The death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat creates the risk of further instability and conflict in the Middle East, New Zealand's Foreign Minister Phil Goff said on Thursday. In a statement released shortly after Arafat's death was announced in France, Goff said Arafat's main achievement was "to win acknowledgement for the existence of the Palestinian nation and to advocate for the rights of a dispossessed and disadvantaged people.
"Arafat deliberately made no provision for his successor, and the gap left by his death creates a risk of instability and conflict."
He said Arafat shared with Israel the responsibility for failing to finalise a peace settlement.
"His failure was to not make the transformation from resistance leader to statesman... Under his leadership the Palestinian Authority was marked by incompetence, corruption and a lack of constitutional and democratic procedure." Goff said.