The trial of Sami al-Arian – the Florida professor accused of facilitating the murder and mayhem of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror organization – has not gotten much play here, but it is having its very interesting moments. One of them came yesterday: a wiretap conversation from October 2000, in which one of al-Arian’s co-defendants, Sameeh Hammoudeh, is overheard explaining the private views of his friend, Nobel laureate and all around good guy Yassir Arafat, about the then ongoing “peace process” negotiations with Israel’s then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Readers may recall that, under heavy pressure from the Clinton administration, Barak offered the deal of the century, yet his “peace partner” turned him down flat. According to the St. Petersburg Times:

Buried in several of Hammoudeh’s conversations with an “unidentified male” in October 2000 is surprising inside information on the private views of Palestinian Authority’s leader Yasser Arafat about ongoing peace negotiations with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
Despite what Arafat was saying publicly about supporting the negotiations, Hammoudeh’s telephone conversations tell a different story, according to the prosecution’s evidence. Unidentified Male: “Abu Ammar (Arafat) told me that everything has been screwed up . . . Since February (he) has been hopeless, finished. From February . . . eight months ago . . . (Arafat) has had a closing with this Barak . . . I sat with (Arafat) in his room and he told me: ‘It’s useless.’ But he doesn’t say this on television. He says ‘my partner.’ … “We sat with (Arafat) . . . and he told me that it was over . . . and we should seek other avenues. . . . “Do whatever you see fit. Military action if you want to, or whatever. . . . I will not interfere.’ ” He offered this summary of Arafat’s private words to him: “Proceed and do not be afraid. Anything I do or say, ignore me.”