Suha Arafat, wife of ailing Yasser Arafat, requested her husband this week draft a will leaving his multimillion dollar fortune to her, but Arafat refused, a Palestinian source told WorldNetDaily.
Meanwhile, Israel security sources said they’re worried the PLO chief’s money could be passed on to terrorists to continue the intifada.
Arafat’s health took a turn for the worst today when he slipped into what French officials announced may be an “irreversible coma” after he was transferred to a special unit said to be “more suitable for his pathology.” Some officials are publicly speculating Arafat may have days, or even hours, to live.
But earlier this week, when Arafat was alert and in intensive care, likely paying attention to the U.S. elections, Suha requested that her husband instruct lawyers to draft a will that would leave his money to her upon his demise, a Palestinian source said.
“The President [Arafat] told her he had no plans of dying, and also said that his money would be well cared for,” said the source. “He rejected her request.”
Arafat is said to be worth hundreds of millions, mostly from money Israel says he secretly shifted to bank accounts in his name by allegedly plundering financial aid, mostly from European countries, sent to help a battered West Bank and Gaza economy over the years.
Forbes calculates Arafat, who comes in sixth behind Queen Elizabeth II in a list of wealthy world leaders, has a net worth of $300 million. Some Israelis believe Arafat’s personal wealth may be as much as $11 billion, although in testimony to the Knesset last year Israel’s chief of military intelligence, Aharon Zeevi, listed Arafat’s personal assets at more than $1.3 billion.
Arafat also has millions invested in real estate, Middle East phone companies and a Coca-Cola bottling plant in Ramallah, where the PA chairman’s shattered compound lies.
Israel has accused Arafat of using some of his personal fortune to finance terror attacks against Israelis.
Documents found by the IDF during its Operation Defensive Shield campaign in April 2002 showed part of the huge budget of the PLO was diverted by Arafat for terrorist attacks.
In one example among many, Israel National News reported a letter was found signed by Arafat authorizing the transfer of thousands of dinars to Ahmed Mahmad Iz-A-Din Al-Kassam, a Hamas member who also represented Hezbollah in the PA and was responsible for transferring money for terror attacks and supporting terrorists’ families.
That Arafat refuses to sign over his money to Mrs. Arafat has experts worried his fortune might be made available to Palestinian terror organizations for further attacks against Israelis.
“Yes, his money is being looked into,” an Israeli security source told WorldNetDaily. “If he passes that kind of money on to the terrorists, it could fund the intifada for several more years.”
Another source said Israel had long speculated Arafat would “leave with a bang. He may have something in the works. We are on very high alert.”
