Arafat Tells Supporters They Will Go to Jerusalem as Martyrs

[Dookus]

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Yasser Arafat (search) emerged from his office for a second straight night Friday, telling hundreds of supporters they will go to Jerusalem as martyrs.

Arafat spoke one day after Israeli leaders announced they had decided to "remove" Arafat whenever they choose. The vague wording left room for several options: deporting Arafat, capturing him or killing him.

"To Jerusalem we are going as martyrs in the millions," Arafat told the crowd.


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,97200,00.html

[Maple]

1. Ruh-oh

If he means this literally....

[Ediacara]

4. you said it...

[Griot Tm]

6. Same old song and dance

"To Jerusalem we go, with martyrs in the millions" is a well known chant in the Palestinian territories. This is nothing new from Arafat, as a quick search of google (http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=arafat+%22martyrs+in+the+millions%22)will bring up many instances from the past few years when he has used this phrase.

example: (5/14/2002) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/05/14/wmid114.xml

[Maple]

8. So

he's given plenty of warning then, hasn't he.

[durutti]

30. Not Necessarily

"Martyr" doesn't necessarily mean "suicide bomber". It could also mean that they're willing to go to Jerusalem, demonstrate, and die when Israelis respond with gunfire. It could also mean that they're willing to die fighting Israeli soldiers.

Martyrdom simply implies willingness to die for a cause. It doesn't necessarily imply killing civilians for a cause.

[MaverickX]

2. you know..

Radicals in Palestine view this statement as condoning suicide bombings. Why Mossad hasn't injected Arafat with a heart attack inducing agent yet is beyond me.

[Maple]

3. Because

what comes after Arafat, is far far worse.

[MaverickX]

5. probably...

Palestine has little hope to be anything more than another Syria.

[AntiCoup2K4]

13. Too clean...

Sharon wants to kill Arafat personally, and the more Palestinians he has to kill to get there, even better.

[MaverickX]

15. I doubt sincerely Sharon is just a maniac...

Wanting to kill Arabs. Israel could totally annihilate the Westt Bank if they wanted.

[Resistance]

18. The victims and their families of the Sabra and Shatila massacre

which Ariel Sharon masterminded might disagree that "Sharon is just a maniac wanting to kill Arabs"

[StandWatie]

19. they couldn't do it and still rely on the US

They can't even kill Arafat without US approval. It's ironic that Jews survived for thousands of years without any help from anyone and now the only Jewish country is a slave of GW Bush.

[FlaGranny]

24. There are some who say

the opposite (Muslims) - that the US is slave to Israel.

[StandWatie]

25. there are some that are idiots

[rini]

28. Oh

You are in Arik's confidence and he has personally told you this?

[Scurrilous]

21. What is beyond me..

..is how some people can be so cavalier about murder.

[bambo53]

7. Why not just "defoliate" the whole area with Valiums?

And drop leaflets advising them to go home, take a shave & a shower, and see if they feel a little more "mellow" in the morning.

(That'll be $65, thank you :)

[Dookus]

9. Perhaps

because painting the entire population as hairy, overwrought and unclean isn't the most productive way to end the violence.

[rini]

29. I love it!

Valium salt licks, Prosac laced coffe.........happy smily faces instead of hate filled graffiti. :toast: That's the most sensible suggestion I've heard in years.

[wellst0nev0ter]

10. Is That Martyrs as in "terrorists"

Or martyrs as in "casualties of Israeli violence"?

[Must_B_Free]

11. Are they going to make Israel annihilate them?

for Israel to finally commit the genocide that they have been standing on the edge of?

What will that do to thier "victim" identity that they have enjoyed for so long?

[StandWatie]

12. not a damn thing

[MaverickX]

16. you're a spinmaster...

The Arab extremists are the ones committing genocide against Jews.

[StandWatie]

17. *yawn*

You cheapen the word genocide.

[The Magistrate]

20. No One In The Region, Sir

Is committing genocide against anyone. The populations continue to increase, after all: were genocide occuring, one or the other would be declining precipitously.

Mr. Watie is correct. The term is, and has been, grossly cheapened by rhetorical exaggeration, and on all sides.

[tinnypriv]

27. You probably support Iraq Slaughter II, right?

Just wondering...

[Chomskyite]

14. It's an announcement he will not cooperate with the Israeli Cabinet

If he's to be expelled, it will have to be done at the (hot) barrel of a (probably smoking) gun.

[loudnclear]

22. What will Israel do without Arafat?

Who will they have to blame? People forget that everytime there is progress on peace in the ME Israel assassinates, builds a new settlement bulldozzes, or bombs or otherwise kills someone to set the peace process back. REMEMBER, it was an Israeli who shot and killed Rabin when he was close to finalizing a plan with Clinton...not a Palestinian or other Arab.

[Scurrilous]

23. Speaking of Rabin..

Today marks the tenth anniversary of the day when the Oslo "land for peace" accord was signed on the Whitehouse lawn. RIP Yitzak.

[Resistance]

26. Do you think there is significance

in the idea that it might turn out to be an Israeli honor of killing both Rabin and Arafat?