# Arafat's dead. Now what? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 11, 2004, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arafats-dead-now-what/274153 "2004-11-11T04:27:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arafats-dead-now-what/274153/1 "2004-11-11T04:27:20Z")
[http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/11/10/arafat.obit/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/11/10/arafat.obit/index.html) So now he really **is** dead. What happens next? ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arafats-dead-now-what/274153/2 "2004-11-11T04:31:15Z")
Celebrate and rejoice. Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arafats-dead-now-what/274153/3 "2004-11-11T04:32:40Z")
Seriously… Until we know who’s in charge of the Palestinians, nothing. Israel isn’t going to deal with anyone until they have some reasonable chance of delivering on a promise of peace. Now we wait to see who comes out on top of the power struggle. Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arafats-dead-now-what/274153/4 "2004-11-11T04:43:59Z")
What’s next? A glorious afterlife with his well-pleased Creator, don’t you think? Or are you one of those… elitists? ---
**Author:** ![Sevastopol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Sevastopol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevastopol)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arafats-dead-now-what/274153/5 "2004-11-11T04:53:33Z")
> [@zev\_steinhardt](#): > > Celebrate and rejoice. > > Zev Steinhardt _loses a lot of respect for **zev z** _ ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arafats-dead-now-what/274153/6 "2004-11-11T04:55:29Z")
… And now… WE DANCE! ---
**Author:** ![Sevastopol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Sevastopol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevastopol)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arafats-dead-now-what/274153/7 "2004-11-11T05:02:15Z")
> [@Sam Stone](#): > > … And now… WE DANCE! Interesting you say that. Because after your screed on free-market non-intervention, freedom to fail, ideal politics one wonders why there is an exception in the case of the US having a pet welfare-state? ---
**Author:** ![Paladud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Paladud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paladud)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arafats-dead-now-what/274153/8 "2004-11-11T05:04:42Z")
It’s perfectly plausible to oppose material aid to Israel and passionately despise Arafat at the same time, **sevastopol**. I know I did. No sense in mocking the dead, though. ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arafats-dead-now-what/274153/9 "2004-11-11T05:06:37Z")
> [@sevastopol](#): > > _loses a lot of respect for **zev z** _ I’m sorry **sevastopol** , but I cannot, in all honesty, feel any sadness for Yasser Arafat. I apologize if that offends, but that’s the case. Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![Paladud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Paladud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paladud)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arafats-dead-now-what/274153/10 "2004-11-11T05:11:27Z")
> [@Paladud](#): > > It’s perfectly plausible to oppose material aid to Israel and passionately despise Arafat at the same time, **sevastopol**. I know I did. No sense in mocking the dead, though. Edit: make that **foreign aid from taxpayer money** ---
**Author:** ![Sevastopol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Sevastopol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevastopol)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arafats-dead-now-what/274153/11 "2004-11-11T05:14:07Z")
Apology noted **Z** , still, rejoicing demeans you. Listen, I won’t shed a tear for the man. Why? Because his death is a breakthrough and opportunity more important than an individual life. The US/Likud is stripped bare of the “no-one to deal with pretext.” And I for one wouldn’t want to deny them an opportunity to: a - do the right thing b - show the world their naked bad faith. I hold little real hope for (a) even though it could really help in the general middle east situation at the moment. Also I’m not about to pass up the opportunity to ask uncomfortable questions, as of my query to **sam s** above. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arafats-dead-now-what/274153/12 "2004-11-11T05:32:06Z")
**sevastapol** said: > [@](#): > > Interesting you say that. Because after your screed on free-market non-intervention, freedom to fail, ideal politics one wonders why there is an exception in the case of the US having a pet welfare-state? I’m sorry… I tried parsing this every way I could, but I can’t make any sense of it. ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arafats-dead-now-what/274153/13 "2004-11-11T05:33:11Z")
> [@Sam Stone](#): > > **sevastapol** said: > I’m sorry… I tried parsing this every way I could, but I can’t make any sense of it. Something to do with Israel. What about Israel, I dunno. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arafats-dead-now-what/274153/14 "2004-11-11T05:38:50Z")
Ah. The lesser Satan. ---
**Author:** ![Wake\_up\_call](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dec6dc/32.png) [@Wake\_up\_call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wake_up_call)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arafats-dead-now-what/274153/15 "2004-11-11T05:40:12Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > So now he really **is** dead. > > What happens next? Simple. Like father, like son. US occupies Iraq and installs its own puppet leader/government there. Isreal occupies Palestine and installs its own puppet leader/government there. ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arafats-dead-now-what/274153/16 "2004-11-11T05:41:17Z")
> [@Wake up call](#): > > Simple. Like father, like son. > > US occupies Iraq and installs its own puppet leader/government there. > Isreal occupies Palestine and installs its own puppet leader/government there. :rolleyes: or maybe Israel finds it can make some sort of approach to peace without it being internally sabotaged by Arafat. ---
**Author:** ![Sevastopol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Sevastopol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevastopol)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arafats-dead-now-what/274153/17 "2004-11-11T05:42:33Z")
Remembrance day. Does anyone smell a rat? ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arafats-dead-now-what/274153/18 "2004-11-11T05:51:56Z")
> [@sevastopol](#): > > Remembrance day. Does anyone smell a rat? Killing Arafat as a tribute to WWI? Uhmmm, that is rather unlikely. (Not that I would mind. Kill Arafat as a tribute to Tuesday night happy hour, for all I care.) ---
**Author:** ![Sevastopol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Sevastopol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevastopol)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arafats-dead-now-what/274153/19 "2004-11-11T05:55:35Z")
Actually I was thinking, either: - prolonging life until the propitious day, or - concealing date of death by a day or 2: same reason. No? Nevermind. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arafats-dead-now-what/274153/20 "2004-11-11T05:54:50Z")
That’s right, it was already November 11th in Paris when he died, or was it? Was it 3:00 EDT or GMT? \ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arafats-dead-now-what/274153.md?page=2)