LA TIMES PAPERS OVER ARAFAT'S RAPACITY

Truth Buried With Arafat's Tomb (BackSpin)

With the Los Angeles Times' report Friday on the opening of Yasir Arafat's monument, the former Palestinian leader's infamous corruption and wealth is recast as a "spartan lifestyle":

The compound's spare design -- the pale stone is adorned only with Koranic verses in an ornate Arabic script -- is meant to symbolize Arafat's spartan lifestyle and personal sacrifice for the Palestinian cause, [project overseer Mohammed] Shtayyeh said.

In March 2003, Forbes Magazine listed Arafat as one of the richest "Kings, Queens and Despots" with a fortune of $300 million, (much of it reportedly filched from international aid to the Palestinian people).

American sources put Arafat's personal worth at over $1 billion. As CBS reported:

Although the money for the portfolio came from public funds like Palestinian taxes, virtually none of it was used for the Palestinian people.

Even in death Arafat continues to divert funds from the Palestinian people, as his tomb's "spare design" cost a cool $1.5 million.