Propaganda wars
Just as the neocons want to connect Irak to Al Qaeda, Sharon wants to do the same between Al Qaeda and Arafat.
Yet, Bin Laden never helped the Palestinians, over the years.
Leilah Shadid, the PLO representative in France said the same thing about the other Arab countries. She resented the fact that the oil rich Arab countries never offered to help the Palestinians.
Because of their commitment to the US, according to her (at least in the authorities level).
Raoul