CAIRO, Egypt - Thousands of Egyptian soldiers dressed in black lined the streets of downtown Cairo Thursday morning. A shiver went down my spine as I realized Yasser Arafat died. Sitting in the back of a taxi, I wondered if I should speak to the driver, aware my American nationality could lead to a precarious situation. The driver pointed to the chaos on the street and said "President Mubarak will come." He was referring to the president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, and the entourage of Arab leaders who were meeting in Cairo to mourn the death of Arafat, the Palestinian leader who led the Palestinian Liberation Organization for almost half a century.
Living in Egypt, world affairs have a new meaning as I no longer just watch things happen on television but actually feel the effects. Sitting in the lobby of my dorm in Cairo, I was moved. I was surrounded by Egyptians and Palestinians who were glued to the television as they watched the casket of Arafat move through the streets of Ramalah, some sobbing softly, others whispering to their friends. I realized I had no concept of the life Arafat led or cause he represented. After several conversations with Palestinians and Egyptians, this limited knowledge grew as I was able to view the situation through their eyes.
"I think the death of Arafat is a huge loss for the Palestinian people, because he represented the Palestinian struggle and was the only president who suffered as much as his people," said Aharazad Elfar, a 19-year-old Palestinian.
Elfar's and her friend Dalia Othman, also a Palestinian, leaned against the wall with the black-and-white kaffiyeh draped across their shoulders. Normally, I felt comfortable talking with these girls; however, at this moment, our differences were obvious. How could I connect with them and their feeling of loss?
"Both Israel and the U.S. used Arafat as an excuse not to end the Intifada and change policies because they said he was a Palestinian terrorist. With him gone, they have no excuse," Othman said. Both of her parents were in Ramallah for Arafat's funeral and had been with Arafat in Beirut and Tunis.
The mood in the lobby was depressing and I left to talk with an Egyptian friend who works in the dorms. Ra'afat Shaheen is a towering guy with a huge smile and equally big heart. He sensed my unease and tried to explain what Arafat's death meant to the Arab people.
"There is a saying, 'The wind can't shake a mountain,'" Shaheen said. "Arafat was our mountain. We lost his existence but, as a symbol, he is still here."
Shaheen did not think Arafat was a terrorist but was forced to take drastic measures because the Palestinian people had no other choices. He turned the question on me and asked how I would react if someone took away all of my rights. Would I fight back?
Not prepared to answer Shaheen's question, I went back to the lobby and sat down beside Aboud Khalili. He told me about growing up in Ramallah. His family's house was on the same street as Arafat's and he remembered when the Israelis surrounded Arafat's compound in 2003.
"For us, there is no clear future after Arafat's death," Khalili said. "There is no leader who has as much experience or charisma to lead the Palestinian people."
Khalili did not hold Arafat responsible for the absence of a Palestinian conflict.
"The problem was not a Palestinian state but the unequal characteristics of the state," he said.
After talking with these people, I was left with many questions. Though Arafat was the leader of the Palestinian people and a respected figure to many, he was also responsible for countless deaths and, in the opinions of many, one of the main reasons the Palestinians are in the quagmire they face today. Who will lead the Palestinian people in the future? How will the dynamics of this leadership change in order to ensure the prosperity of the Palestinians? With Arafat gone, will the United States and Israel change their policies?
Though I have many questions regarding the Palestinians and Israel issue and few answers, one thing is clear. After living in Egypt for the past three months, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the backbone of people in the Arab world.
Regardless of your opinion of Arafat, it is imperative that we understand the current situation in the Middle East. It will not improve until we reconcile the question of Palestine and address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The most startling question I faced while studying in the Middle East has been, "Why does America not help us? Tell me what America thinks of Palestinians." The same question plagues me now: What do Americans think of Palestine without Arafat? And what does that answer say about the future of the Israeli and Palestinian conflict?
This is one in a series of columns written by SIS junior Rebecca Byerly as she studies at the American University in Cairo, Egypt.
