Muhammad Al-Daya, longtime bodyguard of Yasser Arafat, said in a recent TV interview that Arafat used to lie when he denounced bombings in Israel. Arafat "would condemn the bombing in his own special way, saying: 'I am against the killing of civilians.' But that wasn’t true," said Al-Daya, in a BBC Arabic interview which aired on April 3, 2014.
Following are excerpts:
Click here to view the clip on MEMRI TV
Interviewer: "Ariel Sharon used to say that Arafat was a pathological liar. Many politicians who had dealings with Arafat said he was an excellent liar."
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Muhammad Al-Daya: "Islam allows you to lie in three cases: In order to reconcile two people..."
Interviewer: "For the sake of reconciliation."
Muhammad Al-Daya: "If your wife is ugly, you are allowed to tell her she is the most beautiful woman alive. The third case is politics. You are allowed to lie in politics."
Interviewer: "So you acknowledge this..."
Muhammad Al-Daya: "Yes."
Interviewer: "So he used to lie in your presence?"
Muhammad Al-Daya: "Abu Ammar? Yes. When there was a bombing in Tel Aviv, for example, he would say... This would happen due to pressure, especially by President Hosni Mubarak. Mubarak would call Arafat and say to him: "Denounce it, or they will screw you." Arafat would say to Mubarak: "Mr. President, we have martyrs. The [Israelis] have destroyed us. They have massacred us." But Mubarak would say to him: "Denounce it, or they will screw you."
"Then Arafat would condemn the bombing in his own special way, saying: "I am against the killing of civilians." But that wasn’t true." [...]
