Far off in the distant memory of the Jewish people there was a man who represented the evils of terrorism and the destruction of the Nation of Israel. As time went on the nations of the world were able to portray this depraved murderous image of a man into that of a freedom fighter; a man doing what ever was necessary to win the liberation of "his" people. Today, with the unbridled zeal of Israeli politicians of various stripes, Yassir Arafat is a statesman, a partner in peace. It has become the rare voice which harkens back to the intentions and deeds of this man with Jewish blood on his hands. Although daily there are reminders of his dark and deadly past put forth by his continuous manipulation of words and his overt violent actions which slowly erode the facade of civility, the people of Israel continue to yearn and believe in the reconstructed Arafat. The ongoing call for "jihad" as well as the September 1996 shootouts between PA soldiers and the IDF do not sway those who have no vision other than the propaganda of a world gone "peace" mad.

The staunchest of those said to remember Arafat as a dangerous man in a kafiya, the "settlers," have fallen prey to the "process." A delegation of ten Jewish settlers has met with Arafat in what has been described as a cordial and productive event. The result, as reported by the media in Israel, is that the settlers and the Palestinian Authority intend to explore joint ventures in tourism, education and industry. Included among the settlers' side are men whose family members or friends have been killed by PLO terrorism.

It is a mistaken notion, all to popular in modern "culture," that experience necessarily brings wisdom. When fathers whose sons were struck down by terrorists' bullets speak of reconciliation, somehow we are all supposed to believe that the vicious architect of Ma'alot, Entebe, the Olympic massacre and scores of other atrocities against the Jewish people has transformed into the wonder of modern diplomacy. This idea went so far as to witness one of the members of the Jewish delegation emerge from the meeting with Arafat and relate that, to his surprise, he found Arafat a warm and witty man.

The tragedy of violent, premature death through terrorism visited upon a family does not give members of that family the right to endanger others through their weakness, whether or not that weakness was brought on by sorrow. These Jews who met with Arafat now plead at court with those they apparently believe will be their new masters. They ask, as Jews of galut have asked for 2,000 years, for a rightful place in the midst of the new landlords. The Jerusalem Post of November 28, 1996 stated that, "The PA chief assured the Israeli visitors that the PLO has removed all of the clauses of the Palestinian covenant that violates the accords with Israel or denies its right to exist. He said he has not decided whether to present a new covenant to the PNC." With Arafat's lip service to good neighborly relations, all are satisfied that the future will not be as bad as they themselves had predicted. That is, until they remember the real Arafat with the next jihad speech that results in Jewish bloodletting.
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