Editor,
I am writing in response to the letter by Shafeek Kubha, "Arafat's peace-keeping endeavors overlooked," in Tuesday's Daily Lobo.
It is hard for me to comprehend the use of words such as "freedom fighter, a liberator and a man of integrity" to describe a man such as Yasser Arafat. Here are several examples of his so-called peace-keeping efforts and his outstanding display of leadership.
Ironically, Arafat was a man who died a millionaire while his people were living and continue to live in poverty and despair. His legacy of corruption and terrorism are still evident a year after his death.
Arafat was a man who signed the Oslo Accord in 1995 while building up his political and terrorist movement Fatah and leading the Palestine Liberation Organization since 1969.
Arafat used funds donated to the Palestine Liberation Organization by other countries to fund terrorism. His Fatah-related militia groups, such as the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, are one of many predominant terrorist organizations in Israel.
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Arafat was a man who single-handedly ruined the negotiations with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak at the Camp David Summit in 2000. Barak generously offered part of the Jerusalem capital, a Palestinian state, disengagement of many Jewish settlements, and a sizeable percentage of the West Bank and Gaza. Two months after turning down the offerings at Camp David, Arafat launched an outbreak of terrorism in which thousands of innocent people were killed.
When Arafat became ill last year, he was allowed to be treated in a French hospital for two weeks before his death. It is true that prior to his illness, he was confined to a cluster of damaged buildings at his headquarters in Ramallah. However, Kubha failed to mention that Arafat's headquarters were his command post for terrorist activity where he supported repeated attacks against Israel.
The Palestinians need a leader who will fight for them peacefully and eradicate terrorism. Arafat's legacy of corruption and terrorism should not be used as an example of how to accomplish peace in Israel.
Mandi Casey
UNM student
