Arafat's Tomb in Ramallah, Palestinian Territories
Where is Yasser Arafat’s Tomb?
It’s in the city of Ramallah, deemed by many to be the “capital city” of Palestine. I certainly class it as such. On my visit I flew the Northern Ireland flag at the Square of Flags that recognise Palestine as a country.
Buses from Jerusalem run daily. They are all Palestinian buses and I’ve touched on this before in my post on drinking at the Taybeh Beer Festival in Ramallah. Israelis obviously are not allowed to visit Arafat’s tomb, nor indeed Ramallah.
Facts About Yasser Arafat’s Tomb
• It was opened on 10th November 2007
• The Israeli government refused the demands for Yasser Arafat to be buried in Jerusalem
• It is manned by armed guards 24/7
• Israelis are forbidden to visit
• Photographs are permitted inside
• You should not smile or laugh when visiting
• As a bonus, Yasser Arafat’s tomb sits on a walkway which is opposite a square of flags. These flags are all the countries that recognise Palestine as a country. I was there to fly my Northern Ireland flag in the apparent absence of one.
If you happen to be in Ramallah or the West Bank part of Palestine, head over to check out Yasser’s tomb.
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Russian president arrives in Ramallah, visits Arafat's grave
SHOTLIST
1. Armed soldier waiting on route that Russian President Vladimir Putin is travelling , heading to muqaata to meet Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas
2. Security on road
3. Convoy arriving
4. Various of security
5. Mid shot Abbas and Palestinian officials walking to greet Putin
6. Various of car carrying Russian President Vladimir Putin arriving
7. Side shot of Putin being greeted by Mahmoud Abbas and walking
8. Putin and Abbas listening to national anthems
9. Pull out from protester holding banner, to military band playing
10. Various of Putin and Abbas inspecting honour guard
11. Mid shot of Putin meeting Palestinian officials along red carpet
12. Mid shot Putin walking towards late-Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat's tomb
13. Wreath being laid, Putin and Abbas standing behind
14. Side shot of Putin paying respects at tomb (Abbas next to him)
15. Putin and Abbas walking away, pull out
16. Putin and Abbas leaving to hold talks, followed by officials, zoom out to wide shot of muqaata
17. Putin and Abbas walking towards muqaata for talks
18. Putin and Abbas shaking hands on steps of muqaata
19. Various of photo-op with Putin, Abbas and delegations inside muqaata
STORYLINE:
Russian President Vladimir Putin laid a wreath at the tomb of the late-Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Friday and held talks with Arafat's successor, Mahmoud Abbas, but Palestinians held out little hope for concrete results.
Putin was greeted at the Palestinian headquarters, known as the muqaata, by an honour guard of Palestinian security forces.
A military band played a version of Russia's national anthem and the Palestinian anthem as Putin and Abbas stood side by side.
Security officers then placed a wreath, with a banner reading from the president of the Russian Federation, before Arafat's tomb.
Putin approached, bowed his head, stood silently at attention for a few seconds, bowed again and walked away.
Dozens of Russian women married to Palestinian men stood outside the compound, greeting the Russian leader's arrival with chants of
Putin.
Putin, the first Kremlin leader to visit the region, arrived with a plan to sell 50 armoured personnel carriers and two helicopters to the Palestinians to replace vehicles destroyed during more than 4 1/2 years of Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
But Israel was trying to scuttle the deal, fearing the armoured vehicles could fall into the hands of militants.
The helicopters would be used to transport Abbas.
Israel destroyed the Palestinian Authority's presidential helicopters as part of its campaign to limit the movement of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who is accompanying Putin, said Thursday that the two sides would discuss how Russia could assist the
Palestinians with their security.
But when asked if Israel wouldn't be upset by the sale of armoured personnel carriers, he replied, This is an offer not so much for Israel, but for the Palestinians.
Putin, who is in Ramallah on the last day of his three-day visit to the area, arrived in the region promoting a fall Mideast peace conference in Moscow to which Palestinians responded enthusiastically.
But the idea dropped off the table during Wednesday's talks in Jerusalem after Israel and the U.S. expressed reservations.
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West Bank - Arrival Yasser Arafat in Ramallah
T/I 10:31:31
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Wednesday (28/8) called on Palestinians across the occupied territories to observe a general strike on Thursday to protest against Israeli moves to expand Jewish settlements and close Palestinian institutions in east Jerusalem.
SHOWS:
RAMALLAH, WEST BANK, 28 AUGUST, 1996
Palestinian boy scouts band play;
Helicopters landing;
Arafat exit from the helicopter;
Arafat walking through crowds;
Palestinian police in truck
1.22
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President Abbas returns to Ramallah, visits Arafat's tomb
(2 Dec 2012)
AGENCY POOL
1. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas standing during military ceremony
2. Abbas standing as band plays at ceremony
3. Abbas walking on red carpet
4. Abbas talking to Palestinian officials
5. Wide of Abbas arriving at grave of the late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat
6. Abbas walking towards grave
7. Abbas laying wreath at Arafat's grave
8. Wide of Abbas standing by Arafat's grave
AP TELEVISION NEWS
9. Pan from outdoor screen to crowd
10. Various of Abbas being escorted by officers through cheering crowd
11. Pull out from Abbas on stage to crowd
12. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian President:
Our great nation Palestine has achieved an historic achievement in the United Nations. And the 29th of November 2012 has become a sign of a positive turn in the struggle on the path to our homeland.
13. Wide of crowd
14. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian President:
Yes, to the state of Palestine, yes to the freedom of Palestine, yes to the independence of Palestine, no to aggression, settlements and occupation.
15. Wide of crowds cheering
16. Abbas on stage with children
STORYLINE:
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas returned home to the West Bank and a hero's welcome on Sunday after winning a resounding endorsement for Palestinian independence at the United Nations (UN).
Some 5,000 people thronged a square outside Abbas' government headquarters in Ramallah.
Many hoisted Palestinian flags and balloons in the colours of the flag.
Abbas told the crowd yes to the state of Palestine, yes to the freedom of Palestine, yes to the independence of Palestine, no to aggression, settlements and occupation.
Palestine has achieved an historic achievement in the United Nations, he said.
The 29th of November 2012 has become a sign of a positive turn in the struggle on the path to our homeland, Abbas added.
The United Nations voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to accept a Palestinian state in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem as a non-member observer state.
The Palestinians' upgrade passed at the General Assembly 138-9, with 41 abstentions last week.
The Western-backed Palestinian president turned to the United Nations after four years of deadlock in Middle East peace efforts.
Abbas has said he hoped the UN bid will help restart frozen peace talks with Israel over a future Palestinian state.
But he refused to negotiate so long as Israeli settlement construction continues.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said peace talks must resume immediately, but without preconditions.
Netanyahu announced earlier in the week a decision to build three thousand more homes in the West Bank.
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Palestinians' Anger at Oppression and Arafat's Leadership (2002)
Thin Ice (2002) - Arafat is seen by many as the main antagonist to a lasting peace in the Middle East. And now even his own people are questioning his corrupt authority.
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50% of Palestinians now live below the $2 per day poverty line; unemployment is at 75%. “People are at breaking point,” says a Nablus optician. And the oppression is becoming more claustrophobic. Rolls of razor wire and IDF roadblocks corral 3 million Palestinians, preventing them from going anywhere, including hospital. A new hi-tech ‘Berlin Wall’ will further increase the isolation. Only settlers at the 69 new settlements have any freedom of movement.
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Danmarks Radio – Ref. 1399
S3: Ramallah | E5: Yasser Arafat Museum
This museum is an educational and cultural exhibit that aims to showcase to the people of Palestine and the world, the narrative of the Palestinian National Movement through the life and work of Yasser Arafat, the historic leader of the Palestinian people.
PaliRoots™ - The Palestine Movement
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⭐️Sponsored by Penny Appeal USA:
Penny Appeal USA is a nonprofit development organization working to alleviate poverty through both long term sustainable programs and emergency relief in over 30 countries. One of PA USA’s key focus areas in Palestine. PA USA’s projects stretch all over Palestine from Gaza to the West Bank, providing essential support to the Palestinian People.
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eupribeag.com (PS) Palestine's capital Ramallah - Yasser Arafat mausoleum
Yasser Arafat established his West Bank headquarters in Ramallah. Although considered an interim solution, Ramallah became the de facto capital of the Palestinian Authority, now officially known as the State of Palestine.
Palestinian president praying for Eid at Arafat tomb
SHOTLIST
1. Exterior of presidential compound
2. Mid of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arriving at compound
3. Various of prayers in compound
4. Guards next to Yasser Arafat's grave, Arafat's portrait in background
5. Mid of guards
6. Abbas laying flowers on grave
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian President:
We hope that next year will be the year of peace and stability in the world and in Palestine.
8. Cutaway of guards, Arafat's portrait in background
9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian President:
We discussed the issue of the prisoners with Mr. Olmert and he promised to study this issue and to release a symbolic number of prisoners before the Eid but unfortunately he did not fulfil his promise. We hope he will fulfil it after the Eid.
10. Abbas leaving
STORYLINE
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas expressed his hope on Saturday that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will uphold his promise to release Palestinian prisoners.
Abbas made the comment as he and other Muslims gathered for prayers in Ramallah to mark Eid al-Adha, the Muslim Feast of Sacrifice.
We discussed the issue of the prisoners with Mr. Olmert and he promised to study this issue and to release a symbolic number of prisoners before the Eid but unfortunately he did not fulfil his promise. We hope he will fulfil it after the Eid, Abbas said.
Israel rejected the Palestinian president's request for a quick release of prisoners to bolster nascent peace moves, saying that Palestinian militants must first free a captured Israeli soldier.
Friday's decision was a setback for the moderate Palestinian leader as he jockeyed with the radical Islamic Hamas group for popular support in the increasingly turbulent West Bank and Gaza.
Abbas had hoped Israeli concessions would strengthen his argument that talks - not violence - are the Palestinians' best hope for achieving a state.
Olmert, himself fighting low approval ratings, has sought in recent weeks to re-energise his government with a push to revive long-stalled peace efforts with the Palestinians.
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Yasser Arafat Tomb
President Yasser Arafat's tomb in Ramallah, Palestine. Dec. 2010
Arafat inside compound, body in Bethlehem, Jenin aftermath
Ramallah, West Bank
1. Various shots of Arafat seated with the Romanian foreign minister Mircea Geoana
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Yasser Arafat, Palestinian leader
Certainly the international conference, which was supposed to be held to solve the whole situation here, and which had been mentioned in the committee of the four - the Europeans, the Americans, the Russians and the United Nations - and will be repeated again in Washington this week. And I have to thank his excellency and the presidents for what they are doing to push for the success of this meeting.
3. Various Israeli tanks and vehicles clearing outside Arafat's compound
Bethlehem, West Bank
4. Israeli truck driving away from Church of the Nativity
5. Body being carried out of Church of Nativity on stretcher by monks
6. Troops on street
7. Cutaway sign
8. Monks re-entering church
9. Israeli tank moving outside church
Jenin, West Bank
10. Various Palestinians living amongst rubble
STORYLINE:
After five months of confinement, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is free to go where he wants, Israel says.
But as that stand-off appears to near resolution, the two sides remain deadlocked over the fate of gunmen at the Church of the Nativity, while the latest Israeli military incursion has left nine Palestinians dead in Hebron.
Arafat met the Romanian foreign minister inside his compound in Ramallah on Monday.
At another flashpoint, the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, a Palestinian militiaman was killed by Israeli sniper fire on Monday when he walked into a courtyard, the army said.
Three monks later carried the body out of the compound.
The church, built over the grotto traditionally held to be the birthplace of Jesus, has been under Israeli siege for a month, with more than 200 armed Palestinians holed up inside.
Meanwhile, Israel gave its consent to ending Arafat's confinement with the understanding that the US, in turn, would stand by Israel's side in an increasingly tense showdown with the United Nations over a fact-finding mission to the Jenin refugee camp, government officials said.
Israel said it wouldn't cooperate with a UN mission looking into a week-long battle between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen at the Jenin camp unless demands for changes in the composition and mandate of the team were met.
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GAZA: YASSER ARAFAT FIGHTS TO SAVE PEACE PROCESS WITH ISRAEL
Natural Sound
As Yasser Arafat fights to save the peace process with Israel, the Palestinian legislature born of the peacemaking headed to Gaza to convene for the first time.
Thursday's meeting sets the clock ticking for changes in the Palestinian Liberation Organisation charter that call for Israel's destruction.
Under the terms of Israel-PLO peace agreement signed last fall, the council has two months to make the amendment.
A blustery morning for a new beginning for the Palestinian council.
Newly elected members of the Palestinian legislature are arriving for their inaugural meeting.
Strict Israeli security measures meant council members from the West Bank had to be specially escorted to the meeting by Israeli military vehicles.
P-L-O Chairman, Yasser Arafat arrived under great pomp and ceremony at Thursday's meeting.
He has agreed to help Shimon Peres arrest the militant Muslims of Hamas who could have been involved in the four recent attacks in Israel.
The Palestinian Authority, as a whole, has taken pains to prove that it was complying with Israel's demand for a war on Hamas.
Arafat's forces raided the Gaza Strip's Islamic University, a Hamas hotbed, on Wednesday.
The night before, they joined in an arrest sweep with Israel for the first time, seizing relatives of a suspected suicide bomber.
Thursday's meeting in Gaza is meant to set a two-month clock ticking on a promised revocation of clauses in the P-L-O charter that call for Israel's destruction.
Until that happens, Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres warned, the peace process is on hold, and Israel will not pull out of Hebron, the last West Bank town under its control.
Although amendment of the charter is tied to the council's inauguration, it is not the council that must amend it.
Under the terms of the Israeli-P-L-O accords it is another body, the Palestinian National Council, that must re-write the charter.
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GAZA CITY: YASSER ARAFAT SWORN IN AS PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT
Arabic/Nat
P-L-O leader Yasser Arafat has taken the oath of office as President of the autonomous Palestine areas after his victory in the recent elections.
Arafat pledged to be the defender of the Palestinians' interests and fulfill the national hope.
The ceremony was held in the White House, a recently refurbished building in downtown Gaza City where the newly-elected Palestinian council will meet.
A band played the Palestinian anthem, Biladi, Biladi (My Homeland) as Yasser Arafat marched past the guard of honour, saluting rows of uniformed police.
The ceremony was held in the White House, a recently refurbished two-storey building in downtown Gaza City where the Palestinian council, elected January 20th, will meet.
The 88 newly elected council members are scheduled to convene for the first time late next week, following the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
With his right hand on the Koran, the Muslim holy book, Arafat pledged to defend the Palestinians' interests and fulfill the national hope.
SOUNDBITE: (Arabic)
In the name of God the compassionate, I swear I shall be faithful to the country and defend the constitution and the law and defend all the interests of the Palestinian people and their territory and fulfill the national hope. May God bear witness to what I pledged.
SUPER CAPTION: Yasser Arafat, President of the Palestinian Authority
About 100 spectators attended Monday's ceremony, including council members, uniformed Palestinian police officials and members of Arafat's Cabinet.
By holding the ceremony nearly two weeks before the council members are sworn in, Arafat emphasised that his power does not depend on them.
In the Palestinian election, council candidates were chosen regionally.
Arafat was the only candidate on all the ballots - allowing him to claim that he is the sole representative of all the Palestinian people.
Final results released Saturday night showed Arafat with 87 point 1 per cent of the vote.
Members of his Fatah faction won 50 of 88 council seats.
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Former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's mausoleum unveiled
1. Wide of presidential band marching near mausoleum
2. Mid shot of grave in mausoleum
3. Wide tilt down from mosque to mausoleum
4. Close up of sign on mausoleum
5. Wide exterior of guard outside mausoleum
6. Mid of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas (in red tie) and Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad arriving at the grave
7. Mid of mausoleum
8. Mid of Abbas laying wreath at mausoleum
9. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian president:
We will continue with our quest to have the body of our martyr and leader Yasser Arafat re-buried in Jerusalem, where he always wanted to be buried; in Jerusalem, where he was born, In Jerusalem where he struggled. And now we all struggle to stay true to our pledge to establish an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, god willing.
10. Wide of mausoleum
11. Mid of Abbas leaving
12. Tilt down mausoleum
STORYLINE:
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas unveiled a mausoleum for Yasser Arafat on Saturday, in a pomp-filled ceremony that helped him draw on the continued popularity of his iconic predecessor as he headed into peace talks with Israel.
The mausoleum, made of glass and beige Jerusalem stone, is surrounded on three sides by water, and a piece of rail track is entombed underneath the former Palestinian leader's grave.
The water and piece of track are meant to symbolise the temporary nature of the grave, officials said, with Palestinians planning to rebury their leader one day in Jerusalem, their hoped-for capital.
Arafat died in November 11, 2004 in a French military hospital and was buried on the grounds of his West Bank headquarters, now used by Abbas.
The mausoleum measures 11 metres by 11 metres (120 square feet) to mark the day of his death. A mosque was built next to the tomb, and an Arafat museum is to open next year.
During the ceremony, Abbas laid a wreath in the colours of the Palestinian flag on the tombstone and honoured his one-time rival with a moment of silence.
In a brief speech Abbas pledged to reclaim part of Jerusalem for his people.
The fate of the city, claimed by both Israel and the Palestinians as a capital, is one of the most explosives issues in peace talks, expected to resume after a US-hosted Mideast conference in Annapolis, Maryland, later this month.
We will continue with our quest to have the body of our martyr and leader Yasser Arafat re-buried in Jerusalem, where he always wanted to be buried; in Jerusalem, where he was born, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said.
In another reference to Jerusalem, the tower of the mosque next to the mausoleum is topped by a laser light pointing to the city, just a few miles away, said Mohammed Ishtayeh, head of the Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction, which built the site.
Drawing on the legacy of the charismatic Arafat may give a boost to Abbas as he heads to the Annapolis conference, expected to begin on November 26.
The somber Abbas does not enjoy the wild popularity of Arafat.
Abbas also faces a stiff challenge from the Islamic militant Hamas which seized control of Gaza by force in June, and claims he does not have the mandate to negotiate for the Palestinians.
In Saturday's speech, Abbas drew on the Palestinians' strong emotional ties to Arafat.
Now we all struggle to stay true to our pledge to establish an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, god willing, Abbas said.
On Sunday, the third anniversary of Arafat's death, a large rally is to be held at the West Bank compound, followed by a similar gathering Monday in Gaza.
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WRAP Blair at Arafat's grave, with Palestinian leaders
1. Interim Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas walking with British Prime Minister Tony Blair
2. Various of Blair and Abbas sitting and talking
3. Blair and Abbas stand and shake hands
4. Abbas standing with other Palestinian officials in the Muqata (Arafat's former compound)
5. Convoy of cars arriving
6. Blair gets out of car and shakes hands with Abbas
7. Blair and Abbas walk along red carpet past honour guard
8. Various of Blair greeting other Palestinian officials
9. Blair and Abbas walk towards late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's tomb, they pause in front of tomb, then walk away
10. Blair and Abbas walking away
STORYLINE:
British Prime Minster Tony Blair travelled to the West Bank city of Ramallah on Wednesday to meet interim Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who is running in the January 9 presidential elections.
After arriving at Yasser Arafat's former compound for the meeting, Blair walked toward Arafat's tomb, nodded slightly in respect and then walked on.
The Palestinians had hoped Blair would lay a wreath at the tomb.
Blair visited Abbas after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and other members of the Israeli leadership.
He had earlier proposed holding an international conference in London next year to focus on strengthening and reforming the Palestinian administration, its security forces and financial system.
The British prime minister aimed to capitalise on new optimism in the region in the wake of Arafat's death and Israel's moves to pull out of the Gaza Strip.
However, Blair said the Palestinians must crack down on militants before new peace efforts could begin, including a revival of the internationally-backed road map peace plan.
Abbas has unsuccessfully tried to negotiate a ceasefire with Palestinian militant groups and has called for an end to anti-Israel propaganda in the Palestinian media.
Israel said the conference should deal only with reforms in the Palestinian Authority and new donor aid for the Palestinians.
Blair appeared to agree with Israel, saying that major peace conferences will likely have to wait until after the Gaza pull-out, scheduled to begin in July.
The Palestinians had hoped Blair would propose a major international peace conference dealing with the thorny issues that have stymied past peace efforts.
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Palestinians mark 15th anniversary of Yasser Arafat's death
(11 Nov 2019) LEAD IN:
Hundreds of Palestinians gathered in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Monday to mark 15th anniversary of death of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas paid tribute to the former leader, who died aged 75 in 2004.
STORY-LINE:
Hundreds of Palestinians gathered at Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's tomb in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Monday to mark 15th anniversary of his death.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived to the place of the tomb to pay his respects.
He told the crowd that Those thousands of martyrs from our people who sacrificed their lives for God and for the Palestinian cause, they did that for the sole purpose of liberating Palestine and we are still on their covenant and will continue to do so until the liberating of Palestine.
Arafat died on November 11 2004 at a French military hospital, a month after falling ill at his west Bank headquarters.
A grassroots activist, he took over chairmanship of the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organisation) transforming it into a dynamic force that made the Palestinian cause known worldwide.
Arafat led fellow PLO fighters to Beirut in 1970 after they were driven out by King Hussein.
A series of attacks by various Palestinian factions were carried out in the following years, one of which included the murder of 11 of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics in Munich.
Arafat never discussed the attacks and his level of involvement was always disputed.
In 1982, he fled Beirut after Israel invited Lebanon to try and crush the PLO, he traveled to Tunisia and went into isolation.
It was in Tunisia that he secretly married his 28-year-old secretary, Suha Tawil, their daughter Zahwa was born in July, 1995, in Paris.
One of Arafat's most noted political achievements was his signing, along with Israel, of the Oslo Peace Accord in 1993, giving him control of most of the Gaza strip, and 27 percent of the West Bank.
He shook hands with the then-Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin on the White House lawn in front of Bill Clinton, who was the American President at the time.
On July 1, 1994, he returned form exile, setting foot on Palestinian soil for the first time in 26 years.
On December 10, 1994 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, along with Rabin and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres.
By 2000, the Peace Accord had collapsed and Arafat struggled to keep Israelis and Palestinians committed to peace after Rabin's assassination five years earlier.
Violent attacks were exchanged in the years following between Palestinians and Israelis and there were calls by Western leaders, most notably then-US President George W Bush, for Arafat to resign as President of the Palestinian authority.
Although he ceded some power in 2003 to the first Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, he resisted calls for him to resign and remained leader until 2004, when he eventually fell ill.
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WEST BANK: RAMALLAH: CHAIRMAN ARAFAT GETS RAPTUROUS WELCOME
Arabic/Nat
P-L-O chairman Yasser Arafat has received a rapturous welcome in the West Bank town of Ramallah, near Jerusalem.
It is the latest West Bank town to come under Palestinian self rule as part of the Israeli-P-L-O agreement.
He told the crowd that one day there would be a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
There were celebrations in Ramallah Saturday as more than 10-thousand Palestinians turned out to welcome P-L-O chairman Yasser Arafat.
Ceremonial parades by soldiers and children marked the start of Palestinian self rule in Ramallah.
Women in traditional floral dress chanted and danced in the street.
Palestinian flags and pictures of Arafat were waved by the ecstatic crowd.
The crowd cheered as Arafat arrived by helicopter from the Gaza Strip.
Arafat has already visited Nablus, Jenin and Bethlehem, three of the towns now under Palestinian self rule.
But Ramallah has a special significance - it is only 15 kilometres (nine miles) away from the prize of Jerusalem.
Flanked by security guards and standing high on top of a building, Arafat called on Palestinian residents of Jerusalem to vote in January 20 elections for the Palestinian self-rule council.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
Your vote will be a defence of the Arab character of Jerusalem...At the end of the tunnel we will see the minarets of Jerusalem, the walls of Jerusalem and the churches of Jerusalem.
SUPERCAPTION: Yasser Arafat, PLO Leader
The crowds cheered and shouted their allegiance to the P-L-O leader.
Arafat has been criticised by Israel for his repeated declarations that Jerusalem will become the capital of a Palestinian state.
Israel insists Jerusalem must remain under its sole control.
So far the handover of territory to Palestinians has been peaceful - but the thorny issue of Jerusalem may prove to be the stumbling point.
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Freed teen Tamimi visits the grave of ex-Palestinian president Arafat in Ramallah
(29 Jul 2018) Palestinian protest icon Ahed Tamimi returned home to a hero's welcome in her West Bank village on Sunday after Israel released the 17-year-old from prison at the end of her eight-month sentence for slapping and kicking Israeli soldiers.
Ahed and her mother, Nariman Tamimi, were greeted with banners, cheers and Palestinian flags as they entered their home village of Nabi Saleh.
From her home, Ahed headed to a visit to the grave of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
She laid a wreath and recited a prayer from the Quran, the Muslim holy book, and was then taken with her family to a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at his headquarters in Ramallah.
Ahed was arrested in December after she slapped two Israeli soldiers outside her family home.
Her mother filmed the incident and posted it on Facebook, where it went viral and, for many, instantly turned Ahed into a symbol of resistance to Israel's half-century-old military rule over the Palestinians.
With her unruly mop of curly light-colored hair, the Palestinian teen quickly became a local hero and an internationally recognizable figure.
Her supporters see a brave girl who struck two armed soldiers in frustration after having just learned that Israeli troops seriously wounded a 15-year-old cousin, shooting him in the head from close range with a rubber bullet during nearby stone-throwing clashes.
In Israel, however, she is seen by many either as a provocateur, an irritation or a threat to the military's deterrence policy. Israel has treated her actions as a criminal offense, indicting her on charges of assault and incitement.
Her eight-month sentence was the result of a plea deal.
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MIDDLE EAST: YASSER ARAFAT RETURNS TO GAZA STRIP
English/Nat
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat returned to Gaza on Wednesday, for the first time since signing a new peace agreement in Washington.
However Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has postponed a crucial Cabinet meeting that was to approve the U.S-brokered Israel-Palestinian peace agreement.
Netanyahu is blaming the delay on the Palestinians, saying they failed to present a detailed plan for stopping extremist attacks against Israel.
Although, observers suggest fear of a right-wing backlash could also be the cause for the delay.
Nearly a week after signing a new peace agreement with Israel, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat returned home on Wednesday.
He was given a warm welcome by flag-waving school students who lined the streets of Raffah, a border town on the Gaza Strip.
There was heavy security, but the students managed to get a glimpse of Arafat through his car window, waving to the crowds and holding his fingers in the V sign.
Many Palestinians have been indifferent to the accord or skeptical about whether Israel will keep its promise to withdraw from 13 percent of the West Bank in exchange for Palestinian security guarantees.
Addressing those concerns, Arafat said he was certain Israel would carry out the agreement, despite the decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to postpone an Israeli Cabinet meeting that would approve the deal.
Netanyahu is blaming the delay on the Palestinians, saying they failed to present a detailed plan for stopping extremist attacks against Israel.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
We consider the workplan of the Palestinians against the terrorist infrastructure the most important ingredient in this agreement. Unless it is in place and it is presented to the American administration it would be impossible to proceed, that is why the Prime Minister has decided not to convene the Israeli Cabinet until this plan is in place. When it is presented to the administration we will approve the agreement in the Cabinet.
SUPER CAPTION: David Bar-Illan, Netanyahu's Advisor
Meanwhile the Israeli army has lifted a closure on the West Bank city of Hebron.
The closure order had been imposed two days earlier after a Jewish settler was killed in the area.
The army also lifted a curfew on Palestinians in the centre of the city where it safeguards the Israeli settlement.
The move came sooner than in past occasions, apparently due to the Palestinian arrest on Tuesday of two suspects in the murder.
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West Bank - Yasser Arafat In Ramallah
T/I: 11:04:24
PLO chairman Yasser Arafat continued his visit to the West Bank on Thursday (11/4), meeting various Palestinian officials in Ramallah. In Ramallah, about a hundred Hamas supporters demonstrated against the Palestinian authority, calling upon Arafat to immediately release all prisoners, including those recently arrested following four suicide bombings which killed 58 Israelis and wounded hundreds of the others.
SHOWS
RAMALLAH, WEST BANK 11/4
Yasser Arafat in Ramallah
arafat walking around
gv hamas supporter demonstration
palestinians holding placards calling upon authority to release prisoners immediately
march taking place with woman carrying banners
cu demo
ws march in streets
demo with police sirens sounded
2.05
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State of Palestine: Abbas opens Yasser Arafat museum in Rammalah
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Secretary General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul-Gheit , opened the new Yasser Arafat Museum in Ramallah, Wednesday. Yasser Arafat was the first President of the Palestinian National Authority and remains a symbol of the Palestinian resistance today.
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