I think that without the Israeli threat, Arafat would have accomplished his dream of being the father of the first independent Palestinian State, and he would have retired as an elder statesman by now

CarolC,

That is one of the most off-base theories I've ever read in your thousands of anti-Israel postings.

Just a 3.5 years ago, peace and Palestinian statehood was imminent. The economies of both Israel and Palestine were thriving. President Clinton brokered a deal in which 95% of Arafat's demands were met by the Israeli government of Ehud Barak. 95%.

Rather than continue negotiations, as any statesman would, Arafat broke off the talks and unleashed the Intifada and an unending wave of terrorist attacks.

Faced with Intifada and unending terrorism, the fearful Israelis, quite predictably, elected Sharon, a hardline prime minister.

The corrupt Arafat is the reason for the current state of affairs. He is the reason so many on both sides have been killed. He is the reason there is no Palestinian state.