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The Cliches about Arafat

(Ha'aretz)Yair Sheleg - Arafat succeeded in placing the Palestinian issue in the limelight not through his political skills, but rather thanks to the unbridled terrorism he instigated. Grabbing attention that way is a no-brainer. Admiring his ability "to place the Palestinian problem on the world map," without expressing reservations about the methods by which he did so, is morally equivalent to admiring Osama bin Laden's ability to accomplish something similar. We must no longer put up with the notion that the weak are not subject to any moral restrictions. The Jewish people and the State of Israel possess the utmost moral justification for such a demand: It is doubtful whether in the course of human history there has been another people like the Jewish people in the 20th century for whom achieving sovereignty was not just a matter of national honor and identity, but an existential question. During the Jewish people's struggle for independence, most Jews chose to focus their efforts on constructive building of a nation and its defense, and the pre-state organizations that subscribed to "armed struggle" (Etzel and Lehi) limited their terror to attacking British soldiers and institutions. Israel is fully within its moral rights to demand that the Palestinians restrict the methods of their struggle and to insist that the nations of the world address that demand with the Palestinians.
2004-11-17 00:00:00
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