Prophecy by Arafat

August 19, 2004

Stop the presses! Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat admits he has made mistakes. "Even the Prophet made mistakes," he said with his trademark blend of tone-deaf arrogance and almost-comical grandiosity. What he actually said in a lengthy address to the Palestinian people yesterday was that under his leadership the Palestinian Authority has made "unacceptable mistakes" and promised to correct them through unspecified reforms.

Of course, the best, simplest and most expeditious reform to address these mistakes would be for Arafat to retire as the Palestinians' leader. Giving up his office would be a true test of his sincerity. But don't hold your breath. Arafat's rare admission of his government's dysfunctionality is a transparent ruse to deflect growing criticism about his corrupt rule rather than an attempt to make real changes.

It comes days after a Palestinian Legislative Council investigative committee issued a scathing report, blaming Arafat for the failure of the Palestinian security forces to restore order in the Gaza Strip. The panel called for the resignation of the government and immediate general elections to follow.

In the past week, Arafat has come under extraordinary pressure within his ruling circle to change his authoritarian style, in what has been seen as Arafat's most serious internal challenge in 20 years. But real reform would mean that Arafat would have to give up much of his power. That's about as likely as a hard-core alcoholic giving up the bottle. Come to think of it, Arafat ought to consider joining, or starting, a 12-step program for the power-addicted.