Arafat HQ surrounded by Israeli troops

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2004-05-03 08:12pm

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2004-05-03 08:15pm

Again?

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2004-05-03 08:17pm

I doubt they're going to do anything to Arafat. This has happened before, and this time the Israelis don't appear to have opened fire on the compound or moved into it, at all. Plus, they've got 15 Jeeps. Last time they attacked Arafat's compound they used several APC's full of commandoes, backed with tanks and gunships.

Solauren · Post by **Solauren** » 2004-05-03 09:16pm

If Israel wanted Arafat dead, they'd use half a dozen cruise missiles

Ma Deuce · Post by **Ma Deuce** » 2004-05-03 10:13pm

Solauren wrote:If Israel wanted Arafat dead, they'd use half a dozen cruise missiles

Actually, they'd most likely drop a few Mk. 84 2000lb unguided bombs on it. Much cheaper than cruise missiles

.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2004-05-03 11:48pm

Ma Deuce wrote:
Solauren wrote:If Israel wanted Arafat dead, they'd use half a dozen cruise missiles
Actually, they'd most likely drop a few Mk. 84 2000lb unguided bombs on it. Much cheaper than cruise missiles .

Well no, they'd probably use the laser-guided version, but each one of those still costs only about 55,000 bucks, which isn't much more then the price of a pair of early model Hellfires let alone that of large warhead cruise missile.

frigidmagi · Post by **frigidmagi** » 2004-05-03 11:54pm

While the Israelis don't seem to want him dead just yet, I still get the feeling that this can't end well.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2004-05-04 12:47am

They're afraid to kill him because they don't want to make him a martyr.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2004-05-04 12:56am

Darth Wong wrote:They're afraid to kill him because they don't want to make him a martyr.

That hasn't deterred them before.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2004-05-04 01:13am

Joe wrote:
Darth Wong wrote:They're afraid to kill him because they don't want to make him a martyr.
That hasn't deterred them before.

Against lower-profile targets, no. He is not a low-profile target. Even a Hamas leader has nowhere near as much global visibility as Arafat.

Xenophobe3691 · Post by **Xenophobe3691** » 2004-05-04 03:17pm

Darth Wong wrote:They're afraid to kill him because they don't want to make him a martyr.

Yep, remember what happened to that Mormon dude...what's his name? Oh yeah, John Smith. Mob ripped him apart and made him a martyr, thus ensuring that that Mormons would venerate him forever, instead of realizing he was a lying swindler...

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2004-05-04 08:51pm

Darth Wong wrote:
Joe wrote:
Darth Wong wrote:They're afraid to kill him because they don't want to make him a martyr.
That hasn't deterred them before.
Against lower-profile targets, no. He is not a low-profile target. Even a Hamas leader has nowhere near as much global visibility as Arafat.

Maybe, but with Bush coming out with public support for Israel, it might have given them just the balls they need for this sort of thing. Also, Sharon's recent loss on the pullout issue has left him needing to demonstrate his strength once again and what better way then killing the most visible leader of the opposition?

PrinceofLowLight · Post by **PrinceofLowLight** » 2004-05-04 09:12pm

What is this, the third time in three years or so? Why do I have the sudden morbid urge to create a drinking game based on Middle East headlines?

Xenophobe3691 · Post by **Xenophobe3691** » 2004-05-04 09:23pm

The Kernel wrote: Maybe, but with Bush coming out with public support for Israel, it might have given them just the balls they need for this sort of thing. Also, Sharon's recent loss on the pullout issue has left him needing to demonstrate his strength once again and what better way then killing the most visible leader of the opposition?

He won't do it. He'll shell the compound, maybe, starve him for a week, but he won't have Arafat killed. The Israeli electorate would flay him alive, if not at the moment he died, then a month afterwards when a tidal wave of terrorist attacks engulfs the poor nation...

tharkûn · Post by **tharkûn** » 2004-05-06 10:42pm

Meh if Israel meant to do anything the first warning would be the news update the begins reading, "Today Yassir Arafat was killed by: [pick one of the following]: an Israeli Sniper, an Israeli airstrike, or an unidentified bomb/poison/assassin thought to be the work of the Mossad."

He won't do it. He'll shell the compound, maybe, starve him for a week, but he won't have Arafat killed. The Israeli electorate would flay him alive, if not at the moment he died, then a month afterwards when a tidal wave of terrorist attacks engulfs the poor nation...

You know for all the talk of retalitory attacks, precious few (thankfully) of them seem to be occurring for offing Hamas leaders. If Arafat dies I find it hard to beleive that the number of attacks will increase by more than order of magnitude; and even that may be palatable to the Israeli electorate.

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » 2004-05-06 11:14pm

tharkûn wrote: You know for all the talk of retalitory attacks, precious few (thankfully) of them seem to be occurring for offing Hamas leaders. If Arafat dies I find it hard to beleive that the number of attacks will increase by more than order of magnitude; and even that may be palatable to the Israeli electorate.

The Israeli's may have crippled Hamas to the point were their unable to retaliate. It stands to reason that eventually people are going to stop stepping up to be leaders of Hamas if they have high death rate. It may also be that they have no one competent left to lead them. I believe that someone stated on another thread that their bomb making skills have decleined because of all the assassinations.

Ace Pace · Post by **Ace Pace** » 2004-05-07 06:26am

If Sharon kills Arafat, the right-wingers will hail him as a Hero, then dump him when the suicide bombings come in again, and cry again to kill at the PA leadership.

The left-wingers will wait, throw some rethoric, then when the bombs come in, say "we told you".

Meanwhile, the normal people here will stay home, won't spend their money, and the economy will dive back into the shitter, again.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2004-05-07 06:40am

If they turn Arafat into a grease stain on the pavement, I won't shed a tear.

"He's a martyr now!"

I don't give a shit. He's a dead martyr, and they don't often do much in this world. It'd make my day if Sharon was kicked out just after doing this too. The two clowns of the Middle-east out in one day, maybe people that have some rational thought will fill the power vacuum, but then that's perhaps too much to ask.

Sharp-kun · Post by **Sharp-kun** » 2004-05-07 07:44am

Xenophobe3691 wrote:he Israeli electorate would flay him alive, if not at the moment he died, then a month afterwards when a tidal wave of terrorist attacks engulfs the poor nation...

Haven't a tidal wave of attacks been predicted after each assasination?

I wish they'd just kill him and get it over with. Then theres just Sharon to get rid of.

jegs2 · Post by **jegs2** » 2004-05-07 09:10am

Joe wrote:Uh-oh.

Deja Vu

A Big Flying Fish · Post by **A Big Flying Fish** » 2004-05-07 09:26am

Admiral Valdemar wrote:The two clowns of the Middle-east out in one day, maybe people that have some rational thought will fill the power vacuum, but then that's perhaps too much to ask.

This is the Middle East, asking anything more than "Please don't destroy each other completely" is proberbly too much.

It's proberbly another case of tit-for-tat crap all over again. Within a few days they'll be another suicide bomb detonated in Israel, they'll be another military intervention into one part of Palestine, everyone will condemn one side or the other, and yet again someone will come up with a peace plan, one side will ignore it, blah blah blah.

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Arafat HQ surrounded by Israeli troops

Arafat HQ surrounded by Israeli troops

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