Why do Palestinians suffer, year after year, despite the opportunity of the Oslo process, despite
massive international financial aid, despite the undeniable Israeli desire for
peaceful resolution? Two competing explanations are regularly put forth: blame Israel, or blame
Arafat.
One view holds that IDF actions in the West Bank and Gaza create a desperate culture, incapable of positive development. The
other, Israeli position has long been that Yassir Arafat's corrupt regime
perpetuates the suffering of his own people by continually deflecting
all blame upon Israel and fomenting self-defeating Palestinian terrorism.
Though world media coverage has overwhelmingly adopted the blame-Israel
approach, over the past few days the Palestinian people themselves have
made it clear that Yassir Arafat's corrupt regime lies at the heart
of their problems. A wave of kidnappings, the resignation of Arafat's prime
minister, and street violence targeting an Arafat crony drove much of the
world press (including the Arab press!) to finally point the finger at
Arafat:
●
Times of London: 'Arafat's policy of divide and rule has not only
neutralized Palestinian rivals but stymied any political and economic
progress.... Mr Arafat's cynicism has now run
its course, and stoked the present conflict.'
●
MSNBC: 'The walls
are closing in on Yassir Arafat...never before have so many disparate groups
of Palestinians, including those from Arafat's own Fatah movement, formed such
a united front on such a clearly definable issue - end corruption or else.'
●
Arab Times (Kuwait): 'Mr Arafat should quit his position
because he is the head of a corrupt authority. There is no point for him to
remain in politics... He has destroyed Palestine. He has led it to terrorism,
death and a hopeless situation... All Arab leaders know this fact. It won't be
possible for us to gain from the Middle East road map for peace if this man
remains in power.'
●
BBC
quoted a Jenin Martyrs' Brigade spokesman: 'With all due respect to President
Arafat, the Palestinian Authority cannot continue being monopolised by
[Arafat] and his relatives...we
have our own ways to show our rejection.'
● Al-Quds Al-Araby (London): 'What is happening in Gaza is a
healthy phenomenon because it is a revolution against corruption and
the corrupt... This is a warning not only to Mr Arafat... but to all
Arab regimes which subjugate their people by turning a deaf ear to
their calls for comprehensive change.'
● Pravda: Under the headline,
'Nobody trusts Arafat any more,' stated that 'Everything Yasser Arafat has
been doing can be described as an illusion of reforms.'
● Daily Star (Lebanon): 'Mr Arafat increasingly lacks
credibility and legitimacy... He has brought Palestine to its knees by
relying on symbolism rather than bringing about results.'
● And long-time Arafat apologist, United Nations envoy
Terje Roed-Larsen, finally broke rank and said that the PA has 'made no progress on its core obligation
to take immediate action on the ground to end violence and combat
terror, and to reform and reorganize.'
UN chief Kofi Annan echoed the remarks.
[Hat tip: Tom Gross]
* * *
Curiously, the
Washington Post chose this moment to run a lengthy feature by
Molly Moore that traces the downward spiral of a group of Palestinian
youths. Moore employs the classic 'desperation narrative,'
describing one terrorist who 'harbored bitterness toward Israelis' because
Israeli authorities had ― what? ― jailed his brother for killing an Israeli soldier. As for the Palestinian who shot dead four Israeli civilians in Hadera,
Moore quotes the forlorn words of the murderer's mother: 'He was the
most romantic, the most sentimental of all of us.'
The article
represents a truly bizarre sense of timing by Post editors. This
front-page story, running over 3,000 words with color photograph,
makes no mention whatsoever of the top story of the day ― the
international acknowledgement that Yassir Arafat is the primary
source of Palestinian desperation.
The watchdog group EyeOnThePost
hits the nail on the head:
Moore seeks
to create a sense of sympathy and tragedy around this clique of
killers, but in order to do this she must unfairly (1) ignore the
true tragedy, which is the innocent Israeli civilians whose lives
were destroyed by this group, and (2) gloss over historical facts to
make these characters appear to be not only victims, but also
victims of Israel, rather than their own irresponsible Palestinian
leadership.
Read the
article, the fine EyeOnThePost
critique, and
send comments to:
letters@washpost.com
●
The (UK) Guardian - which claims to have the most online
readers of any newspaper in the world - declared in a bold July 17
headline:
'Don't Blame Arafat'
The prominent piece, by former Guardian Mideast
correspondent David Hirst, not only exonerates Arafat for the collapse
of peace efforts, but goes so far as to 1) accuse Israeli intelligence
figures of desiring the intifada, and 2) blaming Israel for the
entire US invasion of Iraq.
Even when the Guardian gets around to addressing the
anti-Arafat riots, the paper's
editors can't bring themselves to call for his resignation,
stating it would be 'alarming' if Arafat falls from power: 'the
already grievous burden imposed on Palestinians will become
intolerable if the regime falls apart... Israel must offer more
incentives for moderation.'
Comments to:
letters@guardian.co.uk
* * *
With Palestinian rejection of Arafat's corruption and cronyism placing his regime on the apparent verge of collapse, it is vital that news outlets recognize the broader issue: The sad state of the Palestinian people
― for nearly 40 years
― is due first and foremost to the tragic failure of Arafat's leadership.
HonestReporting encourages subscribers to write a letter to your local editor,
indicating that the anti-Arafat uprising is the most telling development for
some time regarding the true source of Palestinian suffering.
And be on the lookout for news outlets continuing to blame Israel for
Palestinian 'desperation,' even as Palestinians themselves point the finger at
Arafat.
For frequent updates on this topic,
visit our weblog:
MediaBackSpin.com.
HonestReporting
