Friday, Nov 12, 2004
Thousands of Palestinians gathered in Ramallah to pay their respects to Yassir Arafat, the Palestinian leader, whose body arrived at the West Bank following a funeral service in Cairo attended by heads of state and foreign ministers from around the world.
Amid scenes of chaos, the Palestinian security forces shot their guns in the air to try to control the crowd around the helicopter that brought Mr Arafat's body for his burial in the Ramallah compound where he spent almost three years under virtual Israeli siege.
The military funeral procession for the Palestinian leader was followed by a public ceremony in central Cairo's al-Azhar mosque.
William Burns, an assistant secretary of state, represented the United States at the funeral ceremonies.
In contrast, France's prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, foreign minister Michel Barnier and other senior French officials attended a ceremony at a military airport near Paris as Arafat's coffin was placed aboard an aircraft en route for Cairo.
A French military honour guard saluted with drawn swords as the coffin passed by, while a military band played funereal music.
The gun and the olive branch
Mr Arafat, who for more than four decades wielded both the gun and the olive branch to advance the cause of his people, died at the age of 75 early on Thursday in a Paris hospital.
His death - at 3.30am Paris time - was announced in the West Bank city of Ramallah and shortly afterwards confirmed by the Percy Military hospital south of Paris, where he had been staying since October 29 after being flown from his compound in Ramallah for treatment.
Arafat suffered a brain haemorrhage two days ago and fell into a coma. The official announcement of his death came after days of conflicting reports about his health.
After Arafat's death was confirmed, Rawhi Fattuh, parliament speaker, was sworn in as acting head of the Palestinian Authority on Thursday.
Arafat left no single successor. Those who will take over his roles in the Palestinian Liberation Organisation will face the challenge of completing the task that remained unfulfilled at the time of his death - the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. The tabular content relating to this article is not available to view. Apologies in advance for the inconvenience caused.
Palestinian statehood was a pipe dream when Arafat founded his Fatah movement in 1958 and later secured the leadership of the PLO.
Today, the concept of an independent state existing side by side with Israel is part of an international consensus, endorsed by the US and accepted even by Ariel Sharon, Israeli prime minister and Mr Arafat's most implacable opponent.
On Wednesday, the leadership decided that, following Palestinian law, Arafat would be succeeded as Palestinian Authority president by Rawhi Fattouh, parliamentary speaker, for a period of 60 days pending elections to choose a successor. Mahmoud Abbas, former prime minister, will succeed him as chairman of the PLO, while Ahmed Qurei, the current prime minister, will run government and security affairs.
Abdelrahim Mallouh, deputy head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestinian, told al-Jazeera television from an Israeli jail: "Leaders go, individuals go, but the cause remains."
The news broke in the Palestinian territories just after dawn as Muslims finished their last meal before the daily Ramadan fast. People then began to gather in Ramallah's main Manara Square. A man in his '30s said: "Since we were tiny, we always heard the name of Abu Amar [Arafat]."
Mr Sharon - Arafat's long-time enemy who once said he wished he had killed the Palestinian leader when he had the chance - said Arafat's death could be a "turning point" in the Middle East peace process.
Yosef Lapid, IsrThe tabular content relating to this article is not available to view. Apologies in advance for the inconvenience caused.aeli justice minister, told Israel radio: "I hated him, not personally, but a deep hatred for a man who made terrorism a method in the world."
Israeli forces, already on high alert in anticipation of Arafat's death, began implementation of a plan aimed at maintaining peace and stability including closure of the Palestinian territories.
President George W. Bush said: "The death of Yassir Arafat is a significant moment in Palestinians' history."
Harvey Morris in Ramallah
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