Mr. Arafat does something smart

[Robert Harris]

...for a change.

Excerpt:

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat blasted terror mastermind Osama Bin Laden, telling him in a newspaper interview published today to stop exploiting the Palestinian conflict with Israel to further his own interests.

"I'm telling him directly not to hide behind the Palestinian cause," Arafat complained to Britain's Sunday Times.

More: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/wn_report/story/43588p-41096c.html

[ShinyTop]

Ya, he is capable of terrorist action all by himself. Doesn't need any help.

On a more serious note it would be nice to think this means less help and coordination.

[Robert Harris]

I don'[t think we can expect him to take any real action. He is best at talk.

[bruzzes]

Ha!

Even his own people don't listen to him anymore.

[Ravenink]

well if he is going to babble ineffectually, he might as well do it in a positive manner :-p

[Robert Harris]

Good point. But his babbling does get boring after a while.

[Basilio]

My take on Osama Bin Ladin is this. Bin Ladin is not from Afghanistan yet he thought it was religious Mitzvah to fight the Soviet Communists, so he uses all that he thinks is a threat to his religious group which may include the Shiites down the road. It is not a hiding behind the Palestinian cause like Saddam Hussein may have done, but piling up a list of grievances. Of course, it helps him recruit people because the Arab-Israeli conflict has always helped fuel the fire of fundamentalism - Jewish and Muslim.
They both are acting apocalyptic, i.e. gearing for some final end of the world show down that both believe they will win.
Back to Arafat, the Islamists are against the PLO which is viewed as an organization with too many secular tendencies and has under its umbrella religious Palestinians, Christians, Communists, you name it. The Aqsa brigades was affiliated with the PLO and consider themselves PLO members who formed their own separate militia as the PLO military structure has not been activated to go into conflict. Hamas and the Islamic Jihad and
Bin Ladin are tapping into what is perceived among some as the failure of the seculars to deliver the masses from their malaise.

[Fiona]

updates

 http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030915/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians_721


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nypost/20030913/cm_nypost/yasserarafatroadblocktopeace

 

[ethics]

Originally posted by Basilio
My take on Osama Bin Ladin is this. Bin Ladin is not from Afghanistan yet he thought it was religious Mitzvah to fight the Soviet Communists,

Gosh Basilio, I didn't know Osama was Jewish.

[John R. Beanham]

If Arafat is speaking in Arabic he is telling the truth and means what he says, if he is talking in English he is LYING!!!!!!

The same goes for all/most? of the leaders of the muslim world.

NEVER trust them!


John.

[ethics]

You got it, John.