Israel to expel Arafat

The nutty as all hell Israeli government decides to expel Arafat, something similar to that which I responded a few days ago in Yasser Arafat.
The BBC says

The decision was announced after a cabinet meeting convened to consider a response to suicide bombings that killed 15 people in Israel on Tuesday.

Arafat is popular with the Palestinian people. There are many reasons for this but one is certainly likely to be his anti-Israel rhetoric (while going ahead and cooperating when he needs to, like signing the road map). If Israel does force Arafat into exile (or assasinates him) he will become an even more powerful symbolic figure, a martyr to the cause. Instead if Israel actually want peace they should negotiate directly with Arafat. By forcing him to be the point man he will necessarily have to make compromises if he doesn't want to be seen as the obstacle to peace. These compromises have to be sold to the Palestinian people and Arafat is best able to do that, in fact it will become a matter of self preservation for him as compromise will inevitably ruffle his relations with some groups within Palestine.

Proper compromise on both sides is necessary. Grand standing is cowardice. Everything else is gravy.

Posted by Paul at September 12, 2003 03:00 AM |
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Imagine a foreign leader announced that Bush was an obstacle to peace (which he is )and that they intended to "remove" this obstacle.
Can you imagine the hysterical reaction from Washington.

Note - unlike Bush Arafat is democratically elected.

Posted by: Bonobo at September 12, 2003 05:35 PM

Why should Israel compromise? They are in the right and it would be immoral to pretend otherwise. In any compromise between good and evil, it is only evil that can gain and only the good that can lose. This is not a matter of cowardice; Israel has shown a level of moral conviction unmatched in the world. They have been extremely kind to the terrorists and their only thanks consists of suicice bombings and global condemnation for self-defense.

Arafat IS an obstacle to peace and he is the undisputed leader of Palestine. He is also a terrorist. Israel must kill him.

Posted by: Kirk at September 15, 2003 04:31 AM

Indeed, Israel should not "compromise" it should get the fuck out of the occupied territories, apply the right to return, make compensation and abide by human rights legislation. I.e. everything that is demanded by international law.

I'm not sure the simplistic dichotomies of the Bush cabal and fundamentalist religion: - good / evil; with us / against us, are the appropriate means of discussing, judging or altering international relations?

To which "good" are you referring?
To which "evil"?
Moral conviction as to what? (Is moral conviction a good thing per se? No matter the content of the morals as long as they are held strongly?

Please look at international definitions of self defence and explain how the Israeli actions fall within its ambit?

As for "terrorists" Israel and its main supporter the US appear to be among the most prominent state terrorists in the world!

Posted by: Bonobo at September 18, 2003 05:17 PM