MIDEAST: Palestinians rally, hold vigil, to keep memory of Arafat alive

Record ID: 858634

  • Title: MIDEAST: Palestinians rally, hold vigil, to keep memory of Arafat alive
  • Date: 13th November 2005
  • Summary: GAZA CITY, GAZA STRIP (NOVEMBER 12, 2005) (REUTERS) MASKED GUNMEN FACING BUILDING, AUDIO OF GUNFIRE, AT RALLY HELD IN MEMORY OF LATE PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT YASSER ARAFAT MASKED MAN HOLDING MOCK MISSILE / SUN SHINING IN BACKGROUND POSTER OF ARAFAT HANGING ON WALL, AUDIO OF GUNFIRE YOUTHS WAVING PALESTINIAN FLAGS MAN SITTING ON SHOULDERS OF OTHER DEMONSTRATOR IN CROWD OF THOUSANDS PALESTINIAN RIOT POLICE SECURING EVENT PROTESTERS HOLDING POSTER OF ARAFAT, AUDIO OF GUNFIRE MASKED GUNMEN CARRYING POSTER OF ARAFAT PALESTINIAN OFFICIALS ATTENDING RALLY CLOSEUP OF PALESTINIAN DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER NABIL SHA'ATH RALLY VARIOUS OF DEMONSTRATORS WAVING FLAGS, MAN FIRING IN THE AIR RALLY
  • Embargoed: 28th November 2005 12:00
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  • Topics: International Relations,People
  • Reuters ID: LVADM3AD0ZLK5Y0RQV9LO74658TV
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  • Story Text: Thousands of Palestinians rallied in Gaza on Saturday (November 12) to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of Palestinian president Yasser Arafat. Arafat died on November 11, 2004 at a French military hospital in Paris. Palestinians continue to speculate about the cause of Arafat's death. A Palestinian ministerial inquiry proved inconclusive but said his death was not caused by germs, cancer, poisoning or Aids. His wife, Suha, refused to allow an autopsy. Masked gunmen shot in the air and the crowd chanted slogans in a rally attended by Palestinian officials. Posters of Arafat were draped from buildings in Gaza City's square and some men in the crowd wore the traditional Palestinian Keffiyeh scarf that became Arafat's trademark. Arafat, a former guerrilla leader who won a Nobel Peace Prize and the deep admiration of his people only to sink into renewed conflict with Israel, left a complicated legacy. His death, after years of being shunned by the United States and Israel who considered him an obstacle to peace, stirred hope for a revival of peacemaking for the first time in years. The anniversary was also marked by Palestinians in East Jerusalem who held a candlelit vigil on a street corner, under the watch of Israeli security. In recent days, memorial services were held across the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Arafat's successor, was elected in January on a platform of non-violence. He quickly forged a ceasefire agreement between Palestinian militants and Israel that smoothed the way for Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in September after 38 years of occupation. But flare-ups of fighting have dampened immediate prospects for any real breakthrough towards peace. On Friday (November 11) Palestinians held commemoration ceremonies across the West Bank. Mahmoud Abbas, Arafat's successor, led a rally attended by top officials from major factions and a handful of foreign diplomats in honour of Arafat, who died aged 75 having failed to realise his dream of a Palestinian state. The focus of the official commemoration was Arafat's headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah where he spent his final years isolated and encircled by the Israeli army.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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