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Yasser officially in the box
 Yasser Arafat, who triumphantly forced his people's plight into the world spotlight but failed to achieve his lifelong quest for Palestinian statehood, died Thursday at age 75. He was to the end a man of many mysteries and paradoxes — terrorist, statesman, autocrat and peacemaker.
| Mostly terrorist and autocrat... |
Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat confirmed The Associated Press that Arafat had died. The Palestinian leader spent his final days in a coma at a French military hospital outside Paris. Arafat's last days were as murky and dramatic as his life. Flown to France on Oct. 29 after nearly three years of being penned in his West Bank headquarters by Israeli tanks, he initially improved but then sharply deteriorated as rumors swirled about his illness. Top Palestinian officials flew in to check on their leader while Arafat's 41-year-old wife, Suha, publicly accused them of trying to usurp his powers. Ordinary Palestinians prayed for his well being, but expressed deep frustration over his failure to improve their lives. Arafat's failure to groom a successor complicated his passing, raising the danger of factional conflict among Palestinians.
| Now stay in the damned box. The Fat Lady's tired of this! |
Posted by: Fred 2004-11-11 |
