Arafat

What a world-class loser... I pity the git, believe it or not. He's like a mini-Pinochet or Nero, but he's as helpless as a mole on hang-glider! Anyway, the NY Times reports more Israeli attacks on Gaza. I'll let James Bennet take over here:

In Ankara today, the Turkish prime minister, Bulent Ecevit, said the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, had told him in a telephone conversation that he wanted to be "rid of" Mr. Arafat. But the Israeli government continued to insist that it did not want to kill Mr. Arafat or destroy his Palestinian Authority. Israel sent warplanes screaming over Gaza at about 3 a.m. today. They fired three missiles into the Arafat Police City, destroying one building that the police said was used for administration and another that they said was for training women officers. The Bush administration has refrained from criticizing such Israeli action. Palestinians said 18 people had been wounded in the raid, which left six cement floors pancaked atop one another in a jumble of cinder blocks. The blasts broke windows for blocks around. Teenagers and young boys hurled stones at one truck carrying police officers and at police buildings they passed on the route, applying to fellow Palestinians the tactics they usually reserve for Israeli soldiers. At the grave [of a Hamas martyr], a dwindled crowd of a few hundred listened to a brief speech criticizing Israel and the Palestinian Authority and then chanted: "You, Arafat, are not among us! Take your dogs and go away!"

Arafat really is waiting to die. More precisely, everybody else is waiting for him to die. I think Bush and Powell have given up on peace in Arafat's lifetime, and are just waiting. Hoping. Sharon doesn't dare kill Arafat, though he wants to in the worst way. Even Ariel Sharon (or somebody hanging tight onto the end of the bulldog's chain) has realized that creating martyrs has only hurt the State of Israel. Hamas is waiting for Arafat to die. They can't really challenge his Israeli-backed police forces in a real fight, and I don't think they can politically afford to assassinate him (assuming they physically could do it). Once he's gone expect all hell to break loose as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is compounded by a war of succession for control of the Duchy of Gaza.

My only suggestion for the embattled dictator is a fast-track career change. Ditch Palestine - it wasn't worth it anyway. Ditch your first name too - nobody can spell it. Move to the USA, modify your last name to "AraPhat", hook up with Britney Speares' public relations guy and launch a meteoric career as a pop artist. Make sure the drummer is Jewish, so they can't call you a racist, and shake it up from NYC to Hollywood. The novelty would wear off, but hopefully not before you die, that way you could be a great sob story.

Or don't....