(Jerusalem Post)Khaled Abu Toameh - The vast majority of Palestinians never related to Suha as the first lady of Palestine. Most of Arafat's associates have despised her from the first moment she arrived to work as his "economic advisor" in Tunis. By accusing Qurei and Abbas of seeking to bury her husband while he's alive, Suha in fact fired the first shot in the battle for succession. Suha's remarks are seen as an appeal to the Palestinians to revolt against the interim leadership and corrupt officials. She is supported by the PLO's hard-line foreign minister Farouk Kaddoumi, who sees himself as the natural successor to Arafat, and many disgruntled Fatah activists and gunmen in the West Bank and Gaza.
2004-11-09 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive