Gary Fitleberg, November 23, 2004

A French Jewish official slammed French officials for honoring Yasser Arafat.

In a letter Thursday to French President Jacques Chirac, Roger Cukierman, president of the CRIF umbrella organization of French Jews, said he felt "very uneasy at the excessive homages given to Yasser Arafat, who chose the weapon of terrorism right up to his dying day and was responsible for the deaths of many civilians, including a number of French citizens."

Cukierman also demanded that "we cease hiding the causes of Arafat’s death" because official silence over the issue "favors fantasies which can lead to trouble." Some Arab "Palestinian" officials have implied that Israel poisoned Arafat, though French officials and even some Arab "Palestinian" officials have dismissed this as baseless.

Gary Fitleberg is a Political Analyst specializing in International Relations with emphasis on Middle East affairs.

Copyright © 2004 Gary Fitleberg