November 12, 2005

Thousands of Palestinians gathered near Yasser Arafat's grave in his old West Bank compound on Friday for a subdued commemoration of the first anniversary of their iconic leader's death.

Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas, his successor, led a rally attended by top officials from major factions and a handful of foreign diplomats in honor of Arafat, who died aged 75 having failed to realize his dream of a Palestinian state.

The focus of the official commemoration was Arafat's old headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah where he spent his final years isolated and encircled by the Israeli army.

"I renew the pledge to continue on the path that he started and exert whatever efforts are needed to raise the flag of Palestine on the walls, the minarets and the churches of Jerusalem," Abbas said in a speech at the rally.

Abbas, like many in the crowd, wore the traditional Palestinian "keffiyeh" scarf that became Arafat's trademark. Pictures of Arafat were held by many in the crowd.

Abbas earlier laid the foundation stone for a new mausoleum complex while Koranic verses were broadcast over loudspeakers.

Many shops in West Bank cities stayed closed, with portraits of Arafat adorning their shutters. Smaller ceremonies were held in Bethlehem and Hebron. In the Gaza Strip, a low-key memorial gathering was held on Thursday night.

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.

Abbas, elected in January on a platform of non-violence, forged a ceasefire agreement that smoothed the way for Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip after 38 years of occupation.

But flare-ups of fighting have dampened immediate prospects for any real breakthrough towards peace.

"The Israelis and some Westerners are trying to delete Arafat from our memory, but he will remain alive in our hearts," said Israeli Arab lawmaker Ahmed Tibi, a former Arafat adviser.

Continuing tensions
While putting the onus on Israel for its continued grip on the West Bank, Abbas called on militants to adhere to the truce and warned that violations "will not be tolerated".

Though lawlessness has risen in the Palestinian territories in recent months, Abbas, 70, has avoided the collapse into anarchy that many had feared.

But he continues to struggle with the fallout from Arafat's long, autocratic rule and his corruption-ridden administration,

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, in response to recent Palestinian attacks that drew Israeli missile strikes in Gaza, has ruled out talks until Abbas reins in and disarms
militants.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said Palestinians now had a chance to escape from a "situation of corruption and terror" that he blamed on Arafat.

"Abbas believes that terror is not the answer. He goes by the motto of 'one authority, one law, one security service'," Regev said. "But we don't see him putting this motto into use."

Abbas is reluctant to challenge the armed groups, fearing civil war, and says Israel's continued settlement expansion in the West Bank is a major obstacle to peace.

SOURCE: WWW