Tuesday, April 30, 2002 | 8:52 a.m.
Over the weekend the Israeli Cabinet, at the U.S. government's prodding, agreed to let Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat leave his headquarters in the West Bank town of Ramallah. Previously Israel had refused to let him out during its military offensive against Palestinian terrorists in the West Bank. Arafat had claimed that his confinement meant that he couldn't contain Palestinian violence, a ridiculous claim because it was Arafat who not only had given the green light to the past 18 months of Palestinian violence but who also has done nothing to stop it since.
The only question now is whether Arab states and European nations, which had expressed outrage over Arafat's detention, will come forward with the same level of condemnation of Arafat when, after he leaves Ramallah, the inevitable terrorist attacks will occur. Maybe Arafat will undergo a miraculous conversion, but it is impossible to be optimistic about him being the champion of peace in light of his long string of broken promises to end Palestinian terrorism.
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