Walter Reich, director of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, was doubly abused when he was fired last week for having opposed a visit to the museum by Yasser Arafat. First, he was right in trying to block the Clinton administration's cynical effort to get Arafat to tour the museum, ostensibly to learn for the first time the horrors inflicted upon the Jewish people. And second, Reich was proven to be right in suspecting that Arafat wanted only to exploit a Holocaust-museum visit as a photo opportunity in his war against Israel.
Blame Dennis Ross and Aaron Miller, resident Mideast gurus at the State Department and museum board members, for the idea of an Arafat tour.
They are intelligent guys who had to know the chance a visit would warm Arafat's heart toward Israel and Jews was slim to none. Still, when Reich balked, they leaned on museum board chairman Miles Lerman to get the visit reinstated. It was -- but Arafat, in Washington to confer with President Clinton, never showed up. Why not? Well, the Monica Lewinsky scandal had just broken, meaning the press was occupied and wouldn't give lavish attention to his visit. So he begged off, saying there was a scheduling snafu. Actually, if photographers and TV cameramen weren't going to show up -- they're the " photo" -- then Arafat wasn't about to provide the "op."
The good news therefore is that the Holocaust Museum hasn't had to endure the indignity of extending VIP treatment to Yasser Arafat. The bad news is that the director who tried to preserve the museum's dignity lost his job for his efforts.