International
Israel warned of 'chaos' after Arafat
By Hasan Suroor
LONDON, DEC 5. As the debate over the future of Palestine intensified, experts today warned of ``chaos'' if Mr. Yasser Araft was toppled, arguing that for all his failings he remained the ``only game in town'', and the most credible interlocutor for his people . The Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, was reported to be ``strongly opposed'' to destabilising the Palestinian leader.
Even pro-Israel hardliners, who hold Mr. Arafat personally responsible for the wave of Palestinian violence, cautioned the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Ariel Sharon, against taking the extreme step of ``eliminating'' him pointing out that the alternative to him could be worse as it might bring in the extremist leadership to the fore. The Israeli Foreign Minister, Mr. Sharon Peres's remarks against any attempt to destabilise Mr. Arafat were approvingly quoted to underline the danger of removing the most public face of Palestinian moderation.
``Get rid of Mr. Arafat and you will be dealing with the leaders of Islamic militant suicide bombers whose popularity has soared during the intifada,'' said the right-wing Daily Telegraph paraphrasing Mr. Peres. It said ``chaos`` was the ``usual answer'' in Israel to the question as to what might follow Mr. Arafat's exit from the scene.
The Times, which has been extremely critical of Mr. Arafat, was at pains today to urge Mr. Sharon to exercise restraint in targeting him personally. ``The death of Mr. Arafat would not of itself resolve Israel's security dilemma and it would, understandably, be the cause of enormous trouble,'' it warned editorially even as it welcomed the ``political emasculation'' of Mr. Arafat following Israeli retaliation which, it said, had ``stranded'' him both politically and physically .
The Guardian feared a dangerous political vacuum if Mr. Arafat was removed. The vacuum, according to its West Asia commentator, Mr. Jonathan Freedland, would be ``filled either by chaos and irony or the rising force in Palestinian politics, the extremists of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.'' ``Both would be much less amenable than Mr. Arafat. While he remains a secular politician committed to a two-state solution that places the future Palestine alongside Israel, the Islamists want the total destruction of the Jewish state,'' he said.
Observers pointed out that while Israel might regard Mr. Arafat a part of the ``problem'', he was also the only visible part of the ``solution''. There was no other figure of his stature and despite his perceived lack of control over the increasingly fractious Palestinian Authority, he was the only restraining influence. ``If he wants, he has enough authority to rein in the hotheads, and it is more important to force him to make sure that he does it rather than force him out of the loop and create a vacuum in which competing extremism is likely to flourish,'' said one analyst.
There was widespread acceptance of the official British view that it would be a mistake to write off Mr. Arafat who remained the best bet for a way forward in the region. A report said Mr. Blair saw ``no alternative'' to dealing with Mr. Arafat. It was clear, observers said, that the ``Arafat era'' was far from over though he would emerge from the latest conflict considerably weakened and ``bruised''.
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