No words

A Palestinian boy takes part in a celebration after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's sudden collapse, in Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip January 5, 2006. (Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters)

A Palestinian boy distributes sweets to a Palestinian woman during a celebration in Rafah refugee camp in southern Gaza Strip, after the sudden collapse of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's health, January 5, 2006. Sharon clung to life on Thursday after a massive stroke that is likely to create a huge vacuum in Israeli politics and the Middle East peace process. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

Palestinian boy members of the Fatah party's Palestinian Mini Parliament hand sweets and flowers to a security officer after hearing news of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's deteriorating health condition, in the Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006.... AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

MORE - this time from Lebanon.

Palestinian school boys wave their school uniforms after they heard about the critical condition of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, at the Ein-el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, near the southern city of Sidon, Lebanon, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006.... AP Photo/ Mohammed Zaatari

Armed Palestinian militants from Al Aqsa Martyrs' brigades stand next to a car decorated with Palestinian flags after they heard about the critical condition of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, at the Ein-el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, near the southern city of Sidon, Lebanon, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006.... AP Photo/ Mohammed Zaatari)

An armed Palestinian militant of the Fatah faction, standing in front of a picture of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, watching the news on television about the critical condition of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, at the Ein-el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, near the southern city of Sidon, Lebanon, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006.... AP Photo / Mohammed Zaatari

Comments

[Yehudit]

The thing that gets me is that they are assuming that whoever comes after Sharon will act more in their interests. Sharon may be the best friend they are likely to have for a long time.

[Daniel in Brookline]

No, Yehudit. I doubt they are assuming anything. I also doubt that they are thinking in any rational sense of the word. They are kicking a man when he's down... a man, moreover, who gave them land to call their very own, something NO national leader has EVER done for them before. They are once more demonstrating that they are not yet ready to join the civilized community of nations. respectfully, Daniel in Brookline

[Ron]

How disgusting, and yet how typical. I'd love to see the top picture make it to CNN.

[Dukhiram]

With friends like this, who needs enemies? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/1779713.stm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabra_and_Shatila_massacre http://www.indictsharon.net/

[Citizen Grim]

What must it be like to live in such a society of hate? If one day they wake up and find the planet emptied of everyone but palestinians, no doubt they would turn their violence on each other.

[MamaGeph]

Yehudit, I don't believe they're thinking about Sharon's successor in any terms but who to try to assassinate next. They don't plan to work with any leader of Israel. Soulless bastards.

[John-Paul Pagano]

Why is this surprising? Why is this scandalous? The kids? OK, fine. But it's not like lots of us weren't celebrating when Terrorfat died. If I were an Arab, I'd hate Sharon in exactly the same way.

[Olliver Willis's stomach]

Hey, where's the candy?

[M. Morgan]

It's interesting that the signs are also in English. Who is their target audience? The US media of course but why? It seems that as of late, the Palestenians have sought to project a moderate image and the signs reading "Go to hell" do not help that image.

[Stuart Kaufman]

One of your e-mailers wrote: "If one day they wake up and find the planet emptied of everyone but palestinians, no doubt they would turn their violence on each other." They aren't waiting. They are slaughtering each other in Gaza at this moment. That is what they do best!

[HBendor]

Who are the 'MORONS' in the State Department who prodded Bush to pressure Israel to relinquish part of its Patrimony to create yet another Arab Country the 22nd now since 21 already exit and were created this past century for Arabs self-determination. Here is the thank you, see for yourself and tell me that Bush and Co are right.

[DWPittelli]

Olliver Willis, Correct me if I'm wrong (and I'm sure many on Israel's side did hate Arafat), but no, I don't believe there were widespread street parties celebrating Arafat's death.

[DWPittelli]

Oops. I misread the layout of the comments. They're not boxes, after all. I meant to address JP Pagano, I think, who wrote "it's not like lots of us weren't celebrating when Terrorfat died."

[John-Paul Pagano]

DWPitelli, I don't know if you're wrong or not, but I don't think it matters. The point is that many pro-Israel people, as well as some of us (like me), who saw Arafat's demise as an incalculable boon for both Israel and Palestine, felt happiness over his death. (I remember even seeking out some far-leftists and cackling at them; it was like a schadenfreude crack high.) Sure, I was plagued a little by guilt for feeling and behaving that way; I was hardly raised to rejoice in death. But does that grant me a pass, as opposed to some Palestinian baker in Gaza who celebrates Sharon's stroke by clapping and handing out sweets? I don't think so. That's the thinnest of moral distinctions.

[epaminondas]

Where's the surprise? Find an arab leader who rails against this STUPIDITY! The arabs have been for HUNDREDS of years now, the worst lead people on the planet. WHY?

[Chaim Ben-Mordecai]

If only Meir Kahane had been in charge..there would have been no Palestinians celebrating..no Palestinians...period

[Damien]

I am tired of right-wingers complaining about political correctness from the left, when we are not even allowed to sympathise with the Palestian people because of all this politically correct crap from the pro-Israel conservative camp! We are simply not permitted to criticise Israel's foreign policy and we are certainly not allowed to understand why disaffected Palestinians resort to hate and terrorism. I say this as somebody who has visited Auschwitz, has two very close Israeli friends, and holds a deep emotional connection with those who suffered in the Holocaust. The greatest lesson we should have learned from the evils of the Nazis is to love and accept every human being and never attempt to exclude or reject them. Judging by the language about Arabs, Palestinians and Arafat on this forum, it's obvious that most people here don't understand that and are just a bunch of stinking hypocrites though. If you want to criticise national policy or religious dogma then go ahead - Israel and Palestine are both very much worthy of a kick in the ass in those respects - but please don't attack the Palestinian *people* or the Israeli *people*. Those are children for God's sake... we should all be upset, bewildered and enraged that young, innocent souls are allowed to think in such a destructive way.

[Freedom Now]

There is no moral equivalence between the hate displayed by the Palestinians and that of the rightwing or Israelis. There were no celebrations in the streets when Arafat died. To claim moral equivalence is a denial of fact that the Palestinian people are mobilized in a organized campaign of bigotry. This is evident from recent history and from the pictures of school kids, militants, security officers and the aged that appear in this post. Even when Hussein's regime fell there were no celebrations in the streets of the USA. The Palestinians are hopelessly lost in the moral decay of organized bigotry, as is much of the Islamic world. Hence, the power that terrorists have been able to yield for far too long.

[PyroPower]

Every nation has its leader. Sharon is/was the Israeli leader. If I remember correctly he was the premier war-like figure in recent Israeli history. It was Sharon who captured Gaza many years ago; and it was Sharon who gave it back. To anyone else that may have seemed like a foolish move. It was a gesture of goodwill. Otherwise, it makes no sense. Why would he do that? He wanted to make it easier for both parties to live. I think he is able to see some sort of peaceful relationship. So, I don't see why anyone would celebrate the falling of such a man. A man/leader who is willing to put aside his pride in order to allow a simbiotic relationship deserves the highest respect from both parties.

[Seeyou full download]

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