An exceptional example of good journalism, the current issue of the Atlantic Monthly has a front cover article on Yasir Arafat, “In a Ruined Country: How Yasir Arafat Destroyed Palestine.” It is very detailed, and I think it would be especially enlightening to those who haven’t followed Arafat closely over the years, but even if you have it is worth reading. Written by David Samuels, it is based not simply on documentary records but on a series of interviews with old Arafat companions following his death. This is what makes it entertaining. You can’t read it online without a subscription, but the article is worth the cost of the entire magazine easily.

The article isn’t simply about Arafat, though, it is about Palestinian society. As we await the coming Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip next month, this article provides a timely context. Here are a few highlights:

• The corruption of the Palestinian Authority under Arafat was breathtaking. Samuels cites a 1996 PA report which indicated of the year’s budget, 43% had been embezzled, 12.5% went to Arafat’s personal office (to be spent at his discretion), and 35% went to the myriad of security and intelligence services which Arafat maintained, leaving less than 10% for all other expenses like education or health.
• Arafat’s corruption was not personal but megalomaniacal. Defying the stereotype of the Third-World dictator living lavishly in his palaces, Arafat, when not travelling abroad, lived simply with minimal personal expenses. Arafat’s corruption, rather, was all about power – a never-ending series of Swiss accounts and secret hoards with which he bought off virtually everyone in Palestinian society. It was to the point that if a poor Palestinian couldn’t get medical treatment, Arafat would pay for it out of pocket, so they would all be dependent on him.
• The whole world was complicit in this scam called “The Oslo Accords.” Much of Arafat’s money was funneled to him from taxes on Palestinian products by Israel through accounts that allowed him to siphon off whatever he wanted. As blameworthy as Israel’s actions were, it is important to remember that whenever Israel held up Arafat’s payments, he was criticized by the European Union, the Arab states and the UN, and sometimes even by the United States. The whole world was aware of this fraud and went along with it.
• Samuels discusses how Arafat maintained his control over Palestinian terrorism throughout the 1990s even after denouncing it before the world. Arafat would arrest members of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad to make a show, and then when negotiations weren’t going his way, tell them it was okay to launch an attack. This has been known for years, and openly acknowledged now.
• A sad but comical example of Arafat’s brutalization of the Palestinian people is told through the story of Iyad Sarraj. Sarraj, a human rights activist and leader of a mental health organization, told Samuels that during the 1980s most of his patients were victims of torture by the Israelis. But during the 1990s, they were victims of torture by the Palestinian Authority. When he complained, Arafat had Sarraj himself arrested, beaten and tortured. What a tortured “peace process” this was.
• One note of interest is why President Bill Clinton failed in his attempt to secure his legacy by negotiating a final peace. After Arafat rejected Ehud Barak’s peace offer and responded with attacks on Israelis, there was division within the Palestinian leadership when they saw that Ariel Sharon was going to be elected. Arafat spoke with the Saudis and they told him to just say no because Bush was going to be elected, and he would give Arafat more than Clinton would. Of course the Saudis were wrong; Bush never met with Arafat, and wouldn’t speak to him. But this is consistent with what I have always known, since Saudi Arabia was involved in paying suicide bombers’ families an indemnity at the time – up to $25,000 per terror attack.

The “Oslo Peace Process” was nothing but a fraud, and the worst part is the complicity of the whole world. Even the United States agreed to this nonsense. As we look forward to yet another attempt to make peace between Israel and the Palestinians, we need to learn the lessons of the 1990s. There must be a Palestinian political entity which is financially transparent, tolerant of a free press, representative of the Palestinian people, and free from any association with terrorism. This includes the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of Fatah, which is headed by current Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas. First there must be peace inside, and only then can there be a final and complete peace with Israel.

Contributed by Kirk H. Sowell of Window on the Arab World, and More!