Wednesday, March 10, 2004
No tears over this one. I'll give CNN half credit (actually, the AP, from when the report comes) - they actually refer to Leon Klinghoffer as a "Jewish American" - most news reports I read tended to leave the "Jewish" part out, IIRC - but I wonder if they could do any more to make Abbas sound like a de-fanged pussy-cat. Wouldn't want anyone to think that Saddam had any doings with actual terrorists, after all.
CNN.com - Hijacker of Achille Lauro dead - Mar 9, 2004
The ship, the Achille Lauro, was commandeered by Abbas' small Palestine Liberation Front. Palestinian militants threw an elderly wheelchair-bound Jewish American tourist, Leon Klinghoffer, overboard.
Abbas was captured in Iraq in April by U.S. forces. Late Tuesday, officials in Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's office, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Abbas had died Monday in U.S. custody.
In Washington, a U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Abu Abbas died recently of natural causes while in U.S. custody in Iraq. The official said his health had been deteriorating. He was believed to be in U.S. military custody...
I'll take the perspective of Klinghoffer's daughters over the AP's:
"Abu Abbas was a vicious terrorist who was responsible for countless deaths of innocent people -- men, women and children-throughout the Middle East. Justice for us would have been justice for untold thousands of widows and orphans his reign of terror left behind.
"His trial and conviction also would have sent a clear message to terrorists everywhere that, if they kill an American citizen, they can run but they can't hide.
"We will continue to actively work on issues relating to terrorism and to making our world a safer place. We will continue to stand as living reminders of the real human tragedy that is wrought by terrorism."
