Arafat's fate depends on fate of his people

Yasser Arafat is seventy plus. Physically inspite of amazing trials and tribulations he seems to flourish. He has been under undeclared house arrest in Ramallah in Palestine for nearly three months. His compound has been pounded by heavy Israeli artillery and the better part of the building presents a picture of utter destruction. He keeps on living in those quarters and carry on the struggle in front of TV cameras. In fact this is what he does best. When the going gets really tough Arafat gets hold of his gun and threatens to shoot an unnamed enemy and if nobody else shoot himself.

In the meantime his adversary Ariel Sharon declares to the wide world his Government's decision to physically eliminate Yasser Arafat. He is no longer satisfied to physically expel Arafat from the destroyed Ramallah home. The Security Council and even the United Nations General Assembly meet in extraordinary session to discuss Arafat's Fate. Urgent call is addressed to the Israelis by the UN not to push the matter beyond the limit and eliminate Arafat from this world.

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Ariel Sharon gives the impression to be listening. He better does. For there is only one Arafat that Sharon can hound around the world. True Sharon has lot of blood on his hands, the latest being what his powerful armed forces have been doing daily to the defenseless Palestinians for nearly a year and a half. He has been nicknamed the butcher of Shabra and Shatilla and had hounded Arafat out of Lebanon into Tunisia. That was early eighties. In the seventies Arafat had risen from the ashes and made an appearance before the UN General Assembly as a visiting Head of State. Yasser Arafat had every right to do so. For more states around the world recognize Palestine as a sovereign Independent State than Israel and Yasser Arafat as its President. States around the world maintain full diplomatic relations with Palestine.

There is one notable exception. That is the USA, the creator and protector of Israel. It will not be far fetched to imagine that behind President George W. Bush's misadventure in Iraq is his friend and mentor Ariel Sharon. Sharon dreams of making his Israel the dominant power in the Middle East and the US policeman of the region. Prodded by Sharon President Bush in all likelihood launched into Iraq, whose catastrophic consequences are daily unfolding.

Mercifully there are signs that good sense is dawning on President Bush. He will claim victory because he has removed from scene the tyrant Saddam Hussein. The human loss suffered by his forces in continuing guerilla attacks, he will speak sotto voce. That the daily mounting casualty figure is becoming intolerable for him, he will not say. The truth is that he has to return to his much-maligned UN, who has valiantly borne the attacks.

And what is happening between the US, the most powerful country of the world and France, Permanent member of the Security Council and remotely not so powerful as the US. The truth is that in his obstinacy to remove dictator Saddam, President Bush with the willing collaboration of his friend and ally Great Britain of Prime Minister Tony Blair, paid scant heed to world opinion and following an acrimonious debate within the Security Council decided to bypass the Security Council and plunged headlong into an attack against Iraq. France valiantly stood her ground and opposed every move. The signs are telltale that the relations between the US and longtime ally France are men- ding. After all the Statue of Liberty, which welcomes every visitor to the shore of the New World is a gift from Revolutionary France.

And what about the fate of Arafat? He has been on the stage for close to four decades. A whole generation of Palestinian leadership has emerged. Indeed Palestine has provided quality manpower to many Arab countries and beyond. There is a proverb 'revolution eats its own children first'. We in Bangladesh are well aware of this. Banga- bandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who gave unparalleled leadership to his Bangalee nation to face enemy and wrest freedom, was he not gunned down with his family and associates in a brutal massacre comparable to the massacre of the tsarist family of Russia.

Yasser Arafat (Abu Amar) has achieved his life's mission. He has instilled in his people the indomitable desire to fight for their independence. Like Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur with his famous speech of 7 March 1971(the fight this time is the fight for emancipation, the fight this time is the fight for Independence), so has Yasser Arafat has galvanized his people to fight for freedom.

Arafat or no Arafat Palestine is a reality. Sooner the Israeli leadership accepts this truth, better for the world. Yet Sharon and Arafat thrive on continuous conflict and holding world attention. Are they ready to throw in the towel and let more pragmatic leaders take over?

Arshad-uz-Zaman is a former Ambassador.