Abu Mazen in Munich

Contributing editor Michael Young explores allegations that Palestinian Prime Minister Abu Mazen financed the 1972 Munich Olympic takeover. He also ponders whether, if true, such allegations will make much difference. "Palestinian-Israeli peace was always going to be built on short memories all around," he writes in Slate. "Still, it does show what a preposterous game the issue of Palestinian representation has become, with some officials issued a more wholesome past to make them palatable to non-Palestinians, while others, like Arafat, stay tainted."

Comments

[Vaughn]

What happened in Munich sucked and it would be great if all wrongs were to be righted. But the practicality of the situation is that virtually no one in power in the Palestinian camp or much of the Israeli camp is clean. In order to stop the ongoing bloodshed, old bloody hands will have to be overlooked. It sucks, but waiting for the pure and innocent to float to positions of power is useless and will get more killed in the long run.

[Hil.]

Arafat being regarded as "tainted" while Abbas is viewed favorably has less to do with past terrorist activity than present desire to engage with the peace process. I think Arafat's made it pretty clear that he's unintersted in a Palestinian state alongside Israel, and negotiations with him are thus not productive. Abbas, regardless of his shady past, seems to be working in good faith toward a Palestine in Gaza and the West Bank.

[joe]

I wouldn't let Mazen or Sharon eat at my dinner table. So what?

[Douglas Fletcher]

Is there a genuine power struggle going on between Marzen and Arafat? And if so, who will win? I think that those are the two most important questions in this whole peace process. If Arafat retains power, there will be no peace.

[M. Simon]

Abu M. is Arafat's creature. Says so himself.

They are playing hard cop, soft cop.

When the hudna ends in about two months the war will be on with more violence than ever.

[Nicholas Weininger]

So, are you now going to link to an article about how Sharon might be a less trustworthy negotiator because of Sabra and Shatila?

Both sides in this mess have a long record of picking terrorist murderers for leaders. As the previous poster says, if anybody is going to make a peace stick in the foreseeable future, it ain't gonna be a pair of angels.

[J Canuck]

Didn't the Mossad spend several years tracking down and killing those responsible for Munich? Or was that just the actual operatives/terrorists involved in the takeover?

[Bivins Jason]

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DATE: 12/10/2003 10:49:16
Morality by consensus is frequently morality by convenience.

[Maroney Terry]

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DATE: 12/21/2003 01:30:55
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[Santiman Linda Diane]

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