Arafat's Wife

Charles at LGF links to a story about Suha Arafat - Yasser's adoring spouse. bq. Image is all for chairman�s luxury-loving wife. If anything was guaranteed to annoy the Palestinians, it was a comment made by Yasser Arafat's wife after the birth of their daughter, Zahwa. bq. As Suha Arafat proudly showed off the Palestinian leader's only child at the $A2600-a-night hospital in Paris in July 1995, she declared: "Our child was conceived in Gaza, but sanitary conditions there are terrible. I don't want to be a hero and risk my baby." bq. Her remarks highlighted the gulf between the Palestinian first lady and her people, many of whom live on little more than $A7 a day per family. bq. The image of Mrs Arafat as spendthrift was further enhanced when French authorities launched an investigation into claims that $A15 million had been transferred from Switzerland to two of Mrs Arafat's French bank accounts between July 2002 and 2003. bq. The sums were on top of an allowance of $A132,000 that Mr Arafat, 75, sent his 40-year-old wife each month. Mrs Arafat and Palestinian representatives in Paris described the claims as Israeli propaganda. And more - talking about her life in Paris: bq. She is often seen in the front rows of Paris fashion shows, or shopping with the wife of the Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi and the sister of the King of Morocco. bq. �She travels first or business class and is renowned for her business acumen,� said a friend in Paris. �She is obsessed by image. Everything about her screams money. She is immaculate, from her Chanel eye shadow to her manicured fingernails.� Charles sums it up nicely with these few words: bq. And now, please excuse me while I vomit.