Heresy...I don't understand how you can call Arafat a "man of peace". He may have made some small concessions in the peace process but the PLO has roots in the same kind of tyrannical, oppressive, murderous authoritarianism as many other Middle Eastern governments.
Research what happened in South Lebanon in the 70's because of the PLO moving in. They monopolized several industries, took over the economy, and terrorized dissenting civilians, even Palestinians. Their policies included murder, rape, kidnapping, and espionage against South Lebanese, Palestinians and others who opposed them. And this doesn't came from the AP or American sources. There is a great amount of coumentation among the Arab papers, Al-Ahram in Cairo, Al-Muzghraib in Syria, and others, about the early activities of the PLO.
Their laundry list of offenses includes basically everything under the sun. They even took up military positions in towns who opposed them, fired off rockets and mortars at the Israelis, then withdrew in order to make sure the town was hit hard. Their reign of South Lebanon was basically the law of the Kalashnikov, murdering dissenters, using civilians, including many Palestinians, as bullet shields, and forcing the service of 12 year olds.
This is due, in large part, towards a complete lack of accountability on Arafat's part. PLO's support and funding came from a pan-Arabic conglomeration of states that listed the destruction of Israel and Zionism as its sole goal. The Arab pipe dream of driving the Jews out into the sea was the stated goal of the PLO, and only until the late 90's did Arafat even consider clamping down on violence in order to bring chips to the bargaining table with the Israelis.
The PLO's early inception was due to funding and support, as I said earlier, by a group of Arab states with the intent purpose of smashing Zionism. These states included Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Tunisia, etc. The PLO received millions upon millions from these sources, while getting next to nothing from actual Palestinians. In 99 cases out of 100 Arafat and the PLO were answerable and in fact, subordinate to the Arab majority which funded them.
Never did they actually represent the Palestinian people, a people much more ready to embrace peace than Arafat himself. The PLO's diplomatic duty was largely an exercise in consensus, as they took actions which were the most likely to please their funding constituency. Accountability, responsibility, and representational government were never, *ever* a factor in the PLO's activities.
Since the PLO was based on the destruction of Israel, and founded upon the wishes of foreign rulers, Arafat was never able to actually take into account the best course of action for the PLO in regards to the Palestinian situation, or he risked a drying up of funds. In fact, the PLO did nothing but pander to the pan-Arab groups, who did not ever wish to see it deviate from military force and "driving the Jews into the sea".
Take out the "revolutionary movement" and darling label from the PLO, and you are left with basically just another Arab government. Ruling by the gun, disregarding its own people, and in fact working far harder in the interests of the elite and unachievable, impossible, quixotic goals.
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