h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3984841.stm

Evidently any death is a very sad occasion.

But I wonder if in this case there is the potential for *some* good to come out of it.

Whilst the palestinian situation could potentialy go into a catastrophic decline, I think it is also possible that Isreal just might be prepared to deal with a new guy and it could lead to peace.

Lets hope so and RIP Yasser.

I think Arafat was yesterday's man anyway. How much control he had over the likes of Hamas is debatable. When the British Government were negotiating the Good Friday agreement they knew that Adams and McGuinness spoke for the IRA and by implication all the bombs and weapons held by the Nationalists. There isn't that kind of cohesion amongst the Palestinians and Israel would have to dealt not only with Arafat's PLO bit Hamas, Islamic Jihad and an assortment of others - most of whom still take a 'drive the Zionists into the sea' approach.

IC that is why I thinkc with new leadership there is at least the possibility of some forward movement.

I see two possible scenarios. Without a doubt, there will be a power vacuum left in the PLO. While I have no firsthand knowledge of the circumstances, you can probably assume that there are a number of people waiting to grab for that power. The outcome of this depends enitrely on who comes to be in control. Here are my thoughts.

1. They decide to get tough on groups like HAMAS, that have been using terrorist-style attacks on Israel for several generations. They make a concious effort to reach out to Israel, the United Nations and the United States. I see this scenario leading to peace and eventually a Palestinian state.

2. Groups like HAMAS sieze control of the Palestinian leadership. Feeling like they have a greater authority, suicide bombings and other strikes at Israel worsen. Israelli attacks on Palestinian sites are stepped up in defense of the borders. Whipped up into a frenzy, the Palestinian people call for all out war. Ultimately, this will lead to the destruction of one, or both sides.

Again, as I have on firsthand knowledge of the situation,and like most of us, have had to watch the evenst unfold from my living room, there may very well be things going on to effect changes. Most of us are in a position where we can do nothing but continue to watch, and hope for the best. As for me, I believe in the sanctity of life. It is sad to see anyone die. Maybe, this will serve to prevent further deaths. Yasser Arafat.....RIP

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4001697.stm

Shimon Peres not mincing his words then.

I don't think much good will come out of this at all. While the Israeli government would not work with him because they called him a terrorist, the nature of the politics and history of the country means the same argument can be used about nearly anyone, including not a few on the Israeli side.

It's probably also one of the best things to happen for fundamentalism (of all persuasions) in the country for quite a while.

What will make things even more difficult is that Arafat's nature was to refuse to delegate any power whatsoever. There is therefore no natural successor, there will be a lot of infighting in the PLO and the Palestinian Authority. Instead of looking outward they will be stabbing each other in order to get the top job. The PLO and Palestinian Authority will inevetably become factionalised and I can see breakaway groups and even assasinations ensueing.

Well...He did delegate in ways. There's Ahmed Qurei the Prime Minister, Farouk Kaddoumi the foreign minister, Mahmoud Abbas (former prime minister) and quite a lot more.

Bear in mind Yasser Arafat was an elected leader- I find it unusual when people criticise him for being undemocratic, and in the same breath pull him up for not "appointing a successor" like some absolutist emperor.

I wouldn't ask him to 'appoint a successor', but if he'd delegated more responsibility it would have been easier for supporters to gauge the stature, abilities , priorities etc of those around him. For example, when it came to negotiating with the Isrealis, Americans etc it was always Arafat who went. He was something of a despot when it came to running the PLO and by inference the Palestinian Authority, it is hard to see how it can survive in its present form without him.

I have learned a lot from reading this thread. I know far too little about this subject but my gut feeling is that this will have an even more serious effect on things than George W being voted in again.

Some of those other comments from world leaders make interesting reading. I particularly enjoyed Gerhard Schroeder's "Yeah, me too. Whatever" style.

And as for Bertie Ahern - is that his howler, or the Beeb's?

RF

I was not a fan of the man but I think he deserved more than the rather obvious:

'I'm glad the old b**tard is dead'.

He was a formidable man at the very least.

<< think it is also possible that Isreal just might be prepared to deal with a new guy and it could lead to peace.>>

Yeah, right...
Here are extracts from an article I just got sent...

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<<It was Arafat, not Israel, who offered the first peace proposal in 1968 based on the establishment of a democratic, non-sectarian, secular state where Muslims, Christians and Jews could share the historic land of Palestine as equals and without discrimination. Israel rejected this proposal. It was Arafat who offered the second peace proposal in 1988, also approved by the PNC, based on a two-state solution with the Palestinian state to comprise the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
<< Thanks to Arafat, there was a peace process and an Oslo agreement for which he earned the Nobel Peace Prize along with the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Israeli extremists assassinated Rabin precisely because he signed the Oslo accords with President Arafat. And those extremists are the ones who elected General Sharon to power.>>

Ali Kazak is head of the General Palestinian Delegation to Australia & New Zealand and Palestinian ambassador to Vanuatu & East Timor>>

Overheard conversation from a Dubliner of the "Feeari" and "bananad" school of pronunciation...

"I see yer man Yassa Marrowfat has died...."