Arafat's legacy should rest on his record, not his myth

In eulogizing Yasser Arafat (Op-Ed, “The Day After Arafat,” Nov. 12), Mohammed J. Herzallah mischaracterizes American and Israeli contempt. As Bill Clinton can attest, Americans willingly forgive charismatic liars; and insincerity has long been a staple of every political process. The hatred towards Arafat can only be understood in the context of why he has “broken many hearts;” in this case a broken heart is not metaphorical, but the direct result of the armaments Arafat used to slaughter woman, children, and other innocents. Arafat deserves to be judged by the world on his record, not the mythical status he gained in the eyes of anti-imperialists worldwide and his own Palestinian people who choose to ignore the estimated $1 billion he siphoned off for his own political and personal ambitions.

AVI KAUFMAN ’06-’07

Nov. 12, 2004