This is just to say . . .
. . . grow up, people.
Look, I know Arafat was evil. I know how many innocent people died because of him. I know that he was a slimeball when it came to political dealings — and I have very high standards when it comes to slime in politics. I know he embezzled millions of dollars — billions, according to some reports — from aid that was meant to build schools and feed starving people in Yesh"a. I feel no pain whatsoever at his passing, and part of me honestly wanted to smile when I read the New York Times' banner headline.
But it's still problematic for people to have public parties in honor of his death, particularly in light of our contention that he had ceased to be relevant anyway. I was still embarrassed this morning when people brought cookies to ulpan to celebrate. And the situation here is still dangerous and volatile — possibly more so than before.
The Palestinian power structure is very unstable right now, as is often the case when a dictator falls. Are we really being responsible by gloating at them? Do try to remember that this intifadeh began not as a response to an Israeli targeted killing, but as a (massive) overreaction to an Israeli insult to Palestinian sovereignty.
Look, I know Arafat was evil. I know how many innocent people died because of him. I know that he was a slimeball when it came to political dealings — and I have very high standards when it comes to slime in politics. I know he embezzled millions of dollars — billions, according to some reports — from aid that was meant to build schools and feed starving people in Yesh"a. I feel no pain whatsoever at his passing, and part of me honestly wanted to smile when I read the New York Times' banner headline.
But it's still problematic for people to have public parties in honor of his death, particularly in light of our contention that he had ceased to be relevant anyway. I was still embarrassed this morning when people brought cookies to ulpan to celebrate. And the situation here is still dangerous and volatile — possibly more so than before.
The Palestinian power structure is very unstable right now, as is often the case when a dictator falls. Are we really being responsible by gloating at them? Do try to remember that this intifadeh began not as a response to an Israeli targeted killing, but as a (massive) overreaction to an Israeli insult to Palestinian sovereignty.
posted by Lawrence | 11:27 AM
3 Comments:
Yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck, YUCK!!!
I was so, SO hoping that was not the case.
I only find Arafat's death encouraging in the sense that maybe turnover will provide the impetus needed for some new imagination to infuse peace possibilities. I'd be just as happy if someone didn't have to die to accomplish that, but such it is with unelected offices.
Regardless of what one thinks of Arafat as a person, he's also an institution, and a powerful symbol for people with legitimate nationalist ambitions as well as the sort of people who blow up buses. I don't know about them, but I wouldn't feel many peaceful-solution vibes from anyone who acted that way when my head of state died.
Wow, people brought cookies to the yeshiva? But it's full of crazy ultra-leftists with a few exceptions!
Not to the Yeshiva, no. The cantorial students' language training is outsourced to a place across Gan Ha`atzma'ut. I think I may be the most left-leaning American in my class, which doesn't say very much.
(The Britons and the non-Anglophones have been quiet enough that I'm not really sure where they all stand.)
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