Yassir Arafat

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If Arafat is exposed as a closet homosexual who died of AIDS

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If it were true, I very much doubt it would ever be exposed.

Steve B

There was a report from outside Arafat:s hospital on Swedish radio this morning on a slightly surprising event:

A Jewish man in black dress and with curly hair by the ears, was approaching the guards outside the hospital with flowers in his hands. He wanted them given to Arafat, and after some discussion back and forth among the guards, they received them.

Of course the journalists present asked the man afterwards what it was all about. The man answered something like:

"I'm a Jew but I'm not a Sionist. Jewish religion is very old and nowhere in the Talmud (is this correctly remembered bye me?) is there anything that says that the Jewish people should return to Israel/Palestine. The Sionism, with this idea, is only 100 years old. Before that Jews and Arabs was living in peace with each other in Palestine."

The report was somewhat longer, but this what I remember. The reporter the went on and said that a quich check on the internet reveiled that the man wasn't exactly alone.

JohanR

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Originally posted by JohanR:
"I'm a Jew but I'm not a Sionist. Jewish religion is very old and nowhere in the Talmud (is this correctly remembered bye me?) is there anything that says that the Jewish people should return to Israel/Palestine. The Sionism, with this idea, is only 100 years old. Before that Jews and Arabs was living in peace with each other in Palestine."

The report was somewhat longer, but this what I remember. The reporter the went on and said that a quich check on the internet reveiled that the man wasn't exactly alone.

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This is, I believe, the view of an ultra-orthodox sect of Judaism and is not a mainstream view.

Amongst other root causes of the current animosity between Jews and Palestinians are the pre-Arafat leadership of Haj Muhammed Amin al-Husseini, the 'Divide and Rule' policy of the British during the days of empire, the huge wave of Jewish immigration as a result of the Nazi occupation of Europe and the 1947 UN General Assembly vote to divide Palestine into two states, one Jewish and the other Arab.

Of course, the situation hasn't improved since the setting up of the State of Israel in 1948 or the post-1967 Israeli occupations.

Steve M

PS: Not that it matters a jot but there are many invocations in Judaism of a return to Israel/Palestine. The phrase "Next Year in Jerusalem" comes to mind, which is recited by all Jews every year on 'Pesach', the religious festival which celebrates the escape of Jews from slavery in Egypt and their subsequent return to their homeland, under the leadership of Moses and Joshua.

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This is, I believe, the view of an ultra-orthodox sect of Judaism and is not a mainstream view.

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No, then we wouldn't have this discussion...

JohanR

There is a neighborhood in Jerusalem - Mea Shearim - (= mea = 100 Shearim = gates) who are anti Zionists and therefore they are pro Arafat. They are ultra-orthodox.

Arye

Arye, isn't their belief that the real Israel will be realised by Messiah and the current state of Israel is a product by man?

Shalom, Bjorne

When dogs and harpies have finished picking the flesh from his bones should he then be burried in the Mount of Olives as per his wishes even though he would be close to the likes of Robert Maxwell the embezzler?

You lot are all a bit 'previous' if you ask me.

Arafat ain't dead yet.

So where they bury him is moot.

In my humble opinion.

JR

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Arafat ain't dead yet.

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Not oficially he isn't!



Regards


NB

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Originally posted by NB:
Not oficially he isn't!

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Despite the best efforts of the Israeli security services.....

Allegedly...



JR

Jon,

I think its fair to say he is being kept alive on life support until they are "ready" to release the anouncement of his death.



Regards


NB

NB,

If what you say is true, and given that his wife is controlling all the news emanating from his bed-side, do you think she's angling to succeed him as leader herself??

JR

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Originally posted by NB:
I think its fair to say he is being kept alive on life support until they are "ready" to release the anouncement of his death.

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More likely that he's being kept in a deep freeze to prevent decomposition while they fight with his wife over access to his bank account.

Steve M

JR,


A female Palestinian leader?

I don't think his wife is pulling the strings but someone is. I would imagine that the leaders fear life after Yassir, its a bit of an unknown quantity.

I would imagine that after his death there will be a huge power struggle between all hs likely sucessors that is likely to destabilise the middle east for a period, worrying times?



Regards


NB

Worrying times indeed, which is why the news is being so tightly controlled in the first place.

All it takes is a slip here and and extra word there and before you know it the warring factions back in Gaza will be at each other's throats.....

JR

Darkly amusing quotation from todays NYT:

"On Sunday night, the French foreign minister, Michel Barnier, told LCI television that Mr. Arafat was alive but his circumstances were complicated. "I would say he is in a state that is very complicated, very serious and stable at the time we are speaking," Mr. Barnier said. Asked if Mr. Arafat was dead, Mr. Barnier answered, "I wouldn't say that."

Thus proving that there is more than one way to say no (or is that yes?).

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All it takes is a slip here and and extra word there and before you know it the warring factions back in Gaza will be at each other's throats.....
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If they are not careful they will end p with Civil war, then who will be the peacekeepers?

The Americans?



Regards


NB

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Originally posted by NB:
If they are not careful they will end p with Civil war, then who will be the peacekeepers?

The Americans?

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Yeah right!!



JR

Well if they ceased their support for Israel, I am sure the middle east problem would soon sort itself out, but forgive me for saying this but there is no oil at stake is there



Regards


NB

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Originally posted by NB:
Well if they ceased their support for Israel, I am sure the middle east problem would soon sort itself out, but forgive me for saying this but there is no oil at stake is there

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Nope.

The dispute between Israel and the Palestinians is far more more deep-seated - not a drop of oil in sight either.

That said, I think there are Palestinians that want peace, but I also think that as long as Arafat is alive and therefore, their de facto leader, there will be no peace with Israel.

JR

bjorne,
I'm not an expert for the Messiah, as far as I know the belief is that when the Messiah comes he will fight a big fight against GOG and MAGOG who are the symbol of all the evil on Earth. When he wins, all the Jews around the world will gather to Israel.
In a way, this belief is some base to a branch of Christians who believe that the Messiah is a Christian, and he will come when all the Jews are in Israel, therefore the existence of Israel is very important for them.
I'm not a religious person, actually I'm far away of this stuff. Even about Jerusalem, I think that in an agreement here the Palestinians can get control of the Old Jerusalem if there will be a freedom to everyone to go to any holly place he wishes to go to.

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A female Palestinian leader?

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You have to live here and to listen to Reshet Beit - the official Israeli broadcasting hearing Palestinians - officials, Journalists and from the street -interviewing to this station and expressing a very deep HATE to sue (Arafat's wife). She has nothing to look at among the Palestinians.

Arye

Arye,

Are you saying they don't like her very much, then?

JR

They deeply hate her! They are saying that Arafat belongs to the Palestinians and to her, they are saying that when he and the present leaders of the Palestinians were here at war, she was shopping in Paris. Few of them even said that Arafat made a mistake when married here.
Officials are saying that is unbelievable that she doesn't let the Palestinians a true and reliable information about Arafat's condition.
But behind the logical arguments, they express hate for her.

Arye

She obviously doesn't think much of them either!

No wonder she's being so stingy about what information she releases about her husband's condition.

JR

"The bottle blonde with a hand on the purse strings" by Philippe Naughton, The Times Online

Steve M