Arafat and terrorism

BY ROHAN PEARCE

On April 11, US President George Bush told journalists that "[Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat] needs to speak clearly, in Arabic, to the people of that region and condemn terrorist activities. At the very minimum, he ought to at least say something."

Bush has said that Israel has the right to "defend" itself against "terrorists", and promoted the myth that Arafat hasn't condemned suicide bombings — at least "in Arabic". Bush appears to have great difficulty with the English language, so it should be no surprise that his grasp of Arabic is less than profound.

On March 28, in a speech in Arabic on Palestinian TV, Arafat said: "On this occasion, I would like once again to reiterate our condemnation of yesterday's operation in Netanya, in which a number of innocent Israeli civilians were killed and wounded. This operation constitutes a deviation from our policy and a violation of our national and human values."

In a speech in December, Arafat said, again in Arabic, "I emphasize once again the complete and immediate halt to all armed operations. Once again, I call for a complete halt to all operations, especially suicidal operations, which we have always condemned." The speech was broadcast on Gaza Palestine Satellite Channel Television.