Palestinian fiasco in Paris may foretell life after Arafat

The Balitmore Sun examines life after Arafat; the present situation may foretell the future...and that isn't good. Maybe once they figure out who's gonna get all the money, things will calm down. Bet on the present and soon to be widow of Arafat to get some 'hush' and/or go-away money.//JW sends.

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is either brain dead or conscious and speaking, either recovering slowly or sliding toward death. His condition varies according to who is speaking. But what was made clear yesterday, in terms that could have been mistaken for comic theater if the implications were not so serious, is this: The immediate future of the Palestinian government, and, by extension, peace in the Middle East, is even more uncertain than Arafat's health.