Arafat: A Man Without a Vision

As a Jew, my heart goes out to the Palestinian people. Whatever or whoever the cause of it, they have lived wretched lives for the last 75 years. And now it seems, their lives could soon become more dismal.

For Jews, the last 75 years have been no picnic, but we have come through in much better shape. Our dreams of peace in Jerusalem may be dreams, but we still have hope.

Jews and Palestinians are both ancient peoples, and our adventures and misadventures began more than 3,200 years ago. Yet particularly over the last 75 years, we have made a huge mess of learning how to live and let live. Why?

The essential difference has been leadership. Yes, Jews have had an unfortunate share of hawks--Israel has one now--and we have made our share of mistakes. For the most part, though, our leaders have been people with vision. And the driving heart of Judaism always has been peace: “Shalom,” it has been said, is the most important word in the Hebrew language.

For the last 35 years, the Palestinians have put their faith in Yasser Arafat. I conclude, with great regret, that he has failed his people.

The cause of the Palestinian people is a noble, humanitarian cause. The leader of a humanitarian cause needs to understand--as did Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela--that the only road to redemption by the disadvantaged is the high road, the moral imperative of their cause. Arafat does not understand.

The leader must understand the mind and heart of his oppressor. Arafat does not. If he did, he would not have uttered so many of the calumnies that have fallen from his mouth. The Israeli statesman Abba Eban must have meant Arafat when he said that the Palestinians never rise to an occasion and never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. Arafat did rise to the occasion--twice: at the 1993 signing of the peace accords on the White House lawn and after the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. But that was not enough.

The leader must understand the strengths and weaknesses both of his own people and of his adversary. If he does not, he makes the mistake of thrusting his people’s weakness against another’s strength. By relying on strategies based on the use of force, that is precisely what Arafat has done.

And, most of all, a leader’s word must be his bond; if he is to be effective, his integrity and credibility must be beyond reproach.

Foremost in what has made Arafat a regrettable choice to lead is the hatred and rage that he has inculcated in his people against Israel and Jews. This hatred blocks the road back to de-escalation and negotiation, the only road to peace. It undermines the possibility of trust between Israelis and Palestinians. Without trust, how can Jews and Israelis accept Palestinian assurances regarding their future and security? This hatred also has ignited and fueled a destructive fire that burns within an increasing number of Jews and Israelis: retribution and revenge--ideas that have no authenticity within the lexicon of Jewish ethical values.

And now Arafat is caught in what will be for him and unfortunately also for the Palestinian people a lose-lose-lose squeeze. If he does rein in the terrorists, he will prove beyond a doubt that the decision to launch the Al Aqsa intifada 15 months ago must have been his own, and he has not been willing to stop it. Because Sept. 11 has dramatically changed the world’s tolerance for terrorism, if he does not act with resolution, the Israeli army is likely to duplicate in the territories what the U.S. has done in Afghanistan. And if he acts with resolution, it may trigger a civil war.

In the meantime, the Palestinian people suffer. Where are its visionary leaders?

“Where there is no vision, the people perish” --Proverbs, 29:18