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Palestinian leader Arafat dies at 75
« on: Nov 11th, 2004, 5:39am » |
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Palestinian leader Arafat dies at 75
State funeral to be held in Cairo
Thursday, November 11, 2004 Posted: 6:17 AM EST (1117 GMT)
PARIS, France (CNN) -- Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who passionately sought a homeland for his people but was seen by Israelis as a ruthless terrorist and roadblock to peace, died early Thursday at a Paris military hospital. He was 75.
"The last two days were very painful, very difficult days," said Saeb Erakat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, who confirmed Arafat's death Thursday morning. "And now, after these painful days of President Arafat, he is dead."
Arafat died at 3:30 a.m. (0230 GMT), a hospital spokesman said.
The speaker of the Palestinian parliament, Rawhi Fattuh, has been sworn in as the Palestinian Authority's interim president.
Fattuh praised Arafat's leadership, calling him "a man of peace," and promised to follow in his footsteps.
Elections to find a permanent replacement for Arafat will take place within 60 days.
During Arafat's illness, Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei was in charge of the Palestinian Authority, while Mahmoud Abbas led the Palestinian Liberation Organization's executive committee.
Early Thursday, the PLO's executive committee unanimously approved Abbas, a former Palestinian prime minister, to replace Arafat as PLO chairman. (Full story)
Arafat's medical condition began to deteriorate in late October, and he was flown to Paris on October 29 for medical treatment and tests.
A diagnosis of his illness has not been disclosed. The PLO's spokeswoman in Paris, Leila Shahid, said he was suffering from an abnormal blood count, and she said tests also showed "persistent abnormalities" in his digestion.
Arafat won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994, along with Israeli leaders Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres, for their work on the Oslo accords, seen at the time as a breakthrough that could lead to an independent Palestinian state and a permanent peace.
Erakat called it "heartbreaking" that Arafat died before achieving his goal of an independent Palestinian state, "and the Israeli occupation of our land has not finished yet."
But he said Arafat managed to preserve Palestinian national identity during decades without a state of their own.
After a funeral hosted by the Egyptian government in Cairo, scheduled to take place Friday, Arafat will be buried outside his headquarters compound in the West Bank city of Ramallah, where Israeli troops kept him confined for most of the last three years of his life. (Full story)
Arafat's family had wanted him buried in Jerusalem, but the Israeli government ruled that out.
"Jerusalem is the city where Jewish kings are buried, and not Arab terrorists," Israeli Justice Minister Yosef Lapid said last week.
Erakat vowed that the grave in Ramallah would be temporary.
"One day, we will have our own independent state with east Jerusalem as its capital," he said.
Foreign Minister Nabil Sha'ath is en route to Paris Thursday to accompany Arafat's body to Cairo ahead of the funeral in Cairo and interment in Ramallah.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said: "The recent events could be a historic turning point for the Middle East. Israel is a country that seeks peace and will continue in its efforts to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians without delay.
"I hope that the new Palestinian leadership ... will understand that the advancement of the relations ... depends first and foremost on them stopping terror."
In a statement, U.S. President George W. Bush called Arafat's death "a significant moment in Palestinian history.
"We express our condolences to the Palestinian people. For the Palestinian people, we hope that the future will bring peace and the fulfillment of their aspirations for an independent, democratic Palestine that is at peace with its neighbors.
"During the period of transition that is ahead, we urge all in the region and throughout the world to join in helping make progress toward these goals and toward the ultimate goal of peace." (More reaction)
Across five decades, Arafat -- adorned with his trademark checkered kaffiyeh -- was the most prominent face of Palestinian opposition to Israel, first as the head of the Palestine Liberation Organization, which carried out terrorist attacks against Israeli targets, and later as the head of the quasi-governmental Palestinian Authority, after parts of the West Bank and Gaza were returned to Palestinian control.
His death leaves no clear immediate successor to his larger-than-life role in the often fractious world of Palestinian politics.
At the time of his death, the Israelis, in retaliation for terrorist attacks inside Israel, severely restricted Arafat's movements, having confined him to his compound in Ramallah in the West Bank since December 2001.
Continuing violence, corruption and economic problems had raised questions, both at home and abroad, about his ability to lead the Palestinian Authority.
In 2003, under pressure from the United States and his own Cabinet, Arafat appointed Abbas to the new position of prime minister, a move designed to decentralize power. But Abbas resigned less than six months later, saying he did not have enough support to do the job.
Last July, Arafat announced a new reform program designed to unify security forces and tackle corruption, after his frustrated second prime minister, Qorei, also tried to resign.
Arafat is survived by his wife, Suha Tawil, who he married in 1991, and their daughter, Zahwa, who was born in 1995.
Israel has ordered a general closure of the West Bank and Gaza, according to the Israel Defense Forces, as the region prepares for the burial. (Full story)
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