Arafat commemorated in Ramallah

[Scurrilous]

On second anniversary of his death, thousands flock to Muqata for memorial ceremony of late PA Chairman Yasser Arafat. Abbas: Israel kills women, children, elderly and we have chosen peace

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3326756,00.html

<snip>

"The Palestinian Authority is commemorating the second anniversary of Former Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat Saturday. Longings for the late leader in the Palestinian street have only intensified. Thousands of people flocked to the central memorial ceremony taking place in the Muqata compound in Ramallah where PA President Mahmoud Abbas will speak.

Since Saturday morning, thousands of people have shown up at Arafat's grave in the Muqata to lay flowers. Sources in the PA reported that the roads leading to the Muqata are packed with cars filled with people making their way to the site.

Leaders of the various Palestinian organizations, representatives of the diplomatic corps, as well as members of Knesset from the Arab parties and Israeli peace activists are participating in the ceremony."

<snip>

"Ceremonies commemorating Arafat have been held in every village and town throughout the Palestinian Authority and in almost every place in which there is a monument immortalizing the late leader in the past few days."

[Boston Critic]

1. Maybe they were just looking...

...to find out where Arafat hid the millions upon millions of dollars of foreign aid he stole from his people and hid in foreign bank accounts.

[bemildred]

2. The Prisoner of Ramallah

Uri Avnery 2.8.03

Every television viewer recognizes the bridge between the last two buildings left standing among the ruins of the Mukata'ah (compound) in Ramallah.

During one of my last visits, a Palestinian officer pointed to a simple table and chair near one of the windows of this bridge. Through this window a stretch of the Palestinian landscape beyond the town is visible. "Here Abu-Amar likes to sit between meetings and look out," he explained. Abu-Amar is the affectionate name for Yasser Arafat.

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He is the most hated person in Israel. Rightists and Leftists compete with each other in expressing their hatred of him. There is hardly an article by an Israeli "Leftist" which does not include some words of abhorrence about him.

He is the most admired and beloved leader of his own people, and apparently the leader most admired by the masses throughout the Arab and Muslim world.

http://gush-shalom.org/archives/article261.html