Arafat: No Palestinian Elections

AP | 5/17/02

[kattracks]

RAMALLAH, West Bank, May 17, 2002 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said Friday that there would be no general elections until after the end of Israel's military occupation.

A senior Arafat aide, Ahmed Abdel Rahman, had said Thursday that the Palestinian leader agreed to hold presidential and parliamentary elections within six months. There was no immediate explanation for the differing statements.

Copyright 2002 Associated Press, All rights reserved

[remaininlight]

I don't need to argue either. We are on the same page. Have a good and fruitful day.

[buffyt]

Sadly, I think you are right. The Second Coming is what it will take. Then both sides will find out they were wrong, since they don't receive Christ as their Savior. Unless they repent really quick!

[buffyt]

I agree, Jews and Americans are a lot alike. But some of our traits are what make us strong and right!

[Movemout]

"I agree, Jews and Americans are a lot alike. But some of our traits are what make us strong and right! "

Aye lassie, I don't disagree. Character still means something, even if it rubs the libs the wrong way.

[alaskanfan]

I guess old Hairfat knows which side of his bread has the butter.

[anniegetyourgun]

I'm shocked...shocked, I say....

[Thinkin' Gal]

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said Friday that there would be no general elections until after the end of Israel's military occupation.

LOL, "never". Besides, as long as there are Arabs shouting "death to Jews", proclaiming perpetual "days of rage", and following the koran in general, there will always be a need for the Israeli military to occupy something somewhere. Arafat and his legion of demoniacs need to be permanently dispatched to @llah's funhouse.

[jrlc]

The Arab*RAT is up to his usual tricks. Say what the liberal press wants to hear, then LIE - LIE - LIE, change the story and take some back. Why would anyone ever listen to the Arab*RAT? Tell me, is that OBL hiding under the rag on the Arab*RAT's head?

[Remole]

I have seen Rahman on many talking head shows over the past year, and there is one constant with him: he lies all the time. He lies when he sleeps. He lies when he wakes up. He lies when he is talking and when he is silent. He lies when he speaks in Arabic and when he speaks in English. Every word out of his mouth is a lie, including "a" and "the" (credit Dorothy Parker for that line).

[My Identity]

same ol' same ol'.

[mmmmmmmm....... donuts]

that's Hassan Rahman, the ambassador to the U.S., that you see on TV. not that he's much better, but the rahman i'm talking about is a different guy.

[agrace]

This surprised me not a bit when I heard it first thing this morning. Completely true to form - "I can change my mind anytime I feel like it, oh and by the way, it's Israel's fault."

Wonder what spin ole Hanan and Saeb are putting on it today, since they were talking about details of the upcoming elections yesterday.

[PeteF]

It's not much of an election when ballots are stuffed or when you get shot in the head for voting for the wrong guy.

[alancarp]

As I jump in here, I won't repeat my post from yesterday, but to summarize: anybody who is waiting for Arafat to be disposed of by his people in the hope that somebody more reasonable might replace him is nuts. That's probably why the US has been tiptoeing around the subject of whether Arafat the Terrorist should be removed: they know (as do we in this forum) that the cure for him is surely worse than the disease.

So what's the solution? A lot of people getting killed (speaking of cures that are worse than diseases).

[agrace]

if you are interested in a palestinian state taking over the israeli one, then on those standards, arafat has done a great job.

I disagree, I think he stinks at that too. :) If he had half a brain under that cloth he would have taken the state he could get a long time ago, built up arms secretly and slowly (did you hear that the IDF has discovered 6 or 7 tunnels from Gaza to Egypt in the past few days?) and then attacked when ready. But his ego won't let him make rational decisions and he is too scared to look like a sellout. He should brush up on his taqiyya.

Of course they're doomed to failure no matter what they do, thankfully Israel is here to stay.

[cake_crumb]

"He sure changed his mind quick."

Changed this MIND...no. He knew he wouldn't stand a chance in the sweeping, free elections the US would have demanded, and he needs time to kill off his political rivals. Changed his LINE...yes. Then again, Yasser always vaguely promises one thing, then does something else entirely.

[cake_crumb]

"...they were saying even yesterday, that to hold elections israel would have to withdraw. it's a very clever move, they get to portray israel as preventing elections."

Exactly. Also, they can blame the next round of trrorist murder on the Israelis, for preventing elections by not "withdrawing".

[cake_crumb]

"The thing you have to understand about Semites is to watch their actions and ignore their words. Yes, Arabs are Semites."

I know you don't mean that statement this way, and please understand that this is not a flame. The above quote is analogous to saying all black people talk stupid and are into drive-bye shootings.

It is CULTURE, and not RACIAL GENETICS which makes the difference. Judaeism as a culture retains some of the traditional aspects of it's historic tribal roots - some of which would seem alien and even cruel to West. However, Judaeic culture has also absorbed many aspects of WESTERN culture, because, unlike Arab Muslims, Jews embrace change as the best means for the survival of their culture and their religion.

Arab Muslims, on the other hand, are not Westernized at all. They sincerely believe the world ought to come down to meet THEIR standards of sensibility. To be a real Muslim, one must think "like an Arab" at all times, no matter where in the world one lives. Arabs and conquer and destroy, but they CANNOT invent or create. Look at what the Ottoman Turks did to the Parthenon. They have no respect for other culture, past or present...not even the Semitic culture which preceded their own.

Arab culture has not evolved since the 7th century, when Islam was invented.

[mmmmmmmm....... donuts]

the death to israel plan needs a good chunk of 'right of return' palestinians to infiltrate israel. barak offered a lot of land, but not a lot of refugees (smartly). so that's why arafat said, 'no'

[colorado tanker]

What a surprise. Lessee, the last Arab dictator who allowed free elections and turned over power to an elected successor was . . . . . ?