Yasir Arafat Is Dead

Yasir Arafat is dead and I find my emotions swinging in some confusing swirl. As I watched the carrying of his coffin from the helicopter to the compound where he is to be buried, the countless number of people present overwhelmed me.

As an adult, I have never quite figured out how to feel about Arafat. You see when I was young, Arafat was the devil incarnate. He was THE terrorist. Arafat was Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein combined. I was not a critical observer of world events at that point. Nor had I developed an understanding of US history and actions in the world.

At the same time that I was being told that Arafat was "Mr. Terrorist" I was enamored of the leader of the Israelis - Golda Meir. As a young feminist, "Golda" was a role model and a hero. She was light to Arafat's dark. It was so simple then. Arafat was extra evil to me because of Golda Meir.

Then came the change. I watched with amazement and disbelief as Arafat moved from being Mr. Terrorist to being the acknowledged and recognized leader the Palestinians. What that transformation showed me was that there was something else going on here. This might have been my first glimmer that what I heard was perhaps biased - and certainly was changeable. I began to question what was "true" of what I heard from both US leaders and the US media.

My emotional response then (and it still colors my emotional response now) was that Arafat was either a tremendously brave man who fought for his people, or he was an evil man intent on eradicating the Jews of Israel. Perhaps Arafat moderated, or changed tactics over the decades. Perhaps once he was intent on eliminating the Jews in Israel and retaking that land, and then he decided to work towards some compromise. Maybe he went from being an idealist to being a realist. The Israelis would never be removed or leave.

Then began the teetering back and forth. Arafat was evil, Arafat was a dedicated leader. And of course Israel teetered back and forth in my mind between Israel the Victim, and Israel the accommodations. It wasn't until later yet that the idea of Israel as an active participant in this conflict came into play. And beyond that the understanding of the position and experience of Palestinians came into play.

It is interesting that one part of my brain sees Arafat as Mr. Terrorist, and another as Arafat untiring warrior for his people. His legacy for me is both intertwined with the Israel-Palestine conflict and beyond it.

And so I watched him go to his final resting place in the compound that Israel had forced him into and largely kept him prisoner there. There was something ineffably sad about his internment in that place - still confined with the struggle unresolved and fear on all sides.

Bush (and others) see this as a time of opportunity. Somehow, I cannot share that optimism. Perhaps if Israel had a change of leadership as well....

I don't know yet how I feel about the passing of Arafat. I do know that I do not have the image of him that many Palestinians have. Nor do I have the image of him that many Israeli's have. Nor, I think do I have the image of him that many in the US have. Tactics aside (and I know that many will say you can't do that), Arafat is linked in my mind to the struggle of the Palestinians for their place and their sovereignty. Rightly or wrongly, he stood firm for his people.

I don't know where the truth of his life stands. I do know that he leaves a void and -- perhaps -- an opportunity for peace.

Posted by rowan at November 12, 2004 8:31 PM | TrackBack | [eMail this article!] |