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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Oct. 28, 2004
/ 13 Mar-Cheshvan, 5765
Arafat may have cheated death this time, but his people's real problems may be just beginning
By
Tim Collie
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Focus turns to power vacuum, worries of coming chaos
http://www.jewishworldreview.com |
(KRT) The sudden decline in Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's health Wednesday night has widened a power vacuum that has already grown into a chasm in the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza Strip, and opens the real possibility of chaos and civil war in one of the world's most dangerous regions.
Arafat, 75, who has been struggling with what doctors say is severe flu and gallstones, weakened significantly Wednesday night, heightening concerns that Palestinians are ill-prepared for their leader's death.
The passing of the 75-year-old Palestinian leader would be an event on the scale of the death of Cuban leader Fidel Castro. As president of the Palestinian Authority and chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, Arafat has no equal and no one shares his stature or legacy.
Notorious for keeping his own counsel and pushing away those who threaten him, Arafat has not groomed a successor. And the expected chaos that Arafat's passing would trigger within the Palestinian territories could further confound the already-complicated calculus of the Middle East peace process.
Since the breakdown of Israeli-Arab peace talks in 2000, the Palestinian uprising known as the Second Intifada has caused the deaths of some 3,400 Palestinians and nearly 1,000 Israelis. Now entering its fifth year, the tensions show no sign of abating and there is little hope of a formal peace.
Even before the announcement of the Arafat's rapid decline Wednesday evening, factional fighting had left several cities in [Arab areas] under the control of warring factions in the last year. In Jenin, a young firebrand named Zakaria Zubeidi has run the city for months, and has driven out other Palestinian officials.
In other cities, mayors have been run out of town, while other leaders have been killed by militants who are forging links with criminal gangs. There are few functioning municipal authorities and few signs of police authority.
In Gaza, where Israeli settlers and soldiers control 42 percent of the land, Arafat's deputies have been threatened with assassination, and angry militants have attacked members of his Fatah movement. Security agents loyal to Gaza strongman Mohammed Dahlan, 43, who has presidential ambitions, have clashed with supporters of another security chief, Arafat relative Moussa Arafat.
Meanwhile, reformers in the Palestinian legislature have launched investigations of corruption linked to the chairman's cronies, including one scheme in which cement destined for Palestinian construction projects ended up being used to build the unpopular barricade that Israel is erecting along its border with the West Bank.
Local elections in Palestinian towns are scheduled for December, and Arafat's Fatah movement is facing a serious challenge from Islamic parties. If he dies, Palestinians leaders said Wednesday, it's unclear if the situation would hold together for elections.
One dire sign of that loss of cohesion is the presence of outside groups exploiting the Palestinian leadership vacuum, most notably the Iranian-backed guerrilla group Hezbollah, which has been lending explosives expertise to militants in Gaza, say Israeli military sources.
While diplomats tend to discuss possible successors among the polished, urbane Palestinian political class, any realistic effort to understand what's next will have to take into account the Palestinian street, which is where the real power resides. And there is little indication thus far that any single leader can stem the political erosion Arafat and his supporters are already facing.
Under Palestinian law, there is a clear line of succession in the event Arafat dies. But those in line to succeed him are either not well known on the street, or are disliked by average Palestinians. By law, the Palestinian parliament speaker would replace Arafat as Palestinian Authority president for 60 days, until elections are held.
But current speaker Rauhi Fattouh is a considered an uninspiring leader. It's uncertain whether he could hold on until elections could be organized. Arafat's other post as PLO chief would be filled, at least temporarily, by his deputy in the organization, Mahmoud Abbas, a former prime minister who resigned last year after power struggles with Arafat.
Current Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia is given little chance of taking the reins of power. A former parliament speaker, Qureia lost much of his prestige with his new job.
The death of Arafat would put to the test what has been the common wisdom among Israeli leaders for years now that his removal will open up new opportunities for peace with a younger generation of Palestinian leaders. The problem with this theory is that over the last four years of the intifada, Israel's massive military operations and assassinations of Palestinian militants have consistently undermined Palestinian moderates in the eyes of many Palestinians.
One of the most popular Palestinian figures is sitting in an Israeli prison, serving five life sentences for involvement in shooting attacks on Israelis. Marwan Barghouti, 47, speaks fluent Hebrew and is well known to diplomats, is a leader of Fatah's young guard.
Barghouti supports a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians and there are signs that Israeli leaders have spoken with him at length in prison. But it's unclear whether Sharon, currently under political siege for his Gaza withdrawal plans, could take the unpopular step of freeing a convicted terrorist.
Some fear that would could emerge, in the absence of a clear successor to Arafat, is a militant Islamic republic on the border of the Jewish state.
If that happens, the clear winners will be Hamas, a terrorist group whose top leadership has been wiped out by Israel over the last year, but which continues to grow in size and stature. There is little doubt that open elections in Gaza would result in the ascension of Hamas leaders, who are viewed by many Palestinians not only as brave and steadfast, but perhaps most importantly, as honest and free of corruption.
"On the one hand, the public is not highly confident in Arafat's leadership, but it does not have an alternative," said Khalil Shikaki, a leading Palestinian pollster and analyst. "Therefore, at the moment, there is indeed a very serious crisis with regard to whom the public can trust."
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© 2004, South Florida Sun-Sentinel Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
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