ABD RABBO: LIFE AND DEATH WITH SUHA -- STRANGER

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 004306


E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/09/2014
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINS KWBG FR
SUBJECT: ABD RABBO: LIFE AND DEATH WITH SUHA -- STRANGER
THAN FICTION

Classified By: Consul General David D. Pearce.
Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: PLO ExCom member Yasir Abd Rabbo told DPO
November 9 that Suha Arafat's undignified rant on al-Jazeera
in which she accused the Palestinian leadership of conspiring
against her husband had found no resonance among Palestinians
in the West Bank and Gaza. Instead, her behavior had made
her even more unpopular than before. He supported the
decision by Abu Mazen and Abu Ala'a to go to Paris to see for
themselves Arafat's condition even if it meant that they
would then probably be faced with a very difficult decision.
Observing that Fatah Central Committee (FCC) member (and heir
to Arafat's chairmanship of the Central Committee) Faruq
al-Qaddumi was showing signs of senility, Abd Rabbo dismissed
Qaddumi's reported plan to engineer for himself the
chairmanship of the PLO executive committee and to move the
PLO back to Tunis so that he could lead from exile. Any
suggestion of support for Qaddumi among FCC members, he
claimed, was intended to make Abu Mazen pay a higher price
for Fatah unanimity. End Summary


SUHA'S RANT FINDS NO RESONANCE


2. (C) During a November 9 meeting, Geneva Initiative
sponsor and PLO executive committee member Yasir Abd Rabbo
told DPO that most Palestinians were aghast at Suha Arafat's
outburst on al-Jazeera satellite television the previous day
and that the episode has only added to her unpopularity in
the West Bank and Gaza. Suha, he said, had always been
excitable but her behavior in recent days had become "crazy."
Aside from the absurdity of her closing her al-Jazeera rant
with cries of "Allahu Akbar!" her accusations against the
Palestinian leadership were irresponsible and probably
prompted by a coterie of advisors that includes her Lebanese
paramour Pierre Rizk and several French lawyers. Her
conspiracy accusations had found no resonance among
Palestinians in the West Bank/Gaza, Abd Rabbo said; and her
undignified behavior has reached a point where it is
beginning to tarnish Arafat's own legacy. He fully supported
the decision by Abu Mazen, Abu Ala'a, and others to go to
Paris to demand a full report of Arafat's condition. Noting
that they may also have to participate in making a difficult
decision, Abd Rabbo said it still had to be done.


SUHA TAKES A STAB AT KING-MAKING


3. (C) Appearing to fully appreciate the outlandishness of
events in Paris, Abd Rabbo said that Suha had gradually and
methodically eliminated access to Arafat by all those who had
gone to Paris to wait by his bedside. Arafat's closest male
relative (except for his brother Fathi, also rumored to be on
his deathbed) Nasir Al-Kidwa, had not seen Arafat for four or
five days, Abd Rabbo said. Suha's stranglehold on
information had proven to be too much for the leaders in
Ramallah who are trying to ensure a smooth transition; Abd
Rabbo predicted that the French would no longer "play Suha's
game" and would allow Abu Mazen and Abu Ala'a access even
over Suha's objections (Note: Abd Rabbo was proved right.
End Note) In addition to isolating Arafat, Suha had also,
rather maladroitly, attempted to intervene in the
Palestinians' succession arrangements by anointing Faruq
al-Qaddumi in a rather bizarre turn of events. According to
Abd Rabbo, Qaddumi had arrived in Paris only to be kept out
of Arafat's room like everyone else. He became angry and
left for the airport only to receive en route a call from
Suha in which she reportedly told him that Arafat had spoken
and said, "He says you are his caliph (successor)." This was
enough to make Qaddumi turn around, return to the hospital
and read out to the media a statement written by Suha which
was so implausibly optimistic about Arafat's prospects for
recovery that it was immediately deemed incredible.


QADDUMI LOOKING TO TAKE THE PLO BACK TO TUNIS


4. (C) If that foolishness were not enough, Abd Rabbo went
on to relate Qaddumi's ambitions to eventually supplant Abu
Mazen as PLO executive committee (ExCom) chairman after he
assumes the role on Arafat's passing. Qaddumi's plan is to
use his accessing to the Fatah Central Committee (FCC)
chairmanship to load the ExCom in his favor. He would then
move the PLO back to Tunis to lead from exile, leaving the
Palestinian Authority (PA) to govern in the West Bank and
Gaza. (Comment: Not clear if anybody has asked the
Tunisians for their views. End Comment) Abd Rabbo noted in
relating this plan that he has also heard that Qaddumi is
showing signs of senility. Certain FCC members, however, are
supporting or pretending to support Qaddumi's pretensions;
among them are Saqer Habash, Hani al-Hasan, and Abbas Zaki.
Asked if they could seriously be supporting Qaddumi, Abd
Rabbo opined that they in fact want to make Abu Mazen pay a
higher price for their support and FCC unanimity in the
transition period.


THE POISON THEORY: ARAFAT'S PENCHANT FOR SELF-MEDICATION TO
BLAME?


5. (C) Asked how credible he found the theory of poison being
the cause of Arafat's illness, Abd Rabbo indicated that it is
the prevailing explanation in Palestinian leadership circles.
He noted, however, that the delivery mechanism is still
unexplained but he offered two theories: 1) Arafat had
always considered himself to be an expert on everything,
including medicine, and had taken prescription drugs
virtually indiscriminately; in fact, he had a suitcase full
of drugs and popped pills constantly; or 2) Arafat's symptoms
seem to resemble the condition that affected PFLP terrorist
Wadi' Haddad who was reportedly poisoned by the Iraqis with a
glass of tea. All speculation aside, Abd Rabbo hoped that
the French would ultimately provide a credible cause of
Arafat's illness. He also commented that he thought the
French had learned a lesson after they allowed George Habash
to seek medical treatment in France. "Now," he said, "they
won't let a Palestinian at the airport ask for an aspirin
without immediately deporting him!"


6. (C) Comment: Abd Rabbo always enjoys relating the
inside story and Suha's doings provided him with material of
an unusually rare quality, even given the Palestinians'
generally high standard of eccentric behavior. But, he was
also clearly relieved that Suha seemed to be on the way to
being declawed and that Abu Mazen and Abu Ala'a were finally
taking charge of Arafat's medical condition. Although Abd
Rabbo is among the most liberal of Palestinians, even he was
shocked by Suha's behavior both in Paris and during her brief
stay in Ramallah when she arrived only to take Arafat back
with her to France. Noting that Suha has been on the outs
with her famous mother Raymonda Tawil for two years, Abd
Rabbo related that when Raymonda came to the Muqatta'a to
greet Suha that day, Suha failed to stand to greet her own
mother. Abd Rabbo's shock, he said, was shared by the rest
of the Palestinian leadership present to witness the event.
Suha, called by some a "rapacious harpy," has certainly set
the seal on her deep unpopularity in the last week.


PEARCE