By Jerusalem Newswire Editorial Staff
Nov 11, 2004
Following the official announcement of Yasser Arafat’s death Thursday, world leaders heaped admiration on the deceased mass murderer, perpetuating the incongruous idea that the “father of modern terrorism” was also a man of peace.
His 40-year campaign to eradicate the Jewish presence in the Middle East won Arafat the titles of “illustrious deceased”, “outstanding leader”, “man of courage”, and even “hero” on the day of his death.
The Bush administration took a more measured approach, saying Arafat’s demise marked a “significant moment” in the region’s history that warranted renewed peace efforts.
Israel said that following Arafat’s burial, it would launch an intensive public relations campaign aimed at revealing the arch-terrorist’s true legacy to the world.
Godfather of terror
For decades, Yasser Arafat was recognized the world over as the foremost figure in international terrorism.
During its years of control over much of Lebanon, his Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) trained the members of terror groups from Europe, South and Central America, and Asia in the ways of Islamic terrorism.
Arafat and his PLO are credited with introducing airline hijackings to the world, as well as the use of “suicide” bombings as a political tool.
The deaths of thousands of Israeli Jews, hundreds of Europeans and Americans and countless Arabs are on his head.
Even after ostensibly renouncing terror and signing a peace agreement with Israel in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, Arafat’s statements in Arabic to the Muslim world revealed his un-relinquished goal of annihilating the Jewish state and harming its allies.
Numerous official PA documents recently seized by Israel attest to Arafat’s continued involvement in terrorism up until the moment of his demise.
Honored killer
Despite his blood-soaked legacy, world leaders heaped praise on Arafat as his lifeless body was removed from a Paris hospital Thursday.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan issued a statement asserting that Arafat would be remembered for having led the “Palestinians” toward peaceful coexistence with Israel.
“Deeply moved” by the news of Arafat’s death, Annan said the PLO chief had “symbolized in his person the national aspirations of the Palestinian people [sic].”
That those aspirations were more often than not expressed, with Arafat’s leading, in the form of brutal acts of terror seemed to matter little to Annan.
French President Jacque Chirac eulogized Arafat as a “man of courage and conviction.”
A recent opinion poll showed much of the French public agreed with their president. Forty-three percent of respondents said they viewed Arafat as “a hero of the national resistance.”
Russia’s Vladimir Putin hailed Arafat as “an influential political figure on an international scale,” saying he had “dedicated his life to the Palestinian people's [sic] just cause.”
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder described Arafat’s death as a “great loss,” while the European Union praised his “single-minded commitment” to establishing a Muslim state on Israel’s biblical heartland.
In Asia, Chinese President Hu Jintao called Arafat an “outstanding leader… an outstanding politician.”
The Muslim nation of Indonesia lauded Arafat as “a hero to us all.”
In perhaps the most peculiar reaction to Arafat’s death, the Vatican labeled the late apostate Muslim an “illustrious deceased,” and asked God to grant eternal rest to his soul.
Revealing the truth
According to a report in Ha’aretz this week, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is set to launch an intensive public relations following Arafat’s burial aimed at revealing the true nature and legacy of Israel’s arch-nemesis.
“It is feared that after his funeral Arafat will become a national hero and freedom-fighter," the leftist daily quoted Sharon as telling his cabinet.
"We will launch a tough struggle to portray his murderous character and the fact that he is a strategist of world terror who hurt innocent people, both Israelis and American diplomats,” the prime minister said.