Peace at hand in the Middle East?

Yasser Arafat is dead. Is a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian people now at hand? Not likely. The sides have been at war for centuries in a religious struggle, and while Arafat may have been a huge impediment to reaching an agreement, the larger obstacle is the culture into which all sides have been born, one of distrust and fear. That attitude has been cultivated by leaders over the years, particularly Arafat in his forty-year rule, to continue to incite divisiveness, violence, and terror. Mourn for Arafat? Mourn for a life that was spent sowing hatred.

President Bush's statement notably does not gush about Arafat's life. The first two sentences contain the entirety of the remarks about him: "The death of Yasser Arafat is a significant moment in Palestinian history. We express our condolences to the Palestinian people." No mourning of Arafat, but the statement does go on to express optimism about the future and possible peace in the region. Considering the life Arafat lived, primarily as a purveyor of terror, the statement is appropriate.