They say he repeatedly misjudged the political
wind until his disastrous support for Iraq in the 1991
Gulf War cost him the backing of wealthy Gulf oil states
and forced him to the negotiating table and an unequal
accommodation with Israel.
His “peace of the brave”,
finally accepting Israel’s right to exist within
borders it established on much of historic Palestine in
1948, split the PLO.
It also put him firmly at odds with Islamic
militants who were to form the most potent opposition
to the Oslo peace deals. Many Israelis found it hard to
believe Arafat could change into a man of peace, a perception
that hardened during the most recent Palestinian
uprising when Islamic militants killed hundreds of Israelis
in suicide bombings and other attacks.
In recent months Arafat faced unprecedented
Palestinian unrest, including kidnappings and clashes
in Gaza, as rivals vied for power in his greatest internal
challenge in a decade.
To many Palestinians, his administration
turned a blind eye to corruption, misrule and human rights
abuses by the entourage that returned with him from exile.
Arafat never groomed a successor, either
as chairman of the PLO or as president of the self-rule
Palestinian Authority. When forced to appoint a prime
minister under international pressure to share responsibilities
and carry out reforms, he guarded his powers jealously.
The first prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas,
quit after four months. The second, Ahmed Qorie, battled
Arafat for control of the security forces.
