Then the story disappeared, but not before it was picked up by other Arab websites and Facebook pages. (It may have originated here.)
No one seems to have looked closely at the statue, though, because it shows Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin, a famed Russian writer and historian.
Which might explain why it disappeared from Ma'an.
However, some of the headlines in the media concerning the fake story are quite enlightening. They said "Yasser Arafat honored in the European capitals before Arab capitals."
And I had never thought about it, but I am not aware of any Arafat memorials in any Arab states! A quick search doesn't find any, although there were almost certainly false rumors about one in Brazil last year.
Apparently, no one in the Middle East or the West was really fooled by Arafat by the time of his timely demise. No one outside of Palestinian Arab areas is pretending he was a great statesman or leader, or even that he was a great military leader.
I think that this says volumes about the "peace process." I don't think anyone thinks any better of Abbas than of Arafat, as a leader or as a peacemaker. Yet the world keeps barreling forward as if he has any stature whatsoever, because of the bizarre notion that a fake peace plan signed now is more important than actual peace - one that requires leadership, mutual respect and real compromises.
The Arab world and the West all hailed Arafat as a great leader when he was alive. Upon his death, we can see that it was all an act -no one wants to honor the syphilitic master of lies nowadays. Today's concern over "peace" using a discredited land-for-peace formula where releasing murderers is considered a prerequisite before even "peace" talks can begin is, I suspect, an act as well, but one that is played out with gusto because no one in the West is wise enough to consider any alternatives.
UPDATE: I hadn't looked closely enough; the photo was Photoshopped to look more like Arafat. The original is here.(h/t FJSC)