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No no, the reference to Arafat was the "looting" of billions that are now in his widows hands. Because the context was "should we send money" and because we did in the past and it didn't get to the people, well, it is relevant to the topic of discussion. Nothing in the above posts mention Arafat's dealing with Israel or settlement etc.
Now, the assumption is (was) that Mahmoud Abbas is "uncorruptable" so presumabley that is why he got elected. In other words, he has the faith of the people. Arafat stubbornly held onto power far too long and prolonged the stalemate, lacked legitimacy and influence with Hamas and Israel.
So, yes, money if properly handle and administered should theoretically help in a pretty significant way.
It is a bit early to tell, but so far it looks promising. It takes two to tango so we'll see what Israel puts up. It does look like Bush is trying to coax Israel into more cooperation and Abbas is trying his darndest to things too.
Arafat is definitely relevant as a point of reference and a piece of history. Notice (so far) with him out of the way, things seem to be improving. I suppose hitory will eventually reveal Arafat's true colors.
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