In today’s New York Times Magazine feature Arafat Among the Ruins, David Reiff brings us up-to-date on the Rais’ situation, from the perspective of Palestinians. Among his collection of anecdotes, it’s remarkable that Reiff brings absolutely no evidence of Arafat’s financial corruption, stating instead that
while accusations about shady financial dealings have dogged [Arafat’s wife Suha] (a French prosecutor is reported to be investigating some of these charges), just as they dog the Palestinian Authority, no one accuses Arafat of personal corruption. To the contrary, his personal habits are reported to be Spartan in the extreme.
No one accuses Arafat of personal corruption? Hard to believe Palestinians are unaware of the mountain of evidence that Arafat has funnelled millions of dollars to his personal accounts over the years. Did he miss Arafat vs. LeBron? Why does Reiff choose to ignore this aspect of Arafat’s profile?
One gem is revealed here — Arafat is into Bible codes. Who knew?
