“A president that will be spending two days in Israel and reportedly a few hours in Palestine is certainly not presenting a picture of neutrality and evenhandedness when it comes to Israelis and Palestinians,” claims Daoud Kuttab in an article published in Al-Monitor under the title, “Why Obama Should Place a Wreath at Arafat’s Grave.” Kuttab compares the late Yasser Arafat with late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and complains that the official itinerary has the president visiting Mount Herzl to place a wreath on the grave of Yitzhak Rabin. Rabin was assassinated [in 1995] by a Jewish extremist who planned on, and succeeded in, killing the peace process with the Palestinians.
Permit me to dispute this comparison. Rabin maintained his courage all the way to the bitter end, while Arafat never showed any similar courage implementing the agreement he signed, despite all his talk about the “Peace of the Bold.” Even senior members of the Palestinian Authority, including Palestinian Chairman Abu Mazen, admit that Arafat never made that mental leap from being head of an underground organization (a “terrorist organization” as far as Israelis are concerned) to head of state, charged with ensuring his nation’s survival, integrity, and well-being.
