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Darknight613 said:
I actually hope he's not dead.
If he's alive, he's sure to be in pain from whatever it is he's suffering from. The longer he lives, the longer he can suffer.
He'll be dead soon, if he isn't already, so let him go. There is already enough hatred and intolerance fueling the situation in the Middle East and it doesn't look good on you.
When Arafat dies there will be a window of opportunity. If we're clever and we have good Statesmen, there will be new chances for diplomacy. It's better to focus on this positive angle and not let your hatred of this one man poison you.
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wannabuyamonkey said:
France: The offramp to hell.
France offered assistance to Arafat and it's the right and proper thing to do. There have been plenty of terrorist attacks linked with the PLO on European soil, but, in this situation, I think that it is the role of civilised nations to set a humanitarian precedent and not sink to the same level as less enlightened countries. If you behave with the same callous intent as your enemies, then you become like them in kind.
The other important thing to remember is that because Arafat has been allowed to go elsewhere in the world to receive medical treatment there are no grounds to regard him as a martyr. Had he been refused permission to leave his compound and then died there, it could have been a catalyst for yet more bloodshed.
I find this Francophobia hard to swallow. First of all, like all prejudice that stereotypes a country or a social group, it has its foundations in a kind of wilful ignorance. Furthermore this brand of uninformed hatred, when left unchecked, can build into something altogether nastier.
It's funny because, Just as I see growing paralels between America and the Islamic states that I've visited, America and France share many similarities as far as their attitude is concerned. Both are prepared to go their own way and follow courses of action that maybe unpopular with the rest of the world.
Last edited by backwards7; 2004-11-05 4:47 AM.
