Salocin

Israel-Palestine. Another Opportunity Missed

The BBC News is reporting on the difficulties caused by the deteriorating condition of Yasser Arafat. A specific passage caught my eye :

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has said he would allow Mr Arafat to return to the West Bank if he recovers.

But he has made it clear he will not allow his old adversary to be buried in Muslim holy ground in east Jerusalem.

Why not? For Gods sake, why ever not? Fate hands you an undreamed-of opportunity to make a symbolic gesture that will cost you absolutely nothing, and you miserably fail to take the opportunity, for reasons of domestic popularity and political dogma. The attitude and petty intransigence that underlies this decision is one of the reasons this miserable conflict drags on endlessly: When given the chance at noble gestures, both sides recoil, prefering to return to the safe bosom of their ideologically-justified loathing.

Posted by nlvp at November 4, 2004 09:11 PM