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Arafat's Illness

(Oregonian) Editorial - Arafat's journey to France was possible only because the Israeli government must, unlike Arafat, consider the opinions of the world and the best interests of its citizens. France's government has so far ignored the justified demands from some European terrorism victims that Arafat be subjected to questioning about his violent history and his links to decades of death and disruption in Western Europe. International politics, France's own delicate diplomatic situation, and the constraints of modern civility may prevent French authorities from interfering much with Arafat's treatment by allowing its chief terrorism judge to question him. Those are constraints, by the way, that Arafat and his allies have rarely considered. It's a pity that such considerations, and Arafat's fragile health, leave few options about how the Palestinian leader can be dealt with now. After all, few people have done so much to create danger and death in the world - and so little to atone for it.
2004-11-01 00:00:00
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