Arafat’s Crackdown on Terrorists

Re “Israel Boosts Strikes Against Palestinians,” Dec. 5: We were somewhat cynical when we read “Palestinian officials argue that they had begun arrests of militants and will now be hard pressed to continue. They charge that Sharon’s offensive is destroying the very security forces and infrastructure that must round up and hold suspects.”

It’s no secret that Yasser Arafat’s Cabinet includes many terrorists. In addition, many terrorists who have been apprehended were members of the Palestinian security forces. Palestinian terrorism has been instigated and expedited by these folks for years and now they say they’re getting serious--about what?

Roberta and Joe Gillerman

Los Angeles

Blaming Arafat for the actions of Hamas makes as much sense as blaming President Bush for the actions of the Mafia.

Jerry Bradley

Santa Barbara

George F. Will correctly points out that Arafat has failed to live up to even one of the many agreements he has signed (“Slam the Door on Arafat,” Commentary, Dec. 4). His advice to Israel not to let Arafat return to the Palestinian Authority territory should he ever leave it is right on the mark. Whether Arafat cannot control the terrorists or is in league with them is beside the point.

Joseph M. Ellis

Woodland Hills

Yossi Klein Halevi (Commentary, Dec. 3) would have us believe that acts of Palestinian violence occur in a vacuum. Arafat fulfills a role as the ultimate boogeyman, a much easier bad guy to hate than the Palestinian men, women and children who are struggling for freedom from occupation.

Unfortunately, the language of violence is the idiom taught by the Israelis, from extrajudicial killings and torture in prison to attacks on unarmed civilians. At the same time, targeted attacks against unarmed Israeli civilians are unconscionable and not justifiable under any circumstances. Sadly, they exemplify how the Israeli population pays a heavy price for the brutal occupation that is perpetrated by the Israeli government and colonizers who inhabit illegal settlements.

Israel will unleash its fearsome war machine on the Palestinians and ratchet up the attacks on militants, only to create more in their place. The same will happen in any crackdown by Arafat on his own forces. It is hard to see how the intensification of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s campaign against terrorists has done anything other than bring more bloodshed and misery upon both peoples.

Without a buffer of international peacekeeping forces at least as a temporary measure, we should brace for more casualties.

Laila Al-Marayati

Spokesperson, Muslim

Women’s League, Los Angeles

Prior to Sept. 11, I belonged to the group of “objective” Americans, leaning slightly to sympathy for the plight of Palestinians under Israeli occupation. Since then, objectivity has become absurd. When your country has been attacked, you must choose sides. We can trust Israel as an ally a lot more than Hamas and Arafat in the war against terrorism. America first! Political correctness becomes obscene in international relations when our military forces are in battle. We have the right of self-defense and owe no one apologies for our strength and success.

George Du Bois

Laguna Niguel