I think Sharon needs Arafat. As long as Arafat is there, Sharon can do what he likes when he likes without fear.

Bush can't stand Arafat and the whole world knows it. The US isn't going to do anything to help him and Sharon knows it.

 

Arafat's stock goes down a little and Sharon acts. Arafat is popular again and Sharon has all the cover he needs to do whatever he wants.

Sharon is smart and hard, as long as Arafat is there, he knows there will be no hard times from the US. Without  Arafat ?

 

 

Hassan El-Najjar: 

Pat, you are suggesting that Arafat is the problem for Bush and Sharon. So, if Palestinians get rid of him, then Sharon and Bush will be nice to the Palestinian people. Does this mean that if Palestinians do not elect Arafat in next elections, in January 2003, then Israelis will evacuate or destroy their settlements in the Palestinian territories and leave the Palestinians alone to build their own independent state? I don't think so. The conflict is not about Arafat, Bush, or Sharon. It is about a Zionist invasion of the Middle East that uses the US capabilities to achieve Israeli goals.

Think about the Iraq situation now. The US is going to invade Iraq no matter what the Iraqi government does to prove that it doesn't have weapons of mass destruction. For the US government, the war is a must to assert its superpower status. We are talking about Cold War II against Muslims this time, replacing Communists in Cold War I. The prizes are profits for the military and the oil industries and strengthening the Israeli hegemonic position in the Middle East.

In other words, a predator doesn't need an excuse to attack its prey. The real targets are not Arafat or Saddam. Rather, they are oil, oil revenues, markets, and territories. No matter whoever the Arab leader is, invaders will find an excuse to invade then to justify their invasion.  This is the time that we live in, right now. It is a jungle out there: no reason, no logic, and no justice.

Is there any hope? Yes, there is hope, if there is a worldwide anti-war concerted effort from governments and people everywhere. In particular, Americans and Israelis can play a major role in stopping the madness. Otherwise, the Middle East will be in turmoil for a long time to come. The Zionist Israeli leaders are about to succeed in dragging the US to be involved in a long and bloody conflict with Arabs and Muslims, that may destroy both sides or weaken them at best. Guess who would be the winner?