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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State of Palestine: Yasser Arafat honoured 15 years since death
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Palestinians rallied in Ramallah on Monday, a day that marks the 15 years since Yasser Arafat's death
Hundreds gathered outside Arafat's mausoleum with Palestinian flags and music. Some Palestinians were seen paying their respects at Arafat's grave.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was also seen entering the mausoleum before giving a speech.
May God rest [Yasser Arafat's] soul. This is the man who carried the mission and fought until the last breath. He protected [the mission], and handed it over to us, said Abbas, as he was addressing the crowd.
Earlier on Saturday, thousands gathered in the main square of Gaza City and marched toward Arafat's house as a sign of respect.
Arafat, who was the first Palestinian leader to reach a peace agreement with Israel in 1993, died aged 75 in November 2004.
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MIDDLE EAST: ARAFAT RETURNS TO GAZA
Arabic/Nat
XFA
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said on Thursday that he hopes the peace talks with Israel will continue and an agreement will be achieved between the two sides.
Arafat spoke after returning to Gaza from Cairo, where he met yesterday with Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben Ami.
Ben-Ami was already in Cairo Wednesday when Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak suggested that he see Arafat there.
Arafat flew to Cairo and they met there for two hours.
Both sides said after the meeting that they were considering the prospects of reaching a new agreement.
The Palestinians, disappointed by American President Bill Clinton's proposal, are still hoping to hear new ideas from the Israelis.
Martin Indyk, the U-S ambassador in Israel, expressed his disappointment on Thursday regarding the Palestinian reaction to the American proposal.
Speaking to reporters in Jerusalem, Indyk called it a shame that Palestinian leaders and spokesmen have not been able to stand before their people and ask them to stop the violence.
Indyk said that the Americans expected Arafat to try to convince his people that even though he understands their anger, the peace proposal served their interests and met their objectives in the peace process.
Meanwhile, in the West Bank City of Bethlehem, Palestinians held a march in support of the executing of fellow Palestinians suspected of collaborating with Israel.
Dozens of armed and masked Fatah members led the march that started at Manger Square in the city.
The marchers chanted Death to Collaborators and called on the Palestinian authority to execute all Palestinians held in prisons for collaborating with Israel.
At least six Palestinians have been killed as suspected collaborators, two of them were executed by Palestinian police.
In Balata refugee camp, near Nablus, hundreds of Palestinians held a rally to protest the idea of resettling Palestinian refugees in foreign countries such as Canada and Australia.
Masked men marched in the streets of the refugee camp, shooting in the air and chanting against the settling of refugees outside Israel.
The issue of the Palestinian refugees is one of the main key issues in the Palestinian Israeli ongoing conflict.
Clinton's proposals suggested that the Palestinians receive sovereignty over Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem, as well as a disputed holy site sacred to both Muslims and Jews, where the Al Aqsa Mosque compound sits atop the ruins of the biblical Jewish Temples.
In return, the Palestinians would scale back their demand that all refugees and their descendants, about 4 million people, have the right to move back to their old homes in Israel, a country of 5 million Jews.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak has said he would never agree to the right of return for the Palestinian refugees.
Paying the ultimate tribute, Yasser Arafat helped carry the coffin of his protege, the Palestinian TV chief, Hisham Mikki, who was gunned down by masked men in a Gaza City hotel.
The Palestinian Authority said in a statement that Mikki was a martyr and that he was killed by traitors and collaborators - language that would suggest an Israeli role.
But in a leaflet sent to news agencies in Jerusalem, a group calling itself the Brigade of Al Aqsa Martyrs claimed responsibility for the killing.
The failure (of Arafat) ... to punish corrupt people has forced us to carry out the assassination of Hisham Mikki, the leaflet said.
On Wednesday night, Arafat had a surprise meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami in Cairo.
The first Israeli-Palestinian agreement was in 1993.
SOUNDBITE: (Arabic)
SUPER CAPTION: Yasser Arafat, Palestinian Leader
SOUNDBITE: (English)
SUPER CAPTION: Martin Indyk, US ambassador in Israel
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Arafat speaks on Fatah Day, Gaza demo
(31 Dec 2002)
Ramallah, West Bank
1. Wide shot of Arafat supporters outside his Ramallah compound
2. Banner showing Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, currently under Israeli custody
3. Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat gives crowd victory sign
4. Wide shot Arafat in conference hall in Ramallah compound
5. Various of Arafat saluting
6. Wide shot
7. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Yasser Arafat, Palestinian Leader:
We stretched out our hand, and we do it again today, in peace. Despite the bleeding wound, despite the killing and the siege, the arrests and the destruction of our people and our land, our factories, our farms.
8. Arafat
9. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Yasser Arafat, Palestinian Leader:
I call on our people, the Palestinian people, and tell them that we are against all acts of violence against Israeli civilians and against Palestinian civilians. I said it before, and I say it again, that we are against targeting civilians, whether they are Israelis or civilians. We are struggling for our freedom, and to bring back our occupied lands, and to establish our Palestinian state according to the international legitimate resolutions.
10. Audience chanting
11. Arafat walks past
Gaza City, Gaza Strip
8. Wide shot of tens of thousands of Fatah supporters at rally in Gaza City main square, with pictures of Arafat, Palestinian flags and yellow flags of Fatah
9. Various of supporters waving guns in the air
10. Masked man carrying replica rocket launcher
11. Banner showing Barghouti
12. Various high shots
13. Various of masked men with replica rocket launchers
STORYLINE:
Yasser Arafat said on Tuesday that he welcomes a U.S.-backed call for an immediate cease-fire with Israel, but stopped short of committing to steps the Palestinians would be required to take ahead of such a truce.
In a speech marking the anniversary of the 1965 founding of his Fatah group, Arafat also reiterated his opposition
to attacks on Israeli and Palestinian civilians.
The Palestinian leader spoke to legislators and supporters at his sandbagged compound in the town of Ramallah to which he has been confined for a year by Israel.
The United Nations - along with the United States, the European Union and Russia - has been formulating a road
map to Mideast peace.
In the first stage of the three-phase plan by the so-called Quartet, the Palestinians must undertake an unconditional cessation of violence ... accompanied by supportive measures undertaken by Israel, the latest draft says.
Arafat said on Tuesday he welcomes the call by the Quartet for an immediate cease-fire between the two sides and in all areas.
However, the Palestinian leader did not refer to steps the Palestinians would have to take, including declaring an unequivocal end to violence and arresting suspected militants.
In the first phase of the plan, Israel would have to withdraw from Palestinian areas it reoccupied since the outbreak of fighting 27 months ago.
Israeli troops currently control most population centres in the West Bank.
Arafat reiterated on Tuesday that we are against all acts of violence against Israeli and Palestinian civilians, but stopped short of urging Palestinian militias to halt such attacks. A militia linked to Fatah, the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, has carried out scores of attacks, mainly shootings of Israelis in the West Bank and Gaza.
Arafat insisted that his hand remained stretched out in peace, and that Palestinians are ready to live in a state
alongside Israel.
However, the Palestinian Authority and Fatah continue to support attacks on Israelis in the West Bank and Gaza,
arguing that Jewish settlers are not civilians.
Meanwhile in Gaza City, tens of thousands of Palestinians gathered in the main square to mark the anniversary, with
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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
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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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Arafat speech marks International Women's Day
Ramallah, West Bank
1. Palestinian women chanting at Al-Manara square
2. Various of Palestinian woman marching holding banners
3. Women arriving to Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat's compound
4. Arafat coming out to meet Palestinian Women
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat:
Why are they building this wall? To confiscate 58 percent of our land, while the road and buildings have been completely destroyed. They have to remember, no walls can stand in front of our people sooner or later. Goodbye.
6. Arafat leaving
Abu-Dis, West Bank, 08/03/04 - APTN
7. Various of Palestinian women demonstrating
8. Palestinian youth dancing
STORYLINE:
Palestinian women marched and demonstrated in the West Bank on Monday as part of International Women's Day celebrations.
Women from Ramallah marched from Al-Manara square to the compound of the Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat in the West Bank.
Arafat was welcomed with cheers when he walked out to address the marchers. He told the women that no barrier can stand in front of the Palestinian people.
Meanwhile in Abu-Dis Palestinian women and youth celebrated women's day with dancing and demonstrating near the Barrier wall.
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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 Arafat in Bethlehem, over Jenin, Nablus, comment on return to Ramallah
Ramallah
1. Arafat leaving headquarters
2. Arafat climbing on board helicopter
3. Helicopter taking off
Bethlehem
4. Helicopters approaching helipad
5. Arafat leaving helicopter
6. Arafat greeting officials
7. Arafat's motorcade driving through streets of Bethlehem
8. Arafat's car arriving at church of Nativity
9. Various Arafat walking round church with church leaders
10. Photo-op Arafat and church leaders
Jenin, West Bank
11. People climbing over demolished building
12. People milling around shack with pictures of Arafat on it
13. Security guards on roof of partly demolished building
14. Palestinian woman looking out of window of partly demolished building
15. Arafat's helicopter in air, circling
16. Various of crowd looking up, cheering and waving
17. Wide shot of crowd gathered to see Arafat
18. Arafat's helicopter circling overhead
Nablus
19. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's helicopter on tarmac in Nablus
20. Various of Arafat leaving helicopter and greeting officials
21. Top of Arafat's motorcade arriving in Nablus
22. Arafat arriving in Nablus flanked by security
23. Arafat troweling on cement on debris
24. Arafat praying
25. Set up shot of Yasser Arafat
26. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Yasser Arafat, Palestinian leader (non verbatim): We will have a Palestinian state, if the Israelis want it or not, and who ever has a problem with this can drink from the water of the Dead Sea.
27. Crowds around Arafat as he leaves to go to old city
28. Arafat picking up clothing left in attack
29. Crowd surrounding Arafat, chanting
Ramallah, West Bank
30. Arafat's helicopter arriving
31. Arafat getting out of helicopter
32. Arafat being greeted by pilot
33. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Yasser Arafat, Palestinian leader
It's Jeningrad. I call it Jeningrad, like Stalingrad because there's a real tragedy here. Almost half of the camp has been totally demolished and many people lost their lives.
34. Arafat walking away surrounded by security
STORYLINE:
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat rounded off a tour of the Palestinian towns and refugee camps hardest hit by Israel's six-week military operation against Palestinian militants with a visit to Nablus.
Arafat left his Ramallah headquarters for Bethlehem aboard a Jordanian air force helicopter on Monday.
The Palestinian leader visited the Church of the Nativity, where more than 200 Palestinians, including wanted gunmen, police and civilians, had been holed up for 39 days before Israel lifted its siege under a deal which sent 13 militiamen into exile.
For almost an hour, Arafat, walking arm-in-arm with priests, examined the church compound, divided into Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Franciscan sections.
In Nablus, Arafat stopped for prayers in the remains of a mosque, damaged when Israeli shells slammed through the building during gun-battles.
Afterwards, with familiar defiance, he responded sharply after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered defeat when his party ignored his pleas and voted overwhelmingly to oppose Palestinian statehood.
Sharon has said Palestinian statehood was inevitable, but has proposed stringent restrictions that Palestinians reject as unacceptable.
On his return to Ramallah, Arafat said he was amazed to see the amount of damage in the three Palestinian towns he visited.
He told the media the worst scene for him was Jenin, which he described as Jeningrad, although his helicopter didn't touch down there.
Unconfirmed reports say security arrangements weren't satisfactory.
Israel lifted the travel ban on Arafat as part of a U-S-brokered deal that ended a 34-day Israeli siege on the Palestinian leader's headquarters May 2.
Monday's trip was Arafat's first tour of the West Bank in six months.
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WEST BANK: YASSER ARAFAT RECEIVES HERO'S WELCOME IN NABLUS
English/Nat
P-L-O leader Yasser Arafat has been given a hero's welcome on his arrival in Nablus following the hasty withdrawal of Israeli troops from the city earlier this week.
Thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank's largest and most violent city turned out to hear Arafat speak from the rooftop of the former Israeli military headquarters.
They also pledged their support for him in the forthcoming Palestinian general elections.
Thousands of Palestinians surrounded Israel's former military headquarters and cheered and clapped as Arafat's helicopter landed
in the compound.
Onlookers crowded the streets and were perched on rooftops to get a better view.
Palestinian youth groups were also out in force to give Arafat their support.
As the P-L-O leader's helicopter came in to land the chanting rose to a crescendo.
Security for Arafat was tight with hundreds of armed guards dispersed among the crowd in the streets, while others ringed the building.
Standing on the rooftop, Arafat asked the crowd in the square below if liberated Nablus would nominate him for president in the forthcoming Palestinian general elections.
The thousands of Palestinians pledged their allegiance to him as they clapped, whistled and waved Palestinian flags.
The campaign for the Jan 20 Palestinian general elections began Thursday with the first candidates putting forward their names.
Arafat is seeking the presidency, and was expected to formally register himself later Friday.
But he faces one of his toughest challenges in ruling Nablus.
In recent months the city has been controlled by armed vigilantes who have shot and wounded some 40 residents they suspected of being criminals or informers for Israel.
The gang's leader has said he is ready to join the Palestinian security forces, but his gunmen have not yet handed in their weapons.
During the 1987 to 1993 uprising against Israeli occupation, Nablus
was one of the strongholds of resistance.
In the past few weeks, violence has erupted on the streets of the city between Palestinians and Israeli troops.
Youths repeatedly stoned troops even though a date for their withdrawal had already been set.
In the end, Israel decided to pull out a day early to avoid more street confrontations.
One young Palestinian welcomed the move and held out hope for the future.
SOUNDBITE:
Now we live together in coexistence, together, freely. No occupation. Without killing, without blood. Only we want to see the olive tree, just without killing, without hurting, without any blood.
SUPER CAPTION: Boy scout
One Palestinian was already hailing Arafat as his president.
SOUNDBITE:
We are very happy to welcome our president, Yasser Arafat. Nablus, the Palestinians, all the Palestinians in Nablus are very happy today. It's our national day here.
SUPER CAPTION: Nablus resident
Nablus was the third West Bank city to be handed to Arafat's control in a month.
Under the Israel-PLO autonomy agreement, Israeli troops are to leave three other towns -- Qalqiliya, Bethlehem and Ramallah -- by the end of
December.
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Tens of thousands of Palestinians take to the streets to protest Gaza deaths
Ramallah
1. Medium of demonstration in street
2. Mid of crowd
3. Pan of crowd gathered at city centre
4. Medium of demonstration
5. Young Palestinian chanting slogans in megaphone next to Fatah and Palestinian flags
6. Close up of Palestinian flag being waved
7. Medium of march
Nablus
8. Top shot of rally in city street
9. Top shot of crowd with banners
10. Huge banner with picture of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, armed policeman standing in front of it
11. Medium of Palestinian children holding posters of Arafat
12. Various of protesters waving Fatah flags
13. Zoom out of mass gathered at square
Bethlehem
14. Demonstrators marching with huge Palestinian flag
15. Medium shot from underneath flag
16. Crowds waving Palestinian and Fatah flags
17. Medium shot of young children holding poster of Arafat and Palestinian flag
18. Close up on Palestinian woman cheering
19. End shot of march
STORYLINE:
Thousands of Palestinians on Tuesday held rallies in cities across the West Bank on Tuesday, a day after clashes between rival factions Fatah and Hamas killed seven Palestinians and wounded scores in Gaza City.
Waving Palestinian flags and Fatah banners, protesters marched to condemn the killings and call for unity between Palestinians.
At least seven people were killed and 85 wounded when Hamas forces opened fire on a 250,000 people-strong rally in commemoration of the third anniversary of iconic Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's death.
It was the worst outbreak of internecine violence since the Islamic militants seized control of Gaza last June.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared three days of mourning for the dead and wounded, ordering Palestinian flags to fly at half-staff, condemning the Hamas crackdown as a heinous crime.
As public anger over the events mounted, Fatah officials said that Hamas security forces had arrested 400 people in an overnight crackdown on their Fatah rivals, including dozens of the rally's organisers.
Hamas officials were not immediately available for comment.
The Palestinian Authority was politically and geographically split since Hamas violently took over Gaza last June.
Abbas installed a pro-Western government in the West Bank and Hamas officials, who refuse to recognise Abbas' Fatah-only government, have been ruling Gaza.
Monday's rally was an unexpected show of strength by Fatah supportes in the fragile Gaza Strip, with some interpreting Hamas' harsh response as a sign its grip on Gaza is weakening.
At the rally, the crowd cheered and whistled as the movement's remaining leaders - most had fled to the West Bank in June - delivered hopeful speeches about a Fatah comeback.
Tens of thousands of Fatah supporters still draw a monthly salary from Abbas' West Bank government, ensuring loyalty under Hamas rule.
The latest events came as Abbas prepares for new peace talks with Israel, starting with a U.S.-hosted Mideast conference in Maryland later this month, and tries to fend off Hamas claims that he does not have a mandate to negotiate.
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Supporters rally outside Arafat compound
1. Wide shot of demonstrators carrying banner supporting Arafat
2. Demonstrators chanting
3. A boy holding a picture of Palestinian Yasser Arafat
4. Demonstration
5. Demonstration
6. Arafat out of headquarters
7. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Yasser Arafat, Palestinian leader:
Hand in hand with all the power, to all the parties who love the peace, there in Israel, we say: yes, together, side by side we will build the peace, the peace of the brave in the holy land, Palestine and in Jerusalem its capital.
8. Crowd outside the Arafat office
STORYLINE:
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat addressed Fatah members who came to show their solidarity with him on Tuesday evening.
An estimated 400 Palestinians made their way from the Jenin refugee camp to the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Speaking to the group, Arafat called on the Israeli peace camp to act together with the Palestinian people to build the peace of the brave.
The demonstration in support of Arafat passed through the streets of Ramallah arriving to the Palestinian leader's compound and gathering in Manara square, the main square of Ramallah.
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Palestinian PM unveils monument, march for prisoners
(17 Apr 2010) SHOTLIST
Gaza City, Gaza Strip
1. Wide of protest outside Red Cross offices
2. Close-up of poster showing late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat holding photograph of jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti
3. People sitting inside tent at protest
4. Various of women holding photographs of prisoners
5. Wide of people sitting in tent
6. Tilt-up of protesters with their arms chained, wearing blindfolds marked with Star of David, emblem of Israel
7. Close-up of protester''s chained hands
8. Close-up of blindfolded woman
9. Wide of protesters holding banner reading: (English) Solidarity with the thousands of Palestinians imprisoned in Israel
Ramallah, West Bank
10. Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad getting out of car being greeted by local leaders
11. Various of Fayyad standing for Palestinian anthem
12. Fayyad unveiling monument dedicated to prisoners, pan to monument with figures of prisoners
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Salam Fayyad, Palestinian Prime Minister:
The message of total solidarity from all of our people all over the world, certainly here in Palestine, but throughout the world, with our prisoners in Israeli jails, today on the Prisoners Day. As we gather here as an expression of absolute solidarity with them, we tell each and every one of you, one of them, the day will soon come when they will gain their freedom. What we are celebrating here today is a work of art that symbolises freedom for the prisoners, but with it also it symbolises freedom in its broader sense.
14. Fayyad leaving ceremony
15. Close-up of shackle and chain on wall, pull out to wide of monument
16. Pan of protesters gathering for rally, holding pictures of relatives held in jail and flying flags
17. Women holding pictures of prisoners
18. Various of protesters marching
STORYLINE
Events were held in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Saturday to mark Prisoners'' Day, an annual occasion to show support for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
Dozens of protesters held a rally outside the Red Cross offices in Gaza City, with many holding pictures of their detained relatives and calling for their release.
Others stood with their arms chained together, wearing blindfolds marked with the Star of David - the emblem on the Israeli flag.
In the West Bank city of Ramallah, Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad attended a ceremony to unveil a new monument dedicated to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
The monument is a section of wall covered with marble figures of prisoners with their arms breaking out of chains.
Fayyad said the monument was designed to express solidarity with the Palestinian prisoners, but was also a work of art symbolising freedom in its broader sense.
A group of prisoners'' relatives and supporters later held a march in Ramallah''s main square.
The fate of prisoners is one of the most emotionally charged issues affecting the Israeli-Palestinian relationship.
Many Palestinian families have had relatives in Israeli jails at one time or another, and the prisoners have gained near-iconic status in Palestinian society.
Israel and Gaza''s Hamas rulers have held multiple rounds of prisoner swap talks, most mediated by Egypt, ever since militants affiliated with the Islamic group seized Israeli soldier Sergeant Gilad Schalit into Gaza following a cross-border raid in June 2006.
Israel has been reluctant to meet Hamas'' demand to release dozens of Palestinians involved in attacks on Israelis including some of the most notorious suicide bombings of recent years.
Prisoner swaps are controversial in Israel because of what some claim is their potential to encourage militants to take more hostages.
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Demonstration, clashes Ramallah, Arafat vists schools
SHOTLIST :
1. Long shot of students' demo
2. Mid shot students with banners
3. Israeli soldiers and jeeps stationed up the road, pull out to demonstrators approaching them
4. Student waving paper in front of soldiers, pan to demonstrators
5. Student confronting soldiers with copy of the Geneva Convention saying they are in contravention
6. Students running away under tear gas fire
7. Same student remonstrating with soldiers and waving paper with Geneva Convention as he is pushed away
8. Various wide shots of students demonstrating
9. Mid shot students clapping and whistling
10. Students with banner sayign Roadblocks can't block the path to freedom
11. Arafat's car arrives at Ramallah school
12. Arafat gets out and is greeted by staff
13. Girls studying in classroom
14. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Yasser Arafat, Chairman of Palestine Liberation Organisation
This proves that they (the Palestinians) are great in continuing their struggle against all the odds.
15. Arafat goes round kissing students on head
16. Arafat leaves in car
17. His car leaves
STORYLINE :
Israeli soldiers on Saturday fired tear gas at hundreds of students who were protesting at the closure of a road leading to a Palestinian University.
Nearly 1-thousand students from Bir Zeit University marched to the Israeli roadblock near Ramallah carrying banners and waving Palestinian flags.
As the students approached the Israeli roadblock, soldiers fired tear gas.
At least a dozen students suffered from gas inhalation.
Israeli soldiers had closed the road leading to the university last week following a suicide attack at a disco in Tel Aviv in which 20 Israelis were killed.
In nearby Ramallah Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said he hoped diplomatic efforts made by the US and Europe would eventually lead to stability in the area.
Arafat spoke while touring high schools in the West bank city.
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Israeli tanks surround Arafat's headquarters
1. Tank blocking road near Palestinian Leader, Yasser Arafat's, headquarters
2. Side shot of tank
3. Tank driving along road
4. Tanks parked
5. Close up tank and soldier
6. Tank
7. Wide shot tank pan to another tank in side street
8. Israeli soldiers in street
9. Soldiers approaching apartment block
10. Soldiers going inside
11. Soldiers taking up positions in street
12. APC positioned nearby
13. Palestinian children looking from apartment window and waving
14. More of soldiers occupying building
STORYLINE:
Israeli soldiers stormed and occupied the home of the Palestinian West Bank intelligence chief Tawfik Tirawi on Friday.
IDF soldiers supported by armoured personnel carriers with heavy machine guns surrounded the apartment block in which he lived.
He was not there at the time.
Elsewhere, Israeli forces overlooking Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah were reinforced, as were a number of other Israeli positions in and around the West Bank town.
Palestinian political activist Mustafa Barghouti, who lives near Tirawi in Ramallah's Tira neighborhood, said the Israeli army had re-occupied about 50 percent of the town.
He said that the tanks were very close and paralysing the city. They are not just closing the main roads in and out but they're inside the neighborhoods cutting access to schools and kindergartens.
Israeli forces were upgrading their presence around Arafat's office in reaction to Thursday night's attack in the northern city of Hadera where a Palestinian gunman opened fire with an M-16 assault rifle.
Six people were killed and 30 injured, Israeli police said.
A Palestinian militant group claimed responsibility for the attack.
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Palestinian comment on latest incursions
1. Palestinian Minister of information Yasser Abed Rabbo walking
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Yasser Abed Rabbo, Palestinian Minister of information:
Well the aim of this invasion is to re-occupy all of the West Bank, and to abolish the Palestinian Authority and all its institutions. They want to bring back the Occupation with its institutions in order to replace the Palestinian Authority. This is a very dangerous step and this will lead, in fact, into more deterioration in the situation, this will not bring security or peace to the Israelis.
3. Close shot of Israeli soldier in lookout, pull out to wide shot of street and tank
4. Various of Israeli vehicles, tanks and soldiers on street, and children watching
STORYLINE:
The Palestinian Information minister Yasser Abed Rabbo said on Monday it was obvious Israel wanted to replace the Palestinian Authority with an Israeli civil administration by occupying all Palestinian cities.
Abed Rabbo was speaking in Ramallah as Israeli forces surrounded Yasser Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah for the third time this month, barricading the front gate with debris and taking control of their sixth West Bank population centre.
The army confirmed taking up positions at strategic points in the city of Ramallah, controlling access to the city, and placing the area under curfew.
The army said that Palestinians had detonated explosives during the incursions and had slightly injured one soldier.
Arafat, whose compound has been under Israeli siege on and off since last December, has made only brief day trips outside Ramallah during that time. He has not been to the Gaza Strip or anywhere outside the Palestinian territories.
After two suicide bombs killed 26 people in Jerusalem last week, Israel's cabinet said that troops would seize and hold Palestinian areas until the attacks ceased.
Since then the army has taken control over most Palestinian population centres in the West Bank, including Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarem, Bethlehem and areas around Ramallah, placing residents under curfew.
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Tanks leave Bethlehem, Arafat & Burns, Rafah unrest
Rafah
1. Tank firing
2. Palestinian boys and young men hiding from heavy gunfire behind a mound of earth
3. Wide of water tank with water flowing out from bullet holes, with audio of heavy gunfire
4. Boys running down narrow alleyway from firing, with audio of heavy gunfire
5. Mid of two Palestinian gunmen hiding behind wall
6. Tank turning slowly
Bethlehem
7. Mid shot of Israeli tanks approaching on road and turning off
8. Close up of Israeli tank with Israeli flag on the side passing on road
9. Soldier directing tanks
10. Wide of tanks passing
Bethlehem
11. Boy opening shutters to shop
12. Priests in street with children
13. Various of Palestinian policemen and civilians in Manger Square, by the Church of the Nativity
Ramallah
14. US Mideast envoy William Burns and chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat walk from Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's compound to microphones
15. SOUNDBITE: (English) Saeb Erekat, Chief Palestinian Negotiator:
Mr Burns explained to the President (Arafat) the determination of the President of the United States' Secretary to proceed with trying to revive the peace process and to stop the deteriorating situation on the ground.
16. Cameramen
17. SOUNDBITE: (English) William Burns, US Mideast Envoy:
There has been too much suffering and too many deaths for both Palestinians and Israelis. I have seen for myself the humanitarian problems the Palestinians face on a daily basis and I firmly believe it is time to stop the suffering for both the Palestinians and Israelis. It is time to restore a sense of hope. And I think that that's going to require some hard choices and hard work on the part of all of us. Thank you very much.
18. Burns and Erekat turn to leave
Ramallah
19. German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer's car arrives at Arafat's office
20. Various of Arafat and Fischer at meeting table
21. Wide exterior of Arafat's headquarters
STORYLINE:
Armed Palestinians fired at Israeli tanks moving into Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Thursday as residents fled the refugee camp.
A number of Palestinians were treated in the local hospital for injuries.
The fighting came as a four-day incursion into the West Bank town of Bethlehem ended.
The Israeli Army pulled out of Bethlehem after soldiers had finished searching for Palestinian militants and weapons.
Palestinian residents of the town, who have been under curfew since the army moved in Sunday, watched as armoured personnel carriers and tanks rumbled out of the town, then ventured out to buy food.
Shortly after the troops left, Palestinian police were seen on the streets for the first time since Sunday, when the army entered the Biblical town.
Moments before the withdrawal, American envoy to the Middle East William Burns met with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in Ramallah.
The United States has been among those nations calling for reform to the Palestinian Authority.
After meeting the Palestinian leader, Burns said that he had taken had taken on board the suffering of the Palestinian people and was committed to working with both sides towards peace.
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer also meet Arafat on Thursday after he had talks with the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and visited Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial.
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GAZA: YASSER ARAFAT RETURNS FROM LIBYA TRIP
Arabic/Nat
Palestinian chairman Yasser Arafat returned on Thursday from Libya, a few hours after the release of 199 Palestinian security prisoners by Israel.
Arafat welcomed the release, saying it signalled the beginning of the implementation of the peace accord signed on the 4th of September.
With the prisoners' release, Israel is providing the first real evidence that the peace process is back on track after nearly a year of deadlock.
Palestinian chairman Yasser Arafat returned to Gaza from his official visit to Libya on Thursday.
On arrival in Gaza, Arafat was optimistic about the first phase of implementation of the Sharm el Sheikh peace accord - the Israeli release of the Palestinian prisoners.
SOUNDBITE: (Arabic)
There is no doubt that this is the beginning of accurate implementation of the first part concerning prisoners in the agreement. As you know, there will be a release of a second group and third group, and there will be a special committee to follow up on the prisoners issue.
SUPER CAPTION: Yasser Arafat, Palestinian chairman
The releases, a day early, marked the launch of a new interim land-for-security deal.
On Thursday night, Israel will also hand the Palestinian leader maps outlining the transfer of seven percent of the West Bank - 400 kilometres or 160 square miles - to Palestinian civil control.
SOUNDBITE: (Arabic)
We hope that the Israelis will be committed to the agreed time frame for the withdrawal as we agreed in Sharm el Sheikh and through the efforts
by our brothers in Egypt and our friends in the USA and our friends
in European Union. We hope that there will be accurate and honest
implementation of what we agreed on in Sharm, with God's help.
SUPER CAPTION: Yasser Arafat, Palestinian chairman
Until the very end of weeks of agonising negotiations on the new West Bank land-for-security deal, Israel and the Palestinians were at odds over the prisoner releases.
The dispute was settled, and the accord signed in the Egyptian town of Sharm el Sheikh on September 4.
The Palestinians grudgingly accepted Israel's final offer to free 350
prisoners in two stages - this week and on October 8.
The handover is to be completed before Monday's festive launch of talks on a historic final peace accord that would end decades of hostility and bloodshed.
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Yasser Arafat encourages Palestinian children to seek death as Martyrs
According to the official PA daily, on Nov. 8, 2000, the day he was killed, before heading towards the areas where Palestinian and Israelis were involved in fighting, Ouda left a wreath around his picture in his room with the words: The brave Martyr Faris Ouda.
In this clip from official Palestinian Authority television, Yasser Arafat calls Ouda a hero and a Shahid. He calls on Palestinian youth to salute Ouda and refers to Palestinian youth as “peers, friends, brothers and sisters of Faris Ouda.” This is an example of PA glorification of terror and motivating children to seek Shahada.
Transcript:
Faris Ouda, 14-year-old Martyr (Shahid):
Faris Ouda left home with a slingshot, having made a wreath with his picture, and writing: 'The Brave Martyr (Shahid) Faris Ouda.'
He said to his mother, Don't worry, mother, Shahada (Martyrdom) is sweet.'
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Nov. 30, 2000; Feb. 3, 2001]
Arafat: We are saluting the spirit of our hero Shahid, Faris Ouda! Faris Ouda! Faris Ouda! We are proud of you [youth] who represent the steadfastness and the sacrifice of your companion, the hero Shahid, Faris Ouda! Oh, children of Palestine! The peers, friends, brothers and sisters of Faris Ouda.
[Official Palestinian Authority TV, Aug. 18, 2002, July 22 and Aug. 4, 2003]
Gaza/Nablus - Rabin Visit/Arafat Speech/Clashes
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin promised on Tuesday (15/11)
that Jews living in the Gaza settlement of Gush Katif would be
able to stay. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat meanwhile told the
people of Gaza that the Palestinian people would continue their
struggle until Jerusalem became the capital of a Palestinian
state. Two youths were seriously wounded when clashes between
Palestinian youth and Israeli soldiers broke out in the West Bank
town of Nablus.
SHOWS:
GUSH KATIF, GAZA
rabin walking with jewish settlers and israeli military
rabin at press conference
rabin speaking in english saying under the present circumstances,
much depends on how the palestinian authority carries out its own
responsiblity to prevent terrorist activities inside and outside
the gaza strip
GAZA CITY
crowd in soccer field and display of martial arts by palestinian
youth
animated speech by yasser arafat in arabic
NABLUS
market square, and plume of smoke
activity in street with people running and cloud of tear-gas
israeli military patrol, and people covering faces from tear-gas
1.55 ends.
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Top 10 Largest Cities or Towns of State of Palestine
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1. East Jerusalem
2. Gaza
3. Khan Yunis
4. Jabalia
5. Hebron
6. Nablus
7. Rafah
8. Deir el-Balah
9. Beit Lahia
10. Tulkarm
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Music : Piri Piri,Jingle Punks; YouTube Audio Library
The State of Palestine (Arabic: دولة فلسطين Dawlat Filasṭīn) is a de jure sovereign state in the Levant. Its independence was declared on 15 November 1988 by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Algiers as a government-in-exile. The State of Palestine claims the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and has designated Jerusalem as its capital, with partial control of those areas assumed in 1994 as the Palestinian Authority. Most of the areas claimed by the State of Palestine have been occupied by Israel since 1967 in the aftermath of the Six-Day War. The State of Palestine applied for full UN Membership in 2011; and in 2012 was recognized as a non-member observer state by the United Nations.
The October 1974 Arab League summit designated the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and reaffirmed their right to establish an independent state of urgency. In November 1974, the PLO was recognized as competent on all matters concerning the question of Palestine by the UN General Assembly granting them observer status as a non-state entity at the UN. After the 1988 Declaration of Independence, the UN General Assembly officially acknowledged the proclamation and decided to use the designation Palestine instead of Palestine Liberation Organization in the UN. In spite of this decision, the PLO did not participate at the UN in its capacity of the State of Palestine's government.
In 1993, in the Oslo Accords, Israel acknowledged the PLO negotiating team as representing the Palestinian people, in return for the PLO recognizing Israel's right to exist in peace, acceptance of UN Security Council resolutions 242 and 338, and its rejection of violence and terrorism. As a result, in 1994 the PLO established the Palestinian National Authority (PNA or PA) territorial administration, that exercises some governmental functions[iii] in parts of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. In 2007, the Hamas takeover of Gaza Strip politically and territorially divided the Palestinians, with Abbas's Fatah left largely ruling the West Bank and recognized internationally as the official Palestinian Authority, while Hamas has secured its control over the Gaza Strip. In April 2011, the Palestinian parties signed an agreement of reconciliation, but its implementation had stalled until a unity government was formed on 2 June 2014.
On 29 November 2012, in a 138-9 vote (with 41 abstentions and 5 absences), the United Nations General Assembly passed resolution 67/19, upgrading Palestine from an observer entity to a non-member observer state within the United Nations system, which was described as de facto recognition of the PLO's sovereignty. Palestine's new status is equivalent to that of the Holy See; similarly, Switzerland was a non-member observer state for more than 50 years (until 2002). The UN has permitted Palestine to title its representative office to the UN as The Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, and Palestine has instructed its diplomats to officially represent The State of Palestine—no longer the Palestinian National Authority. On 17 December 2012, UN Chief of Protocol Yeocheol Yoon declared that the designation of 'State of Palestine' shall be used by the Secretariat in all official United Nations documents, thus recognising the title 'State of Palestine' as the state's official name for all UN purposes. As of 30 October 2014, 135 (69.9%) of the 193 member states of the United Nations have recognised the State of Palestine. Many of the countries that do not recognise the State of Palestine nevertheless recognise the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people. The PLO's Executive Committee is empowered by the Palestinian National Council to perform the functions of government of the State of Palestine. On 25 May 2014 during his visit to the Holy Land, Pope Francis, in a carefully worded statement, made explicit reference to the State of Palestine.
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