Arafat’s Widow Refuses to Accuse Israel of Killing Her Husband Without Evidence

Suha Arafat with her husband, Yasser Arafat (Getty Images)
Suha Arafat with her husband, Yasser Arafat (Getty Images)
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Arafat’s Widow Refuses to Accuse Israel of Killing Her Husband Without Evidence

Suha Arafat with her husband, Yasser Arafat (Getty Images)
Suha Arafat with her husband, Yasser Arafat (Getty Images)

Suha Arafat, widow of the late Palestinian Authority (PA), Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Fatah leader Yasser Arafat, has said she was quoted out of context in a recent interview with a Hebrew newspaper.

"Arafat was definitely poisoned, not by Israel, but by a Palestinian," Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot quoted the widow as saying on Friday. In the interview, she was also quoted as saying that the 2000 Palestinian intifada was a "big mistake".

However, later in the day, she claimed she was quoted out of context and her words were misconstrued.

On her Instagram account, Arafat wrote that she does not accuse anyone, “not even Israel, of killing [him], because until now I don’t have evidence against anyone.”

She said that she did not want the issue of her husband’s death to be part of Palestinian “internal political battles.”

Arafat confirmed that she was recently interviewed for an Israeli documentary about her husband, and said that the Second Intifada was a mistake.

“I expressed my opinion that the Intifada was a mistake because we lost a lot and our war with them [Israel] was asymmetrical,” she wrote on her Instagram account. I’m not afraid of expressing my opinion,” she said.

Yediot Ahronot said that its lengthy interview with Arafat was a part of a promotion campaign for a documentary called Enemies.

It is worth noting that Arfat’s statements in the interview with the newspaper surprised and shocked many.

“I do not know who convinced him (Yasser Arafat) to carry out an intifada while he was in the midst of a peace process. I told him that he must stop Hamas attacks because they would eventually lead to a civil war. I explained that after the September 11 attacks nobody wants to see more explosions, and that people don’t want bloodshed,” Arafat told Yediot Ahronot.

“I told him: Hamas or not Hamas, you are committed to the peace process and you must stop the uprising,” she added.



Syrian Forces Enter Sweida after Deadly Clashes

Syrian government forces deploy at Mazraa village on the outskirts of the city of Sweida, southern Syria, Monday, July 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Syrian government forces deploy at Mazraa village on the outskirts of the city of Sweida, southern Syria, Monday, July 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
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Syrian Forces Enter Sweida after Deadly Clashes

Syrian government forces deploy at Mazraa village on the outskirts of the city of Sweida, southern Syria, Monday, July 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)
Syrian government forces deploy at Mazraa village on the outskirts of the city of Sweida, southern Syria, Monday, July 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

Syrian government forces entered the city of Sweida on Tuesday, the interior ministry said, aiming to end clashes that have killed nearly 100 people.

The southern city had been under the control of armed factions from the Druze minority, whose religious leaders said they had approved the deployment of Damascus' troops and called on fighters to hand over their weapons.

A curfew was to be imposed on the southern city in a bid to halt the violence, which erupted at the weekend and has since spread across Sweida governorate.

Government forces said they intervened to separate Bedouin tribes and Druze fighters but ended up taking control of several Druze areas around Sweida, an AFP correspondent reported.

Military columns were seen advancing toward Sweida on Tuesday morning, with heavy artillery deployed nearby.

The defense ministry said later that they had entered the city, and urged people to "stay home and report any movements of outlaw groups".

An AFP correspondent heard explosions and gunshots as soldiers moved into Sweida.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reported 99 people killed since the fighting erupted on Sunday -- 60 Druze, including four civilians, 18 Bedouin fighters, 14 security personnel and seven unidentified people in military uniforms.

The defense ministry reported 18 deaths among the ranks of the armed forces.