by voicing hope that God would bless his soul and promised to continue working for a Palestinian state. Don't be surprised if once Bush got behind closed doors he heartily cheered, high-fived his associates and declared, "Yep, I appreciate that."
That could well be one of the few important views I share with Bush.
If and when Arafat actually dies, Jews and other supporters of Israel will have every right to dance the "Hora" in the streets, far more cheerfully than Arabs who dance in the street whenever a few dozen Jews are murdered in a genocide bombing.
Arafat's anticipated death evokes three emotional concerns - the minor ones being that Israel and the United States establish a national holiday marking the date of Arafat's death and have Arafat's Nobel Prize revoked.
Most importantly, Arafat's body should be kept out of Israel and its territories - much less Jerusalem's Temple Mount. A colleague at work, however, suggested that Arafat's last request should be honored.
Arafat's goons never honored Leon Klinghoffer's last wish. They never gave him the chance to have one. Klinghoffer was the wheelchair-bound New Yorker murdered by terrorists after they seized the passenger ship Achille Lauro on October 7, 1985. The terrorists belonged to the Palestine Liberation Front, a faction of Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization. Arafat's thugs shot the 69-year-old Klinghoffer to death and tossed his body overboard.
Arafat never cared about the last wishes of all the Jews, Arabs and others who were murdered by those who answered to him, or the wishes of those who died because of events propelled in large part by him.
Why should the Israeli government help honor his memory? It is galling that the question for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is whether Arafat should be buried on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, and Sharon has declared that he refuses to permit Arafat's burial in Jerusalem. Israel has considered allowing the body to be buried in a Jerusalem suburb or in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.
It should be out of the question that Arafat's body is returned at all to any land controlled by Israel.
Sure, Sharon promised that Arafat's body can be returned to Israel's territories. Sharon has broken promises before to fellow Israelis and others, so breaking this promise would be nothing new. Certainly, Arafat and his lieutenants have broken many promises themselves, so they should understand.
As the old joke goes, Arafat's death will constitute a Jewish holiday. Gentiles who support Israel will probably regard the date of his death as a holiday, period. For those not familiar with the story, a German Jew once told Hitler that he would die on a Jewish holiday. "What Jewish holiday?" asked Hitler. Reply: "Any day you die will be a Jewish holiday."
It is reasonable to wish for both Congress and the Knesset to enact resolutions declaring Arafat's date of death a national holiday. It won't happen, but maybe some ardent supporters of Israel in Congress will introduce a bill to this effect.
This terror commander remains a Nobel Prize winner. Attempts to revoke his prize have been made before. It does not hurt to try again.
While I have blasted Bush and Sharon in the past, Arafat is far worse. He has persisted in attempting to destroy a people - my people.
The list of grievances against Arafat is endless, but just consider this if you still think it does not hurt to honor him: When he turned his back on then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak's offer in 2000 and facilitated a four-year war, Arafat insulted the memory of a prime minister who died working for peace between Israel and the Arabs.
That was Yitzhak Rabin's most fervent wish. Didn't Arafat dance on Rabin's grave while he was at it?
These were President Bush's first words when a reporter informed him on Thursday, November 4, that Yasser Arafat apparently died and asked for his reaction. One would think that Bush was merely thanking the reporter for passing on significant news and posing a legitimate question.
I wonder. Bush acted statesmanlike by voicing hope that God would bless his soul and promised to continue working for a Palestinian state. Don't be surprised if once Bush got behind closed doors he heartily cheered, high-fived his associates and declared, "Yep, I appreciate that."
That could well be one of the few important views I share with Bush.
If and when Arafat actually dies, Jews and other supporters of Israel will have every right to dance the "Hora" in the streets, far more cheerfully than Arabs who dance in the street whenever a few dozen Jews are murdered in a genocide bombing.
Arafat's anticipated death evokes three emotional concerns - the minor ones being that Israel and the United States establish a national holiday marking the date of Arafat's death and have Arafat's Nobel Prize revoked.
Most importantly, Arafat's body should be kept out of Israel and its territories - much less Jerusalem's Temple Mount. A colleague at work, however, suggested that Arafat's last request should be honored.
Arafat's goons never honored Leon Klinghoffer's last wish. They never gave him the chance to have one. Klinghoffer was the wheelchair-bound New Yorker murdered by terrorists after they seized the passenger ship Achille Lauro on October 7, 1985. The terrorists belonged to the Palestine Liberation Front, a faction of Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization. Arafat's thugs shot the 69-year-old Klinghoffer to death and tossed his body overboard.
Arafat never cared about the last wishes of all the Jews, Arabs and others who were murdered by those who answered to him, or the wishes of those who died because of events propelled in large part by him.
Why should the Israeli government help honor his memory? It is galling that the question for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is whether Arafat should be buried on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, and Sharon has declared that he refuses to permit Arafat's burial in Jerusalem. Israel has considered allowing the body to be buried in a Jerusalem suburb or in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.
It should be out of the question that Arafat's body is returned at all to any land controlled by Israel.
Sure, Sharon promised that Arafat's body can be returned to Israel's territories. Sharon has broken promises before to fellow Israelis and others, so breaking this promise would be nothing new. Certainly, Arafat and his lieutenants have broken many promises themselves, so they should understand.
As the old joke goes, Arafat's death will constitute a Jewish holiday. Gentiles who support Israel will probably regard the date of his death as a holiday, period. For those not familiar with the story, a German Jew once told Hitler that he would die on a Jewish holiday. "What Jewish holiday?" asked Hitler. Reply: "Any day you die will be a Jewish holiday."
It is reasonable to wish for both Congress and the Knesset to enact resolutions declaring Arafat's date of death a national holiday. It won't happen, but maybe some ardent supporters of Israel in Congress will introduce a bill to this effect.
This terror commander remains a Nobel Prize winner. Attempts to revoke his prize have been made before. It does not hurt to try again.
While I have blasted Bush and Sharon in the past, Arafat is far worse. He has persisted in attempting to destroy a people - my people.
The list of grievances against Arafat is endless, but just consider this if you still think it does not hurt to honor him: When he turned his back on then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak's offer in 2000 and facilitated a four-year war, Arafat insulted the memory of a prime minister who died working for peace between Israel and the Arabs.
That was Yitzhak Rabin's most fervent wish. Didn't Arafat dance on Rabin's grave while he was at it?