09/19/03: Post by Gabriel Sanchez
Posted by: BLOWBACK
The Washington Post editorial from September 17 dismisses Mr. Arafat's latest peace offer, given the author's "history of broken promises." The editorial is right - how can anybody trust that Mr. Arafat's intentions are truly peaceful after so many lies and broken promises over the years? I could not agree more - it is difficult to believe Mr. Arafat. What the same editorial fails to note, however, is that by the same measure we should also dismiss any proposal emanating from Mr. Bush -- or have we forgotten the plethora of brazen lies about Iraq and the U.S. economy? Or the broken promises to the world -- withdrawal from numerous international commitments agreed upon by past presidents? Not to mention the rather disingenuous declaration -- unthinkable anywhere else in the world -- that Mr. Sharon is "a man of peace." The same Mr. Sharon who far from wanting peace continues to build a wall deep into Palestinian territory, scuttles every truce with helicopter launched assassinations, matching or surpassing Hamas' military wing's brutality. The same man who years ago arguably provoked the latest intifada, and has on his resume the blood of thousands of innocent civilians at Palestinian refuge camps in Lebanon and more recently in the occupied territories. Any peace initiative advanced by any of these despicable men should be dismissed on arrival. Maybe we should all demand that the three (mis)leaders be replaced in order to finally begin a successful Middle East peace process?