Arafat's Legacy

After seeing a lot of the media coverage eulogizing Arafat, this Washington Post article was somewhat of a relief. It offers a balanced look at Arafat, what he was, what he claimed and what he could have been.

This is not to say that Israeli Jews in any way mourn Arafat's departure. The fact that he died in Paris and not in his homeland, or that his heirs have been battling over control of his ill-gotten bank accounts, seems to many of us Israelis a fitting end to a life that might have achieved lasting esteem for its contributions to peace but will likely be remembered for its fostering of corruption and war. Had he chosen a different path, Arafat could well have been buried in Jerusalem in an august ceremony respectfully viewed by many thousands of Israelis and attended by the country's leaders. Instead, he was buried in his half-demolished Ramallah headquarters, the symbol of his failure as a statesman, and the funeral service, held in Cairo, was boycotted by even the most left-wing Israelis.

Arafat was a bad man. He has a long history of terror. Even with that though, if he had chosen peace in the nineties, something that was easily in hes grasp, he would have to a large degree redeemed himself. Instead, his true nature rose to the top and his lust and hatred ruled him. History will judge him harshly, and it will also harshly judge those that praised him.

For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been.' John Greenleaf Whittier

Update: Here is a one minute movie of Arafat's Legacy.