Australian PM praised for Arafat comment

The Wall Street Journal Europe in Brussells praises John Howard for not singing in tune with the arafatuous chorus

ONE of the few exceptions to the words of adulation occasioned by Yasser Arafat's death and funeral last week came from the Asia-Pacific. It was yet one more example of how lucky the region is to include Australia, where hypocrisy has never been a virtue, even among the political class.

Indeed, Prime Minister John Howard's words posed a stark contrast to other official statements from Asia and the world.

"I think history will judge him very harshly for not having seized the opportunity ... to embrace the offer that was very courageously made by the then Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak," Howard said of Arafat.

These sentiments veer sharply from Chinese President Hu Jintao's assessment of Arafat as an "outstanding leader of the Palestinian cause", and official statements from Malaysia and Indonesia hailing Arafat as a "great leader" and "hero to us all", respectively. Such eulogising blends well against the backdrop of the UN's flags flying half-mast Thursday as a tribute, despite the fact that Palestine has only observer status at the UN.

Lionising a leader who espoused violence does the Middle East a great disservice. If only more Asian regional leaders could have grasped this in the way of some of their more forthright counterparts Down Under.

The Australian 17-November

The Australian 17-November (Print friendly version)