By Michelle Jamrisko Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
The varying rumors surrounding Yasser Arafat's health were extinguished yesterday with the announcement of the Palestinian leader's early Thursday morning death. The news seemed to spread slowly around Grounds, as several students were unaware of the details of the leader's life and death as of yesterday afternoon.
"I would say that people are pretty ignorant about it," fourth-year College student Ashley Reedinger said.
Reedinger added that while "political majors and people in R.O.T.C. have a personal investment in knowing," University students and Americans in general are fairly uninformed of Middle East issues.
First-year College student and former Palestine resident Khalid Abul-Hawa offered a unique perspective on the American response to Arafat's death.
"What I heard a lot [on the American news networks] was that Arafat was a terrorist ... but he really worked toward peace," Abul-Hawa said.
Abul-Hawa argued that while Arafat led a group called Fatah, which armed Palestinians in the 1950s to fight for liberation, his policy as Palestinian Liberation Organization President was peaceful and cooperative. Abul-Hawa said that several people labeled Arafat a terrorist because of the hijackings that took place under his rule, but that this judgment is analogous to blaming President Clinton for the Oklahoma City bombings.
"He's been one of the bigger proponents for peace," Abul-Hawa said.
The world leader's death has prompted some to predict that there will be changes in United States foreign policy, as the U.S. had not had stable relations with Arafat. But Prof. David Waldner, director of the University's Middle East Studies program, disagreed with this hypothesis.
"I remain unconvinced that this will work as a major transition point in the U.S. policy toward the Middle East peace process," Waldner said.
Waldner added that Arafat's perceived extreme beliefs were "not single-handedly blocking" the negotiations for peace, and that it is unreasonable to state with any certainty that a moderate candidate will replace Arafat and win peace.
Arafat had not hand-picked a successor at the time of his death, and Abul-Hawa explained that the Palestinian Constitution allows the head of the Parliament to serve as interim president for a maximum of 60 days following the death of the president. Second-year College student Maha Kausar said she believes that the process to elect a successor will not be a violent one.
"They've divided up [the power]," she said. "It seems to be going smoothly enough. I'm not anticipating a power struggle."
Abul-Hawa said that though Arafat's extreme policies on issues such as the recognition of Israel may have divided Palestinians, he was a respectable leader.
"He's always been [both] supported and opposed," Abul-Hawa said. "But he always stood with his people."
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