Inability to master the obvious

November 7th, Friedman told us: "after the collapse of the Camp David talks, that no deal was possible with Arafat" and "he never had the courage to tell them the truth: 'Palestine will have to be divided with the Jews forever.'"

November 14th, Friedman tells us "Arafat preferred to die ... rather than sacrifice his popularity...." Then Friedman continues his babbling about a "psychological breakthrough with the Arab world."

In more than one editorial, we've read 'Sniff Friedman analyzing "hot, sweaty, humiliated, grenade tossing" Iraqis, but Friedman has never asked his Saddam question about Arafat. On November 11th, Friedman asks (once again): "Is Iraq [Palestine] the way Iraq [Palestine] is because Saddam [Arafat] was the way Saddam [Arafat] was, or was Saddam [Arafat] the way Saddam [Arafat] was because Iraqis [Palestinians] are the way they are?"

'Sniff talks about the "the truth" the Palestinians need to hear, but that "truth" has existed only as long as the modern State of Israel. How many wars have Muslims fought to end the "the truth" that Friedman believes must last "forever"?

In 2000, Arafat walked away from Camp David, the al-Aqsa intifada began, because Arafat and his followers never accepted Friedman's everlasting "truth."

On January 2, 2001, Dennis Ross, sat with President Clinton and Chairman Arafat, told us Arafat "was never serious about making a peace deal at Camp David."

It defies common sense to believe, as 'Sniff Friedman and so many others do, that Palestinians, who send their children out to blow themselves and others up, will accept the notion of the State of Israel, even if they sign a piece of paper affirming their belief in the concept.