To humiliate the Palestinian people, Ariel Sharon disregarded international appeals to lift his month-long siege on Arafat in his office in Ramallah. The European Union, the Vatican, six Christian denominations represented in the Holy Land, and even Israeli commentators criticized the decision, which the lie to Israel claim that it protects religious freedom guarantees free access to holy sites. Worse Sharon's practices, though, the world's opprobrious acceptance of is Sharon's measures against the Palestinian leader and Israel's collective punishment of over three million Palestinians. The US, always ready to criticize Arafat for failing to protect Israel's security, willingly consents to Israel's continued abuse of the Palestinian people.