It's worth noting that the Haaretz interview of Yasser Arafat was done by veteran correspondent Akiva Eldar and new Haaretz Editor-in-Chief David Landau. The reason is because a few years back, during the current intifada, Eldar had an exclusive interview with the Palestinian leader which suggested that Arafat was ready and willing to end the violence and make peace.
But the Haaretz staffperson who transcribed that taped interview for the Haaretz English edition felt that Arafat's comments on the tape - some of which were omitted from Eldar's report - were not nearly as optimistic regarding peace as Eldar made them out to be. Upon mentioning this to a very senior member of the Haaretz English edition, it became clear that some at Haaretz feel Eldar, among other Haaretz reporters, allows his leftist political views to obstruct his objectivity as a reporter.
Maybe that's why Eldar wasn't allowed to visit the Muqata alone this time.
