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Originally posted by Arc101
The massive demonstrations sweeping the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the 24-hour vigil at Yasser Arafat’s embattled Ramallah headquarters are a referendum by the Palestinian people with a simple message to Israel and the United States, Yasser Arafat is the democratically elected Palestinian leader.
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I don't follow. Did the demonstrations in Moscow in the 1940s imply in any way that the Russian people wanted Stalin?
A demonstration never represents what the majority of people think. Even if 100,000 men were marching in the streets, it still leaves more than a million people that weren't. Further more, what if 100,000 men wanted to demonstrate against Arafat? Would it be safe for them? Obviously not.
There's only one way to determine what most of the people want: anonymous ballot. And that's the exact reason why Yasser Arafat hasn't had one for more than eight years.
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Ariel Sharon's countless attempts to eliminate Arafat have failed.
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Surely, if Sharon wanted to eliminate Arafat he could easily do so with a press of a button. And yet he doesn't. Maybe, just maybe, you're misinterpreting his actions?
I believe Sharon doesn't want to kill Arafat. He probably thinks that such an action would result in a new war with the Arab countries that surround Israel. Of course, I might be wrong as well - but at least my theory explains why Sharon hasn't ordered the killing of Arafat yet.
Your theory is in contradiction with reality. Wishful thinking, some would say.
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Killing Arafat will not end the violence as Sharon and his hawks want Israelis to believe. His death or exile won’t stop Hamas, Islamic Jihad, or the Al Aqsa Brigades from carrying out suicide bombings.
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The Al Aqsa Brigades are a branch of the Patah forces, which are direct subbordonates of Yasser Arafat. In other words, Al Aqsa Brigades carry out suicide bombings whenever Yasser Arafat tells them to. Thus, your initial claim is already fully debunked.
But I rather take a different approach here. During peace talks in 1995, Israel suffered from a series of suicide attacks. In 1996, newly-eleceted PM Netanyahu halts peace talks. Bombings stop. In 2000, PM Barak continues peace talks, going even more to the left than his predecessors. What follows is the largest series of bombings Israel has ever experienced.
So it looks like going towards Arafat's demands will bring more terror - not less.
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Ending the occupation, giving an entire nation freedom and a future to live for, will.
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Arafat founded the PLO in 1964, three years before the occupation began. So clearly the occupation has little to do with the terror.