 |
Children held candles at the burial site of the late Palestinian leader in Ramallah. (Reuters) |
GAZA/RAMALLAH — Divided on almost everything else, rival Palestinian groups were united on Sunday, November 11, in commemorating the third anniversary of their late iconic leader Yasser Arafat's death.
"We agreed with president Abu Ammar a lot and we disagreed with him a lot, but in spite of this we consider him a symbol of the Palestinian nation," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
"His memory will endure forever, in every Palestinian boy and girl, in every man regardless of his political affiliations."
Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in mid-June after routing security forces loyal to Arafat's Fatah group.
Arafat died mysteriously in a Paris hospital on November 11, 2004, at the age of 75.
Several Palestinian officials have accused Israel of poisoning him but medical officials have never managed to confirm the cause of death.
On Saturday, November 10, dozens of Palestinian leaders and foreign dignitaries gathered in the West Bank city of Ramallah to open a new mausoleum complex for Arafat.
The11 by 11 meters new mausoleum complex features a 30 meter lighthouse with a laser beacon pointing in the direction of occupied Al-Quds, where Arafat always wished to be buried.
It includes a mosque and a museum exhibiting Arafat's personal effects, items from his office, presents and documents, and a passage to the office where Arafat was holed up at the end of his life.
Arafat's tomb has become an obligatory rite of passage for foreign dignitaries who come to Ramallah.
Symbol
|
|
Abbas hoped Arafat's wish to be buried in Al-Quds would be realized. (Reuters)
|
In the West Bank, tens of thousands of people gathered in the political capital of Ramallah.
Children held candles at the burial site of the late Palestinian leader in Ramallah.
Palestinians painted pictures of Arafat on walls in Gaza.
Exiled Palestinians living in Saudi Arabia also commemorated the death anniversary at the Palestinian embassy in Riyadh.
Arafat is still exalted by Palestinians of all political stripes and his portrait is a ubiquitous fixture on the walls of government offices, even in the Gaza Strip.
President Mahmoud Abbas has vowed to press on with his iconic predecessor's drive for a Palestinian state.
"We will continue on the path to set up the independent Palestinian state with Al-Quds as its capital, God willing," he said at the mausoleum unveiling ceremony.
Abbas, who is preparing for a US-hosted peace conference with Israel, said he hoped Arafat's wish to be buried in Al-Quds would be realized along with the Palestinians' dream of making the holy city their capital.
Arafat founded the secular Fatah movement in the 1960s, leading the fight against Israel before signing an interim peace deal in 1993.
That agreement broke down in botched talks over a final accord.
"Arafat was the embodiment of steadfastness in the face of storms, and was unwavering in clinging to Palestinian national rights," said Taysir Khaled, a senior member of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
"In his size and stature he transcended the borders of his country, Palestine."
In the run-up to the anniversary, official Palestinian television has been broadcasting songs glorifying Arafat.
One of the songs is full of longing for the man "with the big heart who departed and left us alone".
Images of Arafat wearing his trademark black-and-white chequered keffiyeh and excerpts of his speeches have been flashed across the screen.
|
