FOLLOWING the illness of Yasser Arafat, a number of rumors have circulated about Israeli behind-the-scenes involvement. It is no secret that the Israeli government made a number of blunt statements regarding their "desire" to eliminate Arafat. In fact, Ariel Sharon even said that Arafat should die soon, or at least leave Ramallah and never return to Palestine.

Nevertheless, Israel's actions over the past two weeks have resulted i