My mother's father was also one of the richest people in Palestine. When I began living with Yaser I was faced with all sorts of problems. I had to stay in locked places due to security and was constantly moving from one place to another. I didn't know what to do or what I could say. You cannot talk on the phone. My life was nothing like what it appeared to be. A man in such a position has a number of enemies, his number one enemy being Israel of course.". "Once you start, you cannot stop. I told him, 'This is a horrific life, it isn't fair.' I know there were a lot of women that wanted to marry Arafat. However, it was my fate and I cannot do anything about it. I tried to leave him hundreds of times, but he wouldn't let me. Everyone knows how he wouldn't permit me to leave. Especially those in his servitude, they know very well what it was like. Yes, I am regretful. Even when he was with me, I was forced to defend myself. I was slaughtered by gossip against me. What they would say didn't even seem to be about me, it was as if they were talking about someone else. It actually all began due to the uprising against Israel. Yaser was fighting against the strongest lobby, media and nation, in other words Israel. I was the weakest link. We are proud to bear the Arafat name however we are also pained by it daily. Even if I regret my marriage I have no other choice than to except reality," says Süha Arafat.
