Yasir Arafat: A Political Biography

I suppose I can be forgiven for being just a bit skeptical of a book about a radical Arab written by a couple American Jews. Could it ever have any claim to objectivity? Maybe in an American bookstore, I would have been inclined to pass it up. But I live in Beijing, China, where such books don't grow on trees. A Chinese friend put the book in my hands. I have been a bit puzzled and curious about the way Arafat is viewed as a revolutionary hero in China, yet China strives to maintain good relations with Israel, a nation whose very existence Arafat never accepted. So I read the book. Actually, I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not saying that the book is totally objective in every respect. But it is a very well-written discussion of the relationship problems Arafat had, both with Israel, and with the leaders of the Arab nations, who were supposed to be his supporters. Bottom line: Arafat didn't get along with anyone. In one sense, Arafat made this book for the writers, because he was so consistent in his complete inability to come to some kind of workable agreement with Israel. His whole life and work epitomized Abba Eban's statement about the Palestinians, who "never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity." Personally, I don't think the statement is entirely fair when applied to the Palestinians, but it certainly is an appropriate statement about Arafat, who never gave up fighting the nation with whom he, more than any Arab before him, had the opportunity to make peace. If the peacemakers are blessed, Arafat is among the most cursed of all men. So how did such an ornery cuss gain such prominence? Part of his success is certainly due to his knack for self-promotion, and the brazenness of his contempt for Israel. But I must also admit that I fear much of his prominence came from the lack of regard for the plight of the Palestinians by Israel. Sarah didn't want Ishmael in her house, so the bondwoman had to leave. Israel seems to have the same feeling about the Palestinians. They shouldn't be part of the family. Israelis often protest when I talk about this, because (and they are right about this) Palestinians living in Israel have the same rights as Jews. The problem, though, is that many of the Palestinians do not live in Israel proper, and thus are not entitled to those rights. And the Israelis certainly have not invited them all in. That, really, is the point. I don't want to get carried away on that point, but it has to be mentioned in order to keep this in perspective. What I mean is that we should not blame Arafat for all the problems between the Palestinians and the Jews. He did not create the situation he so hopelessly mismanaged. Arafat's problem is that he just could not bring himself to accept any arrangement that allowed Israel to exist. This is a good book. It is very negative, but I don't think unfairly so. I am assuming that this book is not your only source of information on the whole Israeli--

Yasser Arafat's centrality to the Middle East equation is hard to deny. An impressive survivor, he continues to command considerable power and clout despite the countless times his adversaries have declared him irrelevant. With this in mind, Rubin and Rubin have done students of the Middle East a great service with this able biography, by far the most complete of the five so far published. The authors track Arafat from his student days in Egypt, through his transition from one of the founders of modern terrorism to a leader commanding considerable respect on the world stage. The authors offer considerable analysis of his most fateful and often disastrous decisions, from attempting to overthrow the king of Jordan that led to the so called Black September Massacre, to his decision to back Saddam Hussein in the first gulf war. Through all of this a telling portrait of Arafat emerges, though not one that his acolytes would necessarily appreciate.Arafat's ability to play world powers off each other, first the Soviets off the US and now the Europeans off the US, is justifiably legendary. The authors do an excellent job explaining how he does this, understanding the essential goals of each and inserting himself into their strategy. What emerges is a man whose greatest concern is not his people, but his role in history and that he should never be seen as "the traitor who made peace with the Jews." Indeed, he is quoted when he rejected the Camp David Accords that he did not want to be the man who was seen as accepting the Jewish States right to exist. The Rubin?s do not seek to turn Arafat into some sort of evil monster, but rather to put him in the context of his culture, his times, and his values. From this perspective, his motivations and actions become not only clear, but quite calculating and shrewd. The most interesting of the authors' conclusions is that through out his long career, Arafat may have changed tactics, but that his strategy and goals remain virtually unchanged. Going back to the early 70's Arafat freely spoke of the idea of establishing a presence on some portion of the land between the Mediterranean and the Jordan by any means and then using it as a base from which to attack, demoralize, and eventually destroy the Jewish State. Given recent events it seems the world would have done well to listen to what he had to say.

Like many well-meaning European leftists I grew through my political adolescence with an ill-informed but (or should that be "therefore"?) resolute conviction that, while respecting Israel's right to exist, etc., there had to be a Palestinian state before peace in the Middle East could be secured and, fiurthermore, that Yasir Arafat was the key to that solution. This book - along with other extensive reading - confirms that view for the well-meaning illusion it was (and remains, not least in the halls of the European Union and its member states). The book does not make Arafat out to be an evil ogre but a masterful and Macchiavellian schemer, managing to portray himself as a militant and martial Islamic leader to the Arab world but as a diplomatic yet frustrated nation-builder in the mould of Mandela to all-too-many "useful idiots" in the West. The Rubins convey - with convincing evidence, implacable logic and admirable constraint - the true extent to which Arafat and his authoritarian and anti-semitic clique (not Sharon or Israel or "US imperialism") remains the principal cause of the Palestinians' suffering and deprivation. Their insights into broader Middle East politics and the collective pathologies that pass for Arab nationalism also provide critical insights into the situation in Iraq. If you read only one book on the Middle East this year, this is the one.

This book enlightens readers on the history of Yassir Arafat and the terrorist institutions he has created and led. The reader is provided with the historic underpinnings with which to judge Arafat's inability to be an effective leader. The authors clearly chronicle how Arafat has dedicated the majority of his life eluding responsibility for terrorist activities through his duplicitous actions of calling for peace while promoting and provoking arms length terrorist organizations to kill Israelis and other Western nationals. The facts against Arafat speak for themselves. They explain why Israel cannot negotiate with Arafat and why no other Arab nation wants Arafat living in neighboring countries ? Arafat has proven to be a menace in any country in which he has lived. This book is a must read for anyone who wants to appreciate why the Palestinians require new leadership before peace can be achieved in the middle-east.

"A masterly study?.Many books have been published recently about Iranian politics; here is one at last that makes sense of the Shah's reign and Khomeini's revolution, and provides a full, objective assessment of the American role in both eras."--The New York Times Book Review"An extremely readable, up-to-date, comprehensive and balanced study which is also a unique combination of scholarship and reporting?.[Rubin] is able to unravel contemporary developments and reweave them in an often rich narrative style."--Washington Post Book World"Judicious and thoughtful?Rubin offers a prognosis for the future with the measured optimism of someone who has watched the conflict unfold from up close for some time." --Boston Book Review