The Tripod - Editor
Issue:
2/17/03
Yasser Arafat Primarily to Blame for
Terror in the Middle East
To the Editor:
On February 10 the Tripod published a review of Dr.
Sara Roy's talk entitled "Palestinian Economy Destroyed." I regret the damage to
the Palestinian economy. I regret the suffering of the Palestinian people. I am
sorry about the checkpoints and the curfews. It is unfortunate that the
Palestinians have to suffer for the actions of their leadership. Yasser Arafat
responded to Israel's unprecedented peace offer in 2000 with a campaign of
terror that has so far claimed the lives of over 750 Israelis. Translated into
American terms, this means 13 9/11's. Israel, the only democracy in the Middle
East, has the right and the obligation to defend its citizens. If you start a
war, you are hardly in a position to complain about the consequences.
It
is also strange that an analysis of the Palestinian plight would pay so little
attention to the blatant corruption of the Palestinian Authority. Hundreds of
millions of dollars in outside aid have vanished into the pockets of Arafat and
his cronies.
The person who bears the primary responsibility for this
mess is Yasser Arafat. Once he goes, one can hope that constructive negotiations
will start again and that the occupation will end. Most Israelis have no desire
to rule over another people. But first the Palestinian people have to learn that
violence and terror will get them nothing.
In the meantime let me express
my deep appreciation to the Israel Defense Forces as they continue to defend the
Jewish state.
Sincerely,
Samuel Kassow
Professor of
History