Text | Geo-historical Archives
Editor | Geo-historical Archives
Statement: This is my opinion, and I will attract the attention of the situation. We sincerely invite you to click "Follow" to facilitate future communication. The views in the article are only one person's opinion, and I especially look forward to hearing your different opinions and even oppositions. The truth becomes clearer the more you argue. Thank you for your advice!
To be honest, Palestinians have lived too hard in the past few decades, and they are so hard that they can't stand it. The family was destroyed, the people were displaced, and the sound of gunfire continued, peace became a luxury.
Every time I see the ruins of Gaza and the crying of children in the news, I feel so upset. But if you really trace the root of the problem, you will find that this suffering was actually a chance to avoid it sixty years ago.
At that time, China saw it very clearly and explained it very clearly, but unfortunately some people couldn't listen. Yes, it's about Arafat. If he hadn't been determined to do so, the fate of Palestine might have changed.
But what was wrong? What did he missed? Today we will open up this dusty history and take a look.
Arafat is not an ordinary person. He is a "warrior" in the hearts of the Palestinian people and a symbol of fighting against Israel. Since his student days, he has shown a different desire for leadership than ordinary people.
After graduating from Cairo University, he did not go to repair bridges and pave the road with a shovel, but picked up his gun and stood at the forefront of the struggle.
In 1948, when the First Middle East War broke out, he was still a young boy and rushed into the front line of Gaza with a gun. At that time, he had only one goal in his eyes: to drive Israel out and bring Palestine back. That ruthlessness later became his lifelong belief.
He is an idealist, but also a stubborn person. He believed in force and felt that the country was out of the barrel of a gun. He doesn't believe in compromise, does not believe in negotiations, and even his closest Arab allies. This "faith" later led him and the entire Palestine step by step into the abyss.
In March 1964, Arafat brought Fatah's men to Beijing. He was in his thirties that year and was full of energy. He wanted to learn some experience from China and also wanted to see if there was any room for cooperation.
What he didn't know was that China had long seen through the situation in front of him. Premier Zhou Enlai met him without bending around the bush and gave him three suggestions:
First, take advantage of the current international community's sympathy for Palestine, quickly establish a regime and strive for legal status.
Second, don't do attacks and hijacking at any time, which will ruin the image of Palestine.
Third, stabilize the support of Arab countries and don't do anything to split allies.
To put it bluntly, these three points are "stable, accurate and ruthless" - stabilize the situation, accurately determine the direction, and strictly implement the founding of the country. This is a lesson learned from China's decades of revolutionary experience. But did Arafat listen? No.
He nodded and thanked, turned around and went back, still engaged in arming, attacking, and even offended his allies. He felt that the world could hear the Palestine voice after the gunshots. But he forgot that the world will stay away from you because of gunfire.
The international environment at that time was actually very beneficial to Palestine. Israel has just established its country and has not yet established a foothold. In 1967, the Third Middle East War broke out, and although Israel won, it also made many countries worried about its expansion.
Western media began to turn, and many countries expressed sympathy for Palestine. If Arafat listened to China's suggestions at this time, even if he only announced the founding of the country and fought for seats in the United Nations, the result would be very different. But he didn't do that.
He instead launched his first armed attack in January 1965. The target is not a military base, but an Israeli water pump station. The attack did not win, and it was the first stroke of the Palestinian label of "terrorism".
Once this label is posted, it will not be able to be removed for decades. In 1988, he finally announced the founding of the country, but the location was in Algiers. But by then, Israel's settlement had expanded to Palestinian land, and the West Bank was like a piece of paper, and Gaza was surrounded and was blocked.
He missed the best window. By the day the founding of the People's Republic of China was announced, the world was no longer enthusiastic. Only 13 countries recognized it as soon as possible. It was not until 2012 that the United Nations gave it the identity of "observer state". To this day, even formal member states cannot enter.
In addition to missing the opportunity to establish a country, Arafat also had a fatal mistake - betraying his allies.
In 1970, Fatah established a "independence kingdom" in Jordan, and even tried to overthrow King Hussein. What is this not rebellion? The result is "Black September". The Jordanian army took action directly, and the PLO was forced to evacuate.
They later ran to Lebanon, where they were involved in the civil war again. This time it was even worse, and Israel sent troops directly. In 1982, Beirut was surrounded and Arafat fled to Tunisia in a dilemma.
The Arab world watched him make trouble again and again, and gradually stopped talking. Egypt took the lead in reconciliation with Israel, and Jordan followed suit. Palestine has become an "national island" that no one wants to take care of. China has long reminded him not to betray his faith. He didn't listen.
Arafat's other mistake is to go too far. He is not just fighting, he is engaged in hijacking, explosions, and assassination. In 1972, at the Munich Olympics, eight Israeli athletes were killed, which shocked the whole world. Although Fatah did not directly admit it, everyone knows that this has nothing to do with Pakatan Harapan.
World public opinion turned instantly. The countries that originally supported Palestine began to hesitate and began to stay away. Arafat was labeled as a "terrorist leader". He wanted to fight for freedom through fear, but the result was that people didn't even want to hear the word "freedom".
In the 1980s, China once again advised him to change his political route. Then he slowly let go and began to try negotiations. But at this time, it was too late.
Arafat died in France in 2004. The news came, many people were sad and many people missed it. But calm down and think about it, what exactly did he leave?
What is left is a "country" that is divided. Fatah and Hamas fought each other, and in 2007 Hamas controlled Gaza and completely divided. What is left is a diplomatic island. The United States voted to reject it, and Palestine was not even a formal member of the United Nations.
What is left is a conflict after a while. In the 2024 Rafah crisis, women and children became the biggest victims. The United Nations food trucks are blocked from the border, and people in Gaza survive by drinking dirty water.
Looking back, China's suggestions have never changed. This is what I said in 1964, but today is still: the founding of the country is the first, and peace is the priority. China supports the "two-state solution" and advocates solving problems through dialogue.
China is not on Israel or Hamas' side, but on justice, fairness and peace. Arafat didn't listen, but this does not mean that the next generation of Palestine cannot listen.
History is memorable. It will not forgive your mistakes just because you are a hero, nor will it ignore your mistakes in judgment just because you sacrifice too much.
Arafat is a respectable man, but he did go the wrong way. His fault is to reject peace, to believe that violence can solve everything, and to underestimate the world's judgment.
Chinese people often say that opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared. But opportunities will also go away. The Palestine problem is far from being resolved. But hope is still there.
As long as someone is willing to let go of his hatred, go to the negotiating table, listen to friends' advice, and be willing to establish a country first, then negotiate, stabilize the situation, and no longer go to extremes.
