NEWS: Yassir Arafat Officially Pronounced Dead

Just breaking... Could very well be an unneccessary security measure. It could also be a spark to set things off.

Call to avenge Arafat 'assassination'

THE militant Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades urged militants to attack Israel to avenge the "Zionist assassination" of Yasser Arafat, who died hours earlier in a Paris hospital, said a statement received by AFP today.

"Zionist Israel and the government of (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon are responsible for the assassination of our leader by putting him under siege," the armed offshoot of Arafat's mainstream Fatah party said.

www.news.com.au...

I really hope this doesn't get out of hand.

Sanc'.

I just wanted to give my condolences to Arafat's family and friends. I know he was a very important political figure in the middle east, and he was in a fight against Isreal for a free Palestine, but thats about all I know unfortuneatly. He sounded like a free man, trying to do what he thought best for not 'his people', but the people of his nation, every palestinian

Any man who dies during the course of a pursuit of the magnatidue of his, deserves recogonition. I don't know if he was good or 'evil', but I do know he spent his life trying to convey his beleifs and genuine concerns for his people in their best interests. He was a real man. A man of faith and of his word. Unlike some other men I have seen in the news, I will miss Arafat, he was the epitomie (sorry for spelling) of freedom for people of palestine.

It would be nice if a certain American leader (oops... to specific?) would be a passionate about his people.

God bless Mr. Arafat, or Alah (sorry for spelling), or whom ever is actually the correct god. In time, I guess we all will know. Who is yours?

Originally posted by phreak_of_nature

appnews.myway.com
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel sealed the West Bank and Gaza Strip and sent troop reinforcements to the areas Thursday, in response to Yasser Arafat's death.

Israeli troops also beefed up security at Jewish settlements, for fear they could be attacked by Palestinians.


Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

Just breaking... Could very well be an unneccessary security measure. It could also be a spark to set things off.

Isreal or U.S.A. 2, should go f###k themselves. They aren't even supposed to be there. Palestine should have refused entry to, or executed all those refugees as soon as they crossed the border during WW2 and could have spared all this bloodshed. Instead they welcomed an anguished people, to help them, and they got hosed. Just my opinion.

*sigh*

I suggest to some people on this thread to do some research before they make posts...

Ariel Sharon made a statement once; "Arafat is the block to peace".

Well Arafat is now gone so, really, based on what Sharon said, peace should prevail.

Left's hope it does, but I do believe that all the terrorism was due to political powers out of Arafat's control...

...so now we have to see if that "group" now tries to take control of Palentine. If they do, then all hell is going to break lose...if there wasn't any "group" then peace will prevail.

As most people here assume that Arafat was responsible for the current terrorism then peace should prevail.

I hope peace does prevail, however I wouldn't hold my breath. I believe there are other "forces" at hand. I mean really, you DO NOT get a Nobel Peace Prize for terrorism.

duh!

a sad day for the palistinains, their leader is dead
the person that was fighting for a palistinain state and the future of the palistinains.

R.I.P


and a great day for israel as they can take this and turn into another properganda thingy

The terrorist is dead. No tears here. No matter how you try and spin it, he's a terrorist, not a politician. He was responsible for terrorist acts even AFTER he "renounced" terrorism. He only wanted a Palestinian state at the expense of Isreal's nonexistence. He was the biggest roadblock to the creation of a Palestinian state.

The constitution calls for elections within 60 days to fill the post permanently.

Except for the fact that by their own customs, nobody can run against him, so what's the point?

I wonder how many attacks will occur in Isreal in the next few days as they "mourn" Arafat?

I know he was a very important political figure in the middle east, and he was in a fight against Isreal for a free Palestine, but thats about all I know unfortuneatly.

Perhaps you should visit some of the links in this thread to learn more about this terrorist....and you'd realize that to call him a politician is like calling Charles Manson a "nice guy".

[edit on 11-11-2004 by Gazrok]

Gazrok:

I didn't realize Arafat was responsible for terrorist attacks after he renounced terrorism. Could you please provide the link that proves this.

Also, you stated:

"I wonder how many attacks will occur in Isreal in the next few days as they "mourn" Arafat?"

Well, since he is dead and was responsible for the terrorism, this shouldn't happen should it?

I stand by my last post - I believe there are other groups involved.

Here's from as unbiased a source as I could dig up quick...

en.wikipedia.org...

In a December 13, 1988 address, Arafat accepted UN Security Council Resolution 242, promised future recognition of Israel, and renounced "terrorism in all its forms, including state terrorism"

Palestinian attack on Israel (in which Arafat's group Fatah was involved), that led to the deaths of more than 135 Israelis. 2002

Just because he is dead, it will not stop attacks carried out in his name, and by those of his organizations. Yes, many different groups carry out terrorist attacks in the area, but many of them have been supported by Arafat and/or his underlings. Since 88, he has tried to distance himself from such groups, but the above instance is a group KNOWN to be linked to Arafat (i.e. "Fatah"), not just suspected.

Arafat was a vicious, murdering thug who singlehandedly stood in the path of peace for decades. He has the blood of thousands of innocent civilians on his hands, including hundreds of children. He practically invented all modern forms of terrorism, including the relatively new practice of airliner highjacking. He orchestrated the Munich Olympic kidnappings and murders. I won't begin to mention the crimes he committed against his own Palestinian people including murder, assassination, theft, and extortion.

The Boston Globe is a nationally-recognized newspaper that is well-known for leaning to the left. They were against the war in Iraq, and endorsed John Kerry for president. Yet, in the wake of Arafat's death and the incredible amount of international boo-hooing, even they felt compelled to publish this op-ed piece:

Boston Globe: Arafat the Monster

I suggest you read it, especially you younger folks who were born in the 70's and 80's who don't seem to remember the foundation on which Arafat built his "political position".

[edit on 11-11-2004 by Pyros]

Burn, baby burn. Thanks for dieing and not too soon. Just don't come back. "Beast or Image of the Beast". Tell your "daddy" satan hello now that you are home.

A hero to some, a terrorist to many, but in the end Yasser Arafat failed miserably to acomplish the greater goal of an independent Palestine state. For 40 years, Arafat the survivor had escaped wars, assassination attempts, an airplane crash and countless internal struggles as he successfully placed the Palestinian fight for self-determination on the world stage.

In 2000, when the former guerrilla leader stood at Camp David, mere centimetres away from achieving almost everything he'd fought for, he walked away from a deal that would have given the Palestinians 92% of the West Bank and all of Gaza. Instead he gambled on violence yet again, launching another intifada which has cost both sides thousands of innocent lives.

Now his dream has become a living nightmare, the West Bank is once more overrun by the Israeli military and with no obvious successor in the wings.

May political chaos fill the vacuum Arafat now leaves.

Gazrok, from that article:

"On May 6, 2002, the Israeli government released a report, based in part on documents allegedly captured during the Israeli occupation of Arafat's Ramallah headquarters, with copies of papers apparently signed by Arafat authorizing funding for the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades' activities. These documents, however, drew skepticism from various quarters because the Israeli military had forcefully prevented any independent observers or reporters from observing the operation."

We can't change the past.

Left's hope we can change the future and create peace there.

Has an official reason been given for his cause of death? The reason I ask is that French death certificates do not list the cause of death, (link) and there have been various rumors circulating about the mysterious ailment that struck him down so quickly.

Vatican praises Arafat for Palestinian vision

The Vatican has praised Yasser Arafat as a charismatic leader who struggled to win independence for his people, and repeated its support of a sovereign Palestinian state alongside Israel.

The Pope, who made a historic trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories in 2000, sent a message saying he was particularly close to the Palestinian people "in this hour of sadness".

The 84-year-old Pope's message said he prayed that the "star of harmony" would soon bring peace to the Holy Land and that both Israelis and Palestinians could live "reconciled among themselves as two independent and sovereign states".

"The Holy See joins the pain of the Palestinian people for the passing of President Yasser Arafat. He was a leader of great charisma who loved his people and tried to guide them towards national independence," said the statement by chief spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls.

www.abc.net.au...

Sanc'.

I guess some people will say that the Vatican is as corrupt as France and Germany for saying this. Because basically only the United States and Israel really know what Arafat was. All the rest of us are terrorist supporters, right?

Now that I've gotten the politics out of the way... a man has died, a family is grieving. So is an entire people.

Rest in peace, Abu Ammar. May history be kinder to you than your contemporaries.

We can't change the past.

Left's hope we can change the future and create peace there.

I'll agree wholeheartedly with THAT sentiment...

As for the 2002 incident, I was referring to the Palestinian uprising in which Fatah (an organization founded by Arafat) was involved. This uprising also targetted many innocents (hence it's label as terrorism), both Isreali and even their own Palestinian brethren. There are other incidents (like the one you mentioned) that can be connected (even if not proved to be linked) with Arafat. Enough to know that he is not as anti-terrorist as he would like the world to believe. Indeed, he could almost be called the father of modern terrorism.

But, I will agree with the past being the past. I just hate the prospect of this terrorist being mourned as a politician....

Originally posted by Gazrok
The terrorist is dead. No tears here. No matter how you try and spin it, he's a terrorist, not a politician. He was responsible for terrorist acts even AFTER he "renounced" terrorism. He only wanted a Palestinian state at the expense of Isreal's nonexistence. He was the biggest roadblock to the creation of a Palestinian state.

Gazrok,

You and I normally don't agree on politics but I agree with you wholeheartedly on this one. Arafat was the father of modern terrorism. He orchestrated the Munich Olympic Massacre, he was the man who pioneered plane hijackings, and organized the Damour Massacre. As Austallian Prime Minister John Howard said History 'will judge him harshly'

Mr Howard said Arafat's greatest failing was his inability to ensure peace in the Middle East by not taking advantage of a deal with Israel four years ago.

"I think history will judge him very harshly for not having seized the opportunity in the year 2000 to embrace the offer that was very courageously made by the then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, which involved the Israelis agreeing to about 90 per cent of what the Palestinians had wanted," Mr Howard said on Melbourne radio.

Also don't get reserve your tickets to the Israeli-Palestinian lovefeast 2004 just yet. Hamas has stated they intend to use Arafat's death as a sign to step up attacks against Israel.

in.rediff.com...

Following the death of Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat on Thursday, Palestinian militant group Hamas said it had strengthened its resolve to keep up attacks on Israel.

"The loss of the great leader will increase our determination and steadfastness to continue jihad and resistance against the Zionist enemy until victory and liberation is achieved," Hamas said in a statement.

Mourners break into Arafat HQ

November 12, 2004

THOUSANDS of Palestinian mourners burst into Yasser Arafat's walled compound on Friday to try to get close to his burial site.

For several hours, hundreds of Palestinian police had tried to keep the growing crowd back, but at one point, mourners managed to break through gates and climb over walls.

It was not clear whether this would prevent the helicopter carrying Arafat's body from landing inside the compound.

www.news.com.au...

I just saw the late news with a live t.v. cross and things looked pretty chaotic.

Sanc'.

Originally posted by sanctum
Mourners break into Arafat HQ

Coverage here:
www.abovetopsecret.com...
It's looking pretty crazy.....