I'll paraphrase President Bush. When asked if he'd lost trust in Yassar Arafat he replied, "he's never done anything to earn my trust." I haven't seen any indication that Mr. Arafat is interested in the well being of his people, or peace, or progress. All I've seen is that he looks out for himself and uses people (and lives) to further his own agenda. I believe he became became chairman and spokesman for the Palestinians in much the same way Jesse Jackson became spokesman for blacks and civil rights in this country, by self-advancement and exploitation of the media, except that Arafat used overt violence. But it is more a matter of media presentation than of real representation of "his" people.
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