The Man of Twists and Turns

In his New Republic blog, the magazine’s honcho Marty Peretz rightly rails at the failure of the Fatah Party to agree on anything at its conference this week in Bethlehem — except that Israel killed Arafat. Rails because, of course, that’s not going to reform this corrupt bunch of villains who’re currently clogging Manger Square with their swanky wheels, nor is it going to improve the daily life of ordinary Palestinians one bit. Peretz then notes: “If you want to read a wonderful detective thriller by Matt Beynon Rees, whom L’Express called “the Dashiell Hammet of Palestine,” pick up The Samaritan’s Secret, in which Arafat’s late life and death lurk as vivid presence and macabre ghost.”