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No, really... He's Announcing He's Renouncing. (Big Deal.)By Rick Horowitz
"Say you're sorry." "Aw, Ma...!" "You know we don't allow any hitting. Say you're sorry and you'll never do it again." "But he started it!" "Say it or we're leaving right this minute: You're sorry and you'll never do it again." "I'msorryandI'llneverdoitagain." "There! Isn't that better? Now you boys run along and be friends."
Well, that's a relief! For a while there, I was afraid that Yasir Arafat wasn't going to renounce terrorism. But now that he has, I'm sure that peace is going to break out in the Middle East any old minute now. You bet. I mean, didn't the Chairman say just what we told him he had to say? And in Arabic no less, just the way we told him he had to say it? If that's not sincere, what is? Technically, I'm not sure Mr. Arafat actually said the words we told him to say, but there was definitely a statement issued in his name, and in the name of "the Palestinian leadership," and that's just as good in my book. Well, almost as good. It probably would have had a bit more impact if your average angry Palestinian in the street had been able to see and hear Mr. Arafat actually renouncing terrorism in his own voice. But he's been pretty busy lately; it was probably just easier to put the thing out in writing -- and a bit more deniable, too, if he ever decides he wants to walk away from any of it. Not that he ever would want to walk away from any of it, mind you, since it was so obviously a perfect reflection of his feelings on the subject. "We strongly condemn all the attacks targeting civilians from both sides," the statement said, "and especially the attack that took place against Israeli citizens yesterday in Jerusalem." That was pretty conciliatory, even if the second half of that sentence was the only time in 500 words or so that the statement referred specifically to attacks against Israelis. The very first paragraph of the statement did express "deep condemnation for all terrorist activities, whether it is state terrorism, terrorism by a group or individual terrorism." Most of the rest, though, just pounded on the Israeli government. Still, you'd have to say it was something of a breakthrough, the Palestinian leadership condemning terrorism -- except, of course, that the leadership says it's nothing new at all. "This position," the statement insists, "comes from our steady principle that rejects using violence and terror against civilians as a way to achieve political goals. We declared this position beginning in 1988 and also when we signed the Oslo accords at the White House, and we have repeated it several times before, including our declaration on December 16 last year." All of which came as a great comfort to me, knowing how steady their principle against violence and terror has been, and how many times they've mentioned it over the years. Of course, I did have a small concern about just how effectively they've communicated their principle, given that the time since 1988, let alone since last December 16, hasn't exactly been terror-free, Palestinian-involvement-wise. And then there's that growing paper trail that seems to put Mr. Arafat right smack in the middle of much of it -- illegal arms shipments and payments for bomb-making materials and all the rest. Maybe they've just needed better communications skills, and practice makes perfect, and this time will be the charm. Or maybe they've got their own definitions of "violence" and "terror" and "civilians" and "political" and... Or maybe they're lying through their teeth. What's Arabic for "I'm crossing my fingers behind my back"? Posted 4/15/02. Get
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Rick Horowitz
