Arafat is on his way out
 

Looks like Arafat is either dead or in a coma he can't recover from.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/...lth/index.html
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/497284.html

I wonder how this will affect the peace process.

Re: Arafat is on his way out
 

Considering we give more to Isreal every year in military aid than we do humanitarian aide to all of Africa, North Korea and South America combined probably not a whole lot. It is unfortunate that everyone speaks up about a need to end the violence but no one has ever offered a truely good plan that would see it through. Sure there have been good parts to a lot of the plans but even when the Palastinian Authority was set up it was never properly funded. The Palastinians were expected to reign in all the extremist militants out there with a budget of about $6 million a year. Now the Police force in Lancaster, PA where I live in spends about that much money in a year. They can't tax b/c they aren't a gov't. so it is so suprising that it can't stop the suicide bombing. Besides, it isn't like the US went in and started training recruits to become police like we're spending billions to do in Iraq with very uneven success. 90% of all Israelis and Palastinians want to see a solution and end the violence.

IMO this is the first place the US should be spending terrorism war money not to quell the Palastinians but to find a solution. It would seriously hinder Islamic extremests from using the situation and US policy toward it as a key recruiting tool to increase their numbers but the question was NEVER asked or answered of either Bush or Kerry during the election. Maybe that was b/c of the huge reliance on American Jewish money by both parties. Something like 20% in 2000. Gotta love American politics. ;)

I say we cut off Israel and let the region work it out on its own. What did they do for the first 3000 years before the US became a country??

Doug

Fought !!!:rolleyes:

I think it is humerous that between the world wars (after the Ottoman Empire was picked apart) The current Israel became the state of Palistine. It had 40% Palastinians, 30% Jews, 25% Christians and 5% others who lived very peacefully in an actual democratic stlye goverment in which everyone had a say. Today we argue that Israel is a democracy which should be supported when if you were born there, are a Christian, Palastinian, Muslim or any other non Jewish person you are not allowed to vote. How democratic! In reality the area hasn't been a huge hotbed for 3000 years except when someone from somewhere else uses the holyland to suit their own need.

Re: Arafat is on his way out
 

Took him long enough!

Glad to see him go.

My dad worked for the UNRWA (www.unrwa.org).

If he were to die, it will not affect the peace process in any way shape or form. There will never be peace in the region. Both sides are hard headed. The US will continue to give support to Israel for one and one reason only. It needs some ally in the middle east.

With the mentality of people coming out of the region, I don't think we'll not be seeing any peace between the two tribes in my lifetime.

It's funny how small Israel is...
http://www.subaru-svx.net/photos/fil..._SVX/22167.jpg
...relative to all it's conflict.

-Alex

Unfortunetly it seems that you're probably right. Both sides seem so rigid and entrenched in their ideas. The more each one tries/resists, the more the other counter's. It's a self-perpetuating cycle fueled by hate and machismo.