Why do Palestinians suffer, year after year, despite the opportunity of the Oslo process, despite massive international financial aid, despite the undeniable Israeli desire for peaceful resolution? Two competing explanations are regularly put forth: blame Israel, or blame Arafat.

One view, pushed relentlessly by CarolC and jack the Sailor, holds that IDF actions in the West Bank and Gaza create a desperate culture, incapable of positive development. The other, Israeli position has long been that Yassir Arafat's corrupt regime perpetuates the suffering of his own people by continually deflecting all blame upon Israel and fomenting self-defeating Palestinian terrorism.

Though world media coverage has overwhelmingly adopted the blame-Israel approach, over the past few days the Palestinian people themselves have made it clear that Yassir Arafat's corrupt regime lies at the heart of their problems. A wave of kidnappings, the resignation of Arafat's prime minister, and street violence targeting an Arafat crony drove much of the world press (including the Arab press!) to finally point the finger at Arafat:

쳌œ Times of London: 'Arafat's policy of divide and rule has not only neutralized Palestinian rivals but stymied any political and economic progress... Mr Arafat's cynicism has now run its course, and stoked the present conflict.'

쳌œ MSNBC: 'The walls are closing in on Yassir Arafat...never before have so many disparate groups of Palestinians, including those from Arafat's own Fatah movement, formed such a united front on such a clearly definable issue 쳌\ end corruption or else.'

쳌œ Arab Times (Kuwait): 'Mr Arafat should quit his position because he is the head of a corrupt authority. There is no point for him to remain in politics... He has destroyed Palestine. He has led it to terrorism, death and a hopeless situation... All Arab leaders know this fact. It won't be possible for us to gain from the Middle East road map for peace if this man remains in power.'

쳌œ BBC quoted a Jenin Martyrs' Brigade spokesman: 'With all due respect to President Arafat, the Palestinian Authority cannot continue being monopolised by [Arafat] and his relatives...we have our own ways to show our rejection.'

쳌œ Al-Quds Al-Araby (London): 'What is happening in Gaza is a healthy phenomenon because it is a revolution against corruption and the corrupt... This is a warning not only to Mr Arafat... but to all Arab regimes which subjugate their people by turning a deaf ear to their calls for comprehensive change.'

쳌œ Pravda: Under the headline, 'Nobody trusts Arafat any more,' stated that 'Everything Yasser Arafat has been doing can be described as an illusion of reforms.'

쳌œ Daily Star (Lebanon): 'Mr Arafat increasingly lacks credibility and legitimacy... He has brought Palestine to its knees by relying on symbolism rather than bringing about results.'

쳌œ And long-time Arafat apologist, United Nations envoy Terje Roed-Larsen, finally broke rank and said that the PA has 'made no progress on its core obligation to take immediate action on the ground to end violence and combat terror, and to reform and reorganize.' UN chief Kofi Annan echoed the remarks.

But The Guardian 쳌\ McGrath of Harlow's media outlet of choice 쳌\ declared in a bold July 17 headline: 'Don't Blame Arafat'

The prominent piece, by former Guardian Mideast correspondent David Hirst, not only exonerates Arafat for the collapse of peace efforts, but goes so far as to 1) accuse Israeli intelligence figures of desiring the intifada, and 2) blaming Israel for the entire US invasion of Iraq.

Even when the Guardian gets around to addressing the anti-Arafat riots, the paper's editors can't bring themselves to call for his resignation, stating it would be 'alarming' if Arafat falls from power: 'the already grievous burden imposed on Palestinians will become intolerable if the regime falls apart... Israel must offer more incentives for moderation.'

With Palestinian rejection of Arafat's corruption and cronyism placing his regime on the apparent verge of collapse, The Guardian, like CarolC and Jack the Sailor, clings to the blame-Israel rhetoric.

If the Palestinian people are going to rise above the situation they've been in for far too long, it is vital we recognize that the sad state of the Palestinian people is due first and foremost to the tragic failure of Arafat's leadership.