Your Reactions: Yasser Arafat
Nov. 11, 2004 — -- Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has died in a Paris hospital at age 75, suffering multiple organ failure. Here is a collection of reader reactions taken from the ABCNews.com message board.
caedwallagwynedd: Supporters of the Palestinian cause should think of his death not as a tragedy, but rather as an opportunity to finally make progress towards their goal.
GinnySmiths: I, for one, believe that Arafat will be remembered as a hero. He did everything he could to secure land for his people. He was awarded a Nobel Peace prize for his work towards peace, as was Yitzak Rabin … Without the presence of Arafat, the Palestinian people would have been wiped out by Israel long ago. He gave hope to his people who have been displaced from their homes, murdered and brutalized, have had their own land occupied, houses and schools destroyed.
pressingon77: He was a terrorist. He did not pursue peace, he was not a statesman. Why speak good of him just because he died today? I am actually relieved that he is gone. Now we can get down to business.
maurs: Arafat was not always the best leader -- find me one in the world who is -- but he tried to keep a people together who had been displaced at no fault of their own. Their land was taken over by outsiders. The world has forgotten why this struggle began and they'll never understand why it can't end unless and until the Palestinian people are truly free.
kvnieda1: This man was not a stateman, he was terrorist. To think that the world awarded this man with the Nobel Peace Prize. I think the qualifications for such a distinction should be raised to slightly about that of a terrorist. May God have mercy on his soul.
oldpolitico: Arafat did not build a future for anyone. The cause might have been noble decades ago, but that is precisely my point. After 55 years, it's over. His legacy is that of failure, complete failure. Nothing for his followers but violence and death.
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