Arafat's Bonus Round

Emboldened by Israel's threats, the Palestinian leader is gobbling up power--and vexing the U.S.

For a man supposedly under siege, Yasser Arafat seems to be enjoying himself. As the TV crews and diplomats came calling last week at the Muqata'a, Arafat's tattered Ramallah compound, his aides festooned the courtyard with streamers and draped posters of the grinning Palestinian leader on copper pipes left exposed by previous Israeli assaults. A motley collection of supporters--including Palestinian schoolchildren, a marching band and a dozen members of Arafat's Fatah Party on horseback--rallied outside the quarters, chanting Arafat's nom de guerre, Abu Amar. President Bush has declared Arafat a "failed" leader, the Israeli Cabinet has vowed to "remove" him, and...

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