One can never really know how much pre-knowledge he has of any specific bombing (my guess is not that often when it is Hamas or Islamic Jihad....and who knows when it is Tanzin or something).
The logical presumption is that Arafat's ability (and perhaps willingness) to prevent suicide bombings and such has much to do with the specific Israeli/Palestinian political situation at the moment. His power is anything but absolute, and is based on power coalitions with the various factions. He HAS to be able to show some tactical benefit to holding back on attacks inside the Green Line...when he can't show any reason for holding back militant attacks, if he would try to use his power base then to imprison PFLP, Hamas, etc., he puts himself in a very precarious position, being seen as a proxy police force for the Israelis (which is much the case for his Oslo role anyway). This happened recently when he imprisoned PFLP members who were supposedly tied to the Gandhi (Ze'evi) assasination. Further, one has to take into consideration that Arafat has a reluctance to jail militants when Israel demands it, for the simple fact that Israel has then bombed the jail (as in the case of Abu Hunud) where they know the militants are held like sitting ducks. Also, one can't deny the likelihood that he may on occassion have direct foreknowledge of an attack and do nothing about it...But actually actively planning an attack?...probably not...after all, why should he need to when there are a multitude of different individuals and organizations more than willing to do attacks on their own initiative.
But these are all just thoughts off the top of my head at the moment.
Who really knows.
Bryan
----- Original Message ----- From: "Max Sawicky" <sawicky at bellatlantic.net> To: <lbo-talk at lists.panix.com> Sent: Monday, April 01, 2002 6:03 PM Subject: Question for anyone in the ME
> Bryan et al.,
>
> Exactly how implicated in the suicide bombings is Arafat
> and the PA leadership? What is the nature of his
> responsibility?
>
> Short of organizing and ordering them, can he reasonably
> be accused of a) expressing support for deeds (i.e., he
> was quoted here as aspiring to be a martyr 'like Netanya';
> I have no idea if this is true; b) failing to use what power he
> has to roll up these groups, c) being a resource for groups
> he does not fully control; etc.?
>
> mbs
>
>