Word: ramallah
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Although he led an ascetic existence in Ramallah, Arafat lavished money siphoned from Palestinian coffers on cronies, family members and militant groups. There was income from bank accounts and businesses spread across the world, often held in others' names. A senior Palestinian intelligence official says Arafat had a stake in a Hebron furniture company and a Syrian sewing factory. Senior Palestinian security officials tell TIME that Arafat shipped money to the gunmen of the Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. The most conspicuous recipient of Arafat's largesse was Suha. People familiar with Arafat's finances say the Palestinian leader sent Suha...
...gasoline smuggling and corruption boosted the Palestinian Authority's official treasury by $10 million a month and cut gas prices for ordinary Palestinians. But Arafat's death means his followers may never know just how much more they may be owed. --By Matt Rees/ Jerusalem. With Jamil Hamad/ Ramallah and Aharon Klein/Jerusalem
After Arafat, might that dream be closer? For all the expressions of Palestinian grief as his body was returned to Ramallah on Friday, there were also quiet intimations of hope around the world--hope that the death of the unyielding Palestinian leader might bring a fresh opportunity to break the stalemate in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. At the White House, President George W. Bush spoke of an "opening for peace" and offered hints that his second term might usher in a reinvigorated American role. Although Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon could not bring himself to mention the name...
...host of obstacles that have wrecked previous opportunities lie in the way. The chaotic tears and gunfire that accompanied Arafat to his Ramallah grave were emblematic of the conflicted, dangerous void he leaves behind. Despite the exhortations of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who called peace in the Middle East the "single most pressing challenge in the world today," Bush came out of a conclave with Blair last week offering no tangible sign--such as the naming of a special envoy or the convening of an international conference--to prove the U.S. was ready to back up its talk...
...struggle, Palestinians remain united only in grief and fear of chaos. Their economy has been shattered, their government is bankrupt, and militants continue to gain strength. Most Palestinians yearn for peace but doubt that whoever leads them next will achieve it. "I am not hopeful," says Fawzi, 35, a Ramallah phone-company worker. "The Palestinian-Israeli problem has reached the point of no solution...