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Source: http://www.hudson-ny.org/1660/yasser-arafat-palestinians-do-not-miss-him
Why Many Palestinians Don't Miss Yasser Arafat
(Hudson Institute New York) Khaled Abu Toameh - The number of Palestinians who show up at public rallies to commemorate Yasser Arafat has been declining year after year. As far as disillusioned Palestinians are concerned, Arafat should be remembered as a leader who led his people from one disaster to another. He died in November 2004, leaving behind scorched earth and tremendous suffering and pain. After the signing of the Oslo Accords, Arafat established in the West Bank and Gaza a corrupt regime that repressed Palestinians. Under his authority, dozens of armed militias and gangs emerged. Arafat's bad governance and financial corruption drove Palestinians into the open arms of Hamas. His incitement against Israel also drove Palestinians toward radicalism. In the Second Intifada, which erupted in September 2000 with Arafat's blessing, thousands of Israelis and Palestinians were killed and wounded.