W. Bank Palestinians mark 13 years since Arafat’s death

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - Hundreds of Palestinians on Thursday staged a rally in the West Bank city of Ramallah to commemorate the upcoming 13th anniversary of the death of resistance icon Yasser Arafat.

Participants raised pictures of the late leader and current Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, along with Palestinian flags and banners associated with Abbas’s Fatah movement.

Marchers, including the leaders of several Palestinian political factions, converged on Arafat’s mausoleum, which is located near the Palestinian presidency’s Ramallah headquarters.

Addressing the crowd, Fatah Vice-President Mahmoud Aloul described Arafat as "an exceptional man who the world recognized as a revolutionary and symbol of national resistance”.

Arafat, he went on to assert, “remains an inspiration for the Palestinian revolution and liberation movements around the world”.

Aloul vowed to follow in Arafat’s footsteps with a view to achieving an independent state of Palestine on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

On Tuesday, Nasser al-Qudwa, a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, reiterated earlier accusations that Israel had been responsible for Arafat’s demise.

Speaking at a press conference, al-Qudwa pointed to “considerable evidence” suggesting that the late leader had not died of natural causes and that Israel, in fact, stood behind his death.

Arafat died on Nov. 11, 2004 at a Paris hospital following a rapid deterioration of his health. He was 75 at the time of his passing.