Posted on 06/23/2003 5:27:37 AM PDT by Alouette
Chief of Staff: Israel debates killing Arafat
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Top Israeli security officials on several occasions discussed the possibility of killing Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Israel's military chief has revealed.
Those discussions did not reach any practical planning stage and no preparations were made for an attempt on Arafat's life, Haaretz reported Monday.
The remarks by Army Chief of Staff Moshe Yaalon marked the first time a senior Israeli official has openly talked of plans to assassinate Arafat.
"Why did we not kill Arafat? The truth is that the discussion whether or not to kill Arafat was debated a number of times in the past," Yaalon told a chamber of commerce meeting in the southern city of Beersheba on Sunday. Those discussions came up after two bloody periods punctuated by Palestinian suicide bombings, a year ago and again last September, Haaretz reported.
"The subject was debated in terms of costs and benefits," Yaalon said. "It is correct that occasionally we need to reevaluate if our cost and benefit assessments were correct or not."
Arafat has been confined by Israeli military forces to his partially destroyed compound in the West Bank city of Ramallah for the last 18 months. Israeli officials, most notably Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, have called for exiling the Palestinian leader, who Israel has accused of backing militants.
Don'tcha know that this place has got to have developed a pretty foul odour by now? Or does it have running wa-wa?
This story reads as if someone - just now - has for the first time come up with the idea that perhaps Aero-phat might - MIGHT - be a thorn in the side of any peace efforts and MAYBE - just MAYBE - things might be better if he were to assume room temp.
Fact is that taking the jerk out has been debated for over a decade, and for reasons unknown, the Israelis have always decided that having him alive is better than the martyrdom that would result were he dust. The currently-running debate is over how to get rid of him without creating a martyr.
And it would take no planning whatsoever to get rid of his heartbeat. If it were decided to do so right now, the deed could easily be accomplished in the next 5 minutes.
That said - as long as Aero-phat is alive, there will be no peace. Aero himself is an enemy of peace - he exists as a warrior on a mission. In some ways he's like the Democrats - always fighting for issues they never plan to enact, for to do so would rob them of the issue to stump with. If there is peace in the Muddle East, then Aero has nothing to live for.
Which is why he's got to go. And the billions he's got stashed must be liberated.
Michael
The usual excuse for not killing him is that, if Arafat were dead, someone worse might fill his spot. I got a surprise for the people making this argument: It's not a question of IF Arafat dies, only WHEN. That fact cannot be disputed no matter what your politics might be. Arafat is gonna die and go to hell someday (soon I hope) and then there will be a vacancy and whenever that happens, the Arabs will probably not be interested in Jewish suggestions about a replacement.
Better to kill Arafat now - on OUR timetable - and let the Arabs kill each other (for a change) for the dubious honor of being the next King of Terrorists ... and then the finalists in that contest will also be dealt with, and the cycle can repeat until nobody wants the job. And while we're at it, kill off the mullahs, and muftis and sheiks who are making those broadcast sermons about Kill Jews, Kill Americans. Make it real clear that inciting the murder of Americans and their close allies is a Very Hazardous Occupation.
And not just Jewish. He's also killed Americans.
Officers at this level do not make statements with such ramifications without a reason. What is that reason? and why just now?
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