Time for peace? Think again.

Canadian PM Paul Martin is sending Pierre Pettigrew to Arafat’s funeral to represent Canada.

I wish Canada would have the guts to boycott altogeher. But I suppose that’s unreasonable seeing as how the USA, the UK, the EU states, and just about everyone else is sending representation. Canada has never been willing to take a moral stand on anything else, so why would they now?

Martin is also calling for renewed peace efforts in the wake of Arafat’s death, perpetuating the myth that now that Arafat’s gone, the Palestinian people are suddenly ready to renounce terrorism and make peace:

“Chairman Arafat’s influence on regional and global events has been undeniable. While comprehensive peace between Israelis and Palestinians was never attained in his lifetime, chairman Arafat’s efforts, along with those of Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres, were recognized in 1994 with the Nobel Peace Prize.”

This day is turning into one long gagging opportunity. Even as Israel makes conciliatory statements, the Palestinians are already blaming Arafat’s death on Israel and calling for a renewed wave of attacks, in what is sure to be an emerging power struggle for the Palestinian leadership where the repulsive mark of victory is the number of dead Jews each group can claim credit for:

Hamas’ top political leader, Khaled Mashaal, told Al-Jazeera television by telephone Thursday, “I hold Israel responsible for the crime of killing Abu Ammar [Arafat].” He offered no evidence.

[ . . . ]

“Yes, death is an act of God and a man the age of brother Abu Ammar may die a natural death, but all the circumstances which we have seen in the past two weeks and medical reports indicate that brother Abu Ammar had been poisoned,” Mashaal said.

[ . . . ]

“The loss of the great leader will increase our determination and steadfastness to continue Jihad and resistance against the Zionist enemy until victory and liberation is achieved,” Hamas said in statement.

The world just doesn’t get it. Arafat led his people towards hatred. He was a terrorist. He invented much of modern terrorism and he offered it as the only path to his people. None of that will be undone overnight by his death. In fact, with Hamas or the Islamic Jihad standing to gain power from this “tranisition”, things may get a whole lot worse before they get better.