CarolC,

There are some very important distinctions to be made between the alleged corruption scandals of Arafat and Sharon.

In Sharon's case, he is alleged to have profited from illegal business dealings. The masses of Israelis are not the victims. Furthermore, Sharon is being investigated by Israeli authorities and it is widely assumed in Israel that the scandal will end his political career.

In Arafat's case, he has accumulated enormous personal wealth at the expense of the Palestinian masses. Despite this, there is no move from within the Palestinian authority to have Arafat account for how he could have possibly accumulated $300 million.

And now it appears that Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia's family firm is directly profiting by supplying cement to the Israelis to build the security wall.

It would appear that Sharon's alleged corrouption is day to day stuff that happens in almost any democratic society and that it will bring him down. Meanwhile Arafat and Qureia and in the tradition of dictators like the Duvaliers of Haiti, Idi Amin of Uganda, Saadam Hussein of Iraq, the Shah of Iran, etc. who amass enormous wealth at the total expense of a people mired in poverty. Not the same thing at all.


CPA