Posted on 11/10/2004 4:53:42 AM PST by SJackson
The Israeli Cabinet has decided in principle to allow Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat to be buried in Ramallah.
Three earthmoving trucks arrived at the Mukata on Wednesday afternoon to prepare for his burial.
Interior Minister Avraham Poraz said Israel would permit a "respectful" funeral and be careful not to "upset" Palestinian feelings.
"We have no desire to provoke the Palestinian street or the Arab world, or the rest of the world," Poraz said. "So when the man dies, we have to allow them to mourn him. In their eyes he's a hero."
A farewell ceremony for Arafat will be held in Cairo's International Airport on Thursday. Arafat will be flown to Ramallah on Friday for burial after the funeral.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak offered to hold a funeral ceremony for Arafat at the Arab League in Cairo, ahead of burial in Ramallah. A senior Palestinian official in Ramallah told The Jerusalem Post that Arafat's body would first be flown from Paris to Cairo to enable world leaders to attend the farewell ceremony. He said the decision was taken in coordination with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa.
The PA has decided to send two delegations –one to Cairo and the other to Paris – to transfer Arafat's coffin to Cairo.
Israel received requests from several countries to allow an Arafat burial in Ramallah. The choice of the Ramallah headquarters appears to defuse a possible confrontation with Israel, as Israel had said in past days it would not allow a Jerusalem burial.
The security cabinet took the decision after a meeting of Israel's security chiefs at the Prime Minister's residence in Jerusalem. The security cabinet also decided that: A full closure will be imposed on the Palestinian territories; There will be no emergency call-up of reserve soldiers; Jerusalem Police will be placed on high alert to deal with the large numbers of expected worshippers to the Temple Mount for Friday prayers.
Palestinian security forces will be in charge of security in Ramallah whereas the IDF will secure the surrounding area. A message to this effect was sent to the Palestinians, and was received. The army will be placed on alert to deal with any potential attacks. All necessary means will be placed at the disposal of the army. Israeli citizens will be allowed to attend the funeral after they sign a document saying they are leaving an area under Israeli security control and take responsibility for their own safety.
A senior IDF official told Israel Radio that Israel is ready for foreign visitors to arrive through Ben Gurion Airport and the Allenby Bridge if the burial takes place in Ramallah. Most of those attending the funeral will arrive via Jordan, the official said.
A high security alert was declared for the West Bank area for Wednesday afternoon. IDF troops have beefed up their presence at checkpoints into Israel in addition to the ongoing operations being conducted in Jenin and the Nablus area.
PA Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei's office has confirmed the report that Israel had agreed to an Arafat burial in Ramallah, ITIM reported. Qurei's office added that Israel has agreed to a series of measures that would make it easier for Palestinians from across the Palestinian territories to make their way to Ramallah to attend Arafat's funeral. Qurei's office said Israel may allow Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip to travel to Ramallah in special buses.
IDF forces will beef up their presence in the Ramallah area but refrain from contact with Palestinians. In addition, Palestinians from other West Bank cities, aside from VIPs, will be able to attend if they have obtained special permits from the District Coordination Offices.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon rejected reports that some Palestinian prisoners would be released as goodwill gestures, saying, "this is not the right time for goodwill gestures, we will deal with the day after when that day arrives. There will be another discussion in the cabinet on that day," Sharon said.
Sharon said that it was possible the region was entering a new phase, but that everything hinged on an end to terrorism, as required by the road map peace plan.
The Shin Bet has no reports of a planned mass march from Ramallah to Jerusalem with Arafat's body, the agency's chief Avi Dichter said at the cabinet meeting.
Israel will do everything it can to ensure the funeral and Arafat's burial in Ramallah take place smoothly, the security cabinet decided.
Palestinian Authority officials, who arrived Wednesday at Arafat's Ramallah compound (Mukata), are expected to announce the death of Yasser Arafat after the PLO Executive Committee concludes its meeting in Ramallah on Wednesday morning.
Overnight, several Arab news outlets reported the death of the Palestinian leader from a brain hemorrhage, citing Palestinian officials. PA Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, PLO Secretary General Abu Mazen, and Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath returned to Ramallah after spending Tuesday visiting Arafat at the Percy Military Hospital in Paris.
According to reports, Suha Arafat apologized to Qurei for comments she made Monday, and Qurei accepted her apology. Speaking to al-Jazeera from Percy Hospital in Paris, Suha said Arafat's aides were coming to Paris "to bury him alive."
Israel had originally limited the potential burial sites to the Gaza Strip for security reasons, yet Israeli security officials said late Tuesday that the Israeli government would apparently not object to a West Bank burial.
"All discussions and assessments by security officials focused on Gaza, after Israel made it clear that the Temple Mount and Abu Dis [east of Jerusalem] were not negotiable," a security official told The Jerusalem Post.
"As for Ramallah, while it has not been raised in discussions, if the Palestinian Authority submits a formal request, it will be considered. It will not be ruled out, but Gaza remains the most suitable option," the official said.
On the Palestinian street, more and more people are calling for the return of jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, Fatah sources told The Jerusalem Post.
"Unfortunately, in the pages of history the words 'place of burial unknown' will not be written next to Arafat's name," Immigrant Absorption Minister Tzipi Livni said on Israel Radio Wednesday morning.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad held a joint emergency meeting in Gaza City Tuesday night to discuss the post-Arafat era, Israel Radio reported.
The Al-Jazeera television network quoted Palestinian sources as saying they did not rule out the possibility that Israel would eventually agree to bury Arafat in Jerusalem on condition that the funeral is held elsewhere. The sources said secret talks were under way between Israeli and Palestinian officials on the matter.
The Council of Jewish Communities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip (Yesha Council) has rejected a Foreign Ministry request to hire bulletproof buses in order to transport participants in Arafat's funeral in Ramallah.
I guess this means he is dead?
Wait a minute? He's dead now?
I didn't get the memo!
So his condition is stable, and he'll be... buried Friday?
*oy vey!*
Bury him anyway.
Either way, I'm glad to hear it.
Will he be burried 'undead' ?
Sounds like a plan!
Bury him in a stable..
Arafat's condition is "very complex", indeed.
ABC Radio News was saying that Arafat's grave in Ramallah will become an "instant shrine", attracting hundreds of thousands. I do not think they could be more wrong. I think the vast majority of Palis don't care much about Arafat. Arafat was a relentless self-promoter, and now that he is no longer in control, nobody will miss him.
My prediction is that the only people making the pilgrimage to Ramallah will Western liberals and peaceniks, who will find the grave untended and forgotten by the local population.
Burying him.....DEAD OR ALIVE
Will Ringo Starr play at the funeral?
Funeral homes have to maintain a dignified and businesslike appearance. They can't work on an on-again off-again basis. Friday it is!
Theye're going to have to be sure he dies today if he's going to make it to a Friday funeral, not to mention tomorrows goodbye in Cairo.
If not just strap a few sticks of dynamite around him and remove all doubt.
It would be quite appropriate to fill his coffin with C-4 and ball bearings and at the height of the funeral set it off. A tribute to his many accomplishments. Someone invite Bill and Hill.
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