They deserve each other

The Yasser Arafat death watch continues. And like his life, it is full of contradictions, betrayal, deception, lies and hidden agendas. Like where is Arafat's $ billions, for example. His lingering death may have more to do with intermural bickering and rivalries and the search for his Swiss bank accounts than the end of days for the Palistinian leader.

For some insight on the murky, confusing reports swirling around Arafat, I recommend an excellent New York Times article, Palestinian Aides Try to Unravel Mystery of Arafat's Condition. It shows the rivalry between Suha Arafat, Yasser's wife (who had not seen him for over three years) and his political heirs. From what I can tell, they're both wrong. Each side wants to control the fate of Yasser Arafat, and neither side wants to provide sympathy or condolences.

It's a fitting fate for a man who spent his life as a terrorist, killing countless of innocent people, and betraying his own people time and time again by snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Sad. In a region where futility and bloodshed is the order of the day, where hatred is so ancient that perhaps no one really knows why they are fighting themselves and each other, I really wonder if peace is truly an objective. I will never understand a people who are content to argue over anything, including the color of the sky.

Such is the legacy of Yasser Arafat. It is perhaps fitting that his end is this way.