Not to fall into the trap of conspiracy theory--I'll leave that to the Left, Radical Right, and Arab world at large--but the story that Arafat died of AIDS and was not only gay, but a revolting sexual predator, has been making the rounds for a while now. If this is true--and I have no reason to doubt it--not only does it highlight the gross oppression of average gay Palestinians (and Muslims, in general,) but also puts into very sharp relief the double standards inherent in the Muslim world. The poor, downtrodden, and exploited "everyday people" are held to the highest standards of "morality" and piety while the ruling elites have free reign to drink, fornicate, rob, rape, and break every rule of sharia they like. As much as the Left (see that dolt Jimmy Carter, for one) like to speak of Arafat as a "freedom fighter" and "one of the people," he bore a closer resemblance to the corrupt dynastic warlords who terrorize the populations of Jordan, Saudia Arabia, Iran, and Syria than to, say, (the nonetheless, overrated) Nelson Mandela.

One really has to wonder if all those "international aid" being funneled to Suha back in Europe wasn't hush money, huh?

For further proof (beyond the well-sourced Palestinian-written biography that claims he used to frolic with his body guards) there is an absolutely DISGUSTING (and I am usually completely nonplused by a little man-on-man kissing--I am, after all, a New Yorker) video on YouTube that shows Arafat MAKING OUT with another Arab leader. It starts as one of those kiss, kiss, kiss things but then Arafat just turns up the heat...he's making all these um and ah noises as well...

And here I thought he had to go to Romania to get that! (See Ion Mihai Pacepa's _Red Horizons_; the Romanians bugged Arafat's bedroom and recorded his passionate encounters.)

Caroline Glick's New Year's Day column about a 33 year old document that was recently declassified. It's the State Department and seven administrations' cover-up of Arafat's involvement in the 1973 kidnapping and murder of US & Belgian diplomats in Khartoum.

Disgusting as Arafat's homosexual advances toward McCauliffe were (Isn't that sexual harassment?), the US government's behavior is worse -- much worse. That the State Dept. & Bubba -- knowing full well about this -- brought him out of exile in Tunisia, then feted him and had him as such a frequent visitor to the White House is absolutely revolting. What an incalculable catastrophe for Israel, the US and the Palestinians.

This looking the other way was no crazy conspiracy, just foolishness. Everyone involved was delusional about Arafat and would not face reality.

JPost - Our World: The longest-running big lie

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1167467639999&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

What's funny is that that story seems to have made a massive resurgence, but there doesn't seem to be anything new since I wrote about it last June:
Thirty Years Too Late -- State Dept. Admits Arafat Did It

It's still an amazing story. See what appeasement gets you?