Merry widow

last updated 8 January 2015

Paris

Yasser Arafat’s widow has struck a deal with Palestinian officials that will leave her wealthy for life, Italian and Israeli newspapers reported this week. Suha Arafat, a convert to Islam who makes her home in Paris, used to receive an allowance of $100,000 a month from Arafat’s office fund, but earlier this year Palestinian officials insisted that that amount be halved. The tables were turned this month, when Suha Arafat refused to tell them where her husband’s fortune was stashed until they promised her a huge payoff: $20 million upfront and $35,000 a month for the rest of her life. Arafat died a vastly wealthy man. The Palestinian Authority collected more than $1 billion in international aid every year, much of which he siphoned straight into his private accounts, claiming he needed it to buy off Palestinian opponents to the peace process.