Arafat's Double Standard

When Palestinian Authority (PA) police fired on anti-American protesters in the Gaza strip on Oct. 9, Chairman Yassir Arafat permanently cast his lot against Osama bin Laden—and therefore with the U.S.—in the current conflict. We are deeply concerned by the use of deadly force to quell the protests and deplore the PA’s attempt to suppress news reports of the events. But we hope that its opposition to the horrific Sept. 11 attack on innocent civilians will convince the PA that it must combat terrorism, in all its forms, to achieve a lasting peace in the Middle East.

The protests supporting bin Laden, many of them led by the terrorist group Hamas, are only the most recent sign that Palestinian public opinion has grown more militantly anti-American during the recent uprising. Not long ago, Arafat was reported to be considering a power-sharing arrangement with Hamas to ensure his political survival. To retain his international credibility, it was incumbent on Arafat to condemn the attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. and to support American action in Afghanistan.

But if Arafat can oppose terrorism in this case, he must recognize that the PA, too, is harboring terrorists. Hamas’ sponsorship of terrorist activities and suicide bombings has long been known, and for too long Arafat has allowed it to prepare for attacks against Israel on PA-governed territory. Hamas has expressed strong support for Osama bin Laden, and Palestinian officials have said it was behind the Oct. 9 riot in Gaza. Its sympathies are, and have always been, clear. Arafat must realize that there is no substantive difference between groups like Hamas or Hezbollah and Osama bin Laden—all are willing to slaughter innocents for their own misguided political objectives, and none will stop unless they are brought to justice.

Additionally, Arafat’s decision to bar reporters from Gaza last week was poor and short-sighted. Though he likely hoped to prevent images of violent anti-American protests from reaching American television screens, the U.S. cannot form a realistic and workable policy in the Middle East if it is kept in the dark about the true state of Palestinian public opinion.

As the violent protests and the police response demonstrate, the PA has the difficult task of convincing its people that bin Laden and terrorism are to be deplored, not celebrated. A peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians will require significant concessions from both sides, but no true peace can be formed when one party continues to view indiscriminate violence against civilians as a legitimate tactic.

Responding to bin Laden’s statements, Arafat rightly said that he would not allow anyone to use Palestinians’ struggles to justify killing thousands of American civilians. It is now time for him to apply that rhetoric to Palestinian terrorists. He must realize that doctors, stockbrokers and children in Tel Aviv and Haifa have the same right to live their lives in peace as those in New York City.