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Africa North
Suha Arafat marries
2006-08-17
Unfortunately, Rantburg doesn't yet have a 'Society' page for these announcements. A tip of the fedora to Roger Simon.
From now on say Suha al-Trablusi: Suha Arafat, widow of Yasser Arafat, secretly married Lahasn al-Trabulsi, the brother-in-law of the Tunisian president, a number of days ago, a Tunisian website reported. As is fitting to the widow of the former Palestinian Authority chairman, this time Suha also married someone close to power. Al-Trablusi is the brother of Leila Ben Ali, who is the wife of Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali.

The sister and her husband gave their blessing to the marriage. The marriage followed a wave of stubborn rumors in Tunisia, according to which al-Trabulusi planned to marry Suha's sister. However, credible sources said that he divorced a few months ago to marry Suha and not her sister, and that one of the main reasons for the wedding is that is his interest in Suha's large fortune.
Guess she found the Krueggerrands.
Two years ago, after Arafat's death, Suha was personally promised by Mahmoud Abbas' staff that she would receive USD 22 million a year, on the basis of an agreement Arafat himself sent his wife while on his death bed – USD 11 million to cover her lifestyle in Paris for half year.
Paid for by previous donations by the EU, the US, etc.
Abbas and Palestinian senior figures were forced to come to a deal with Suha, after she "created facts on the ground," in accordance with French law, and prevented PA members from visiting Arafat as he was dying, or to take decisions on disconnecting the life support machine, until she received her promise. PA senior figures concluded it was worth paying her and ending the episode.
She learned well from her first hubby, huh?
The money given to Suha comes from the "secret fortune" of the PA, managed personally by the PA president. The fortune is worth around USD four billion, and is kept in a number of bank accounts – in Tel Aviv, London, and Zurich.
I'm surprised Abbas has any hand on this; I would have figured Suha would have pried all those account numbers loose just before Yassar began his long-standing love affair with Himmler.
Since Arafat's death, Suha refused to live in PA territory or any Arab capital other than Tunis, and enjoys close relations with the Tunisian president and his wife.
Posted by:Steve White

#16  What exactly is she holding over their heads that keeps them from just STOPPING THE PAYMENTS?

I'd stop the payments and publicly announce at the same time that Sooo-eee Suha had insisted on it, since she already has enough money and the paleo people need it worse than she does.

Hilarity would ensue. (And I've got the popcorn concession.) :-D
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2006-08-17 22:51  

#15  ...one of the main reasons for the wedding is his interest in Suha's large fortune.

Lashan sounds like the Tunisian John Fn Kerry
Posted by: tu3031   2006-08-17 22:15  

#14  However, credible sources said that he divorced a few months ago to marry Suha and not her sister, and that one of the main reasons for the wedding is that is his interest in Suha's large fortune.

Gold-digger marries gold-bricker. A perfect match.

Two years ago, after Arafat's death, Suha was personally promised by Mahmoud Abbas' staff that she would receive USD 22 million a year, on the basis of an agreement Arafat himself sent his wife while on his death bed – USD 11 million to cover her lifestyle in Paris for half year.

For this alone, Abbas should be rocketed straight to hell. Doesn't this equal a substantial portion of the PA's budget, in and of itself? If the Palestinians had any sense they'd off Abbas themselves, just for this bit of payola.
Posted by: Zenster   2006-08-17 19:23  

#13  Is this where the Bruce Willis fat wife jokes from The Last Boy Scout go? :)
Posted by: flyover   2006-08-17 19:07  

#12  First NS insults pigs and now Mike is insulting Cows. What do you guys have against animals?

The defintion of the term 'four-bagger'....
Posted by: CrazyFool   2006-08-17 17:16  

#11  Never before has the term "cash cow" taken on so many shades of meaning.
Posted by: Mike   2006-08-17 17:01  

#10  Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh, my eyes.. MY EYES....make it stop!
Posted by: Rex Mundi   2006-08-17 16:16  

#9  Come on. Fat girls are FUN!

-M
Posted by: Manolo   2006-08-17 15:53  

#8  I'm sorry, but even four billion wouldn't be enough to make me sleep next to that.
Posted by: charger   2006-08-17 15:15  

#7  Ain't gonna be any room for headlines either.
Posted by: Darrell   2006-08-17 13:28  

#6  If I see her tomorrow in Fred's "Good morning" wrapped in a turkish towel........ it ain't gonna be pretty.
Posted by: Besoeker   2006-08-17 13:05  

#5  franz lehar, anyone?
Posted by: liberalhawk   2006-08-17 11:12  

#4  So a muzzie can't eat a pig, but he can marry one. Guess that limits the bedtime activities some.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2006-08-17 10:35  

#3  She was bought off cheap. The intereset on $4B is roughly $200,000,000 (-+ 5%APR) so she took only 10% of the annual interest. (please check my math it's early) I guess it would be benificial for the Paleos to dispatch her and pocket the diff. I wonder what the plebes in PLOstan would rather do with four billion? And WHY OH WHY are we still funding these yahoos when they have accounts like this?
Posted by: Cyber Sarge   2006-08-17 10:25  

#2  "...kept in a number of bank accounts – in Tel Aviv...
/snort off
Posted by: Darrell   2006-08-17 10:11  

#1  Hope you got a prenup, Lashan. And a food taster...
Posted by: tu3031   2006-08-17 09:59  

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