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By Bruce S. Ticker
November 11, 2004
Have some sweets on me. Something to really dance in the streets about.
I just woke up from an evening nap, checked the Internet news and watched a brief headline crawl across the screen: "Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat dies."
This was 11:20 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 10, Philadelphia time. CNN reported that it was 6:20 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 11, in Israel.
Switch to Fox. Said Palestinian spokesman Hassan Abdel Rahman: "It's a very sad day for all the Palestinians."
And a joyous day for Israelis, Jews, supporters of Israel and anyone who cannot stomach unshaven, arrogant and cleanliness-challenged murderous street bums who are under the delusion that they are distinguished world leaders.
It is proof, yes, that the good die young, but the not-so-good has died -- finally. We were waiting two weeks for THE MOMENT. The man who commanded the terror organization the Palestinian Liberation Organization that in turn kidnapped and murdered many Jews; stole billions of dollars that were supposed to be for his own people; turned his back on the peace process; and at the least facilitated a war that left 1,000 Israelis dead and led to the deaths of 3,000 of his own people...is dead, at last.
Arafat, 75, died at the Paris hospital where he lay dying. The announcement was official.
You know what this means, don't you? A new Jewish holiday has been created.
For those who don't understand the context, there is an old joke that goes something like this: In Nazi-era Germany, a Jewish man meets Hitler and predicts that he will die on a Jewish holiday. "What Jewish holiday?" asked Hitler. The Jewish prophet's reply: "Any day on which you die will be a Jewish holiday."
One week ago, Israelis prematurely celebrated after a reporter told President Bush that Arafat had apparently died. Some were distributing sweets, which is what the Arabs do when they dance in the streets in Gaza City to celebrate the latest genocide bombing.
A reporter dubbed the celebrants "Israeli extremists." What is so extreme about celebrating Arafat's death?
Now it's our turn to celebrate?and not just Jews. That means anyone who despises mass murderers like Arafat.
Personally, I think the death of Arafat constitutes a federal holiday in the United States and a comparable holiday in Israel.
Of course, that will never happen. Most members of Congress will fear a backlash if they vote for such a federal holiday. Hopefully, some senators and House members will at least introduce a bill naming the date of Arafat's death as a federal holiday.
Jews will certainly regard the date of Arafat's death as a Jewish holiday, but those who sympathize with Israel - and there are many people with that mindset here -- will consider it a holiday, period.
If any readers at this point think my elation is in bad taste, then they should also protest NBC. In a pre-taped program -- before news of Arafat's death was announced -- Jay Leno said Wednesday night that he was amazed at news that Arafat's condition had worsened. That's not bad, Leno mused, considering that a few days earlier his people said he was dead. How can his condition get any worse than that?
To illustrate how Arafat was being kept alive artificially, Leno's people presented a mocked-up photo of Arafat to make him resemble Frankenstein's monster.
On ABC's Nightline, Ted Koppel aired his last interview with Arafat when Israeli troops besieged the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, apparently in reference to the episode a few years ago when Arab terrorists seized control of the church.
"Big lies," Arafat said of Israeli claims about their side in the incident. Well, Arafat should be able to recognize "big lies" when he hears them.
And he declared, "I am asking for the whole world to stop this crime."
Does anyone recall Arafat making a similar plea when his goons seized the passenger ship Achilles Lauro before they shot Leon Klinghoffer, a 69-year-old wheelchair-bound Jewish New Yorker, and tossed his body into the sea?
Views expressed by the author do not
necessarily reflect those of israelinsider.
 
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