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Posted on 11/05/2004 8:01:31 AM PST by rang1995
Arafat Wants to Be Buried in Jerusalem
By ARTHUR MAX .c The Associated Press
JERUSALEM (AP) - The top Palestinian Islamic cleric said Friday it was Yasser Arafat's wish to be buried in Jerusalem, increasing pressure on Israel, which has sharply refused to allow the Palestinian leader to be laid to rest in the city if he dies.
The Mufti of Jerusalem, Ikrema Sabri, said Arafat ``willed to be buried in Jerusalem and from a religious perspective, we must and need to honor his will.''
Israel's justice minister, Yosef Lapid, however, said Israel would not permit a Jerusalem funeral, saying the city is ``where Jewish kings are buried and not Arab terrorists.''
Sabri, the top Muslim official in Jerusalem, did not elaborate whether Arafat had a written will. However, the 75-year-old Palestinian leader has told aides privately in recent years that he would like to be buried near Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest shrine.
The comments from both sides portended a likely political fight over any Arafat funeral arrangement. He is currently in a coma at a Paris military hospital.
Palestinian leaders hope to enlist international support for his burial at Al Aqsa, a Palestinian official said on condition of anonymity. Negotiations with Israel would only begin after Arafat's death, the official said.
The mosque compound is built on the ruins of the biblical Jewish temples and is revered by Jews as the Temple Mount. Burial in Jerusalem would be seen as strengthening Palestinian claims to the traditionally Arab sector of the city as a future capital.
The Palestinians have not been in contact with Israeli officials over the question of burying Arafat, officials said. ``It's premature at this stage to talk about burying or not burying,'' Palestinian lawmaker Saeb Erekat said.
Israeli security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Gaza Strip was the only burial option, and that they oppose allowing Arafat to be interred in the West Bank, including the Jerusalem suburb of Abu Dis.
Lapid did not refer to a possible ban on a West Bank burial, but told Israel TV's Channel Two: ``Now we are talking about Gaza. We have no problems with Gaza, of course.''
But he underlined that Jerusalem is off-limits. ``They (the Palestinians) will choose where to bury him, but he will not be buried in Jerusalem because Jerusalem is the city where Jewish kings are buried and not Arab terrorists,'' he told Associated Press Television News.
Israel has sought to keep a low profile in dealing with the deterioration in Arafat's health, with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon instructing government officials to avoid speaking to reporters on the issue. Lapid, a longtime journalist, is known for speaking bluntly.
Arafat had spent the last three years in his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, which effectively became his prison after Israel besieged his compound more than two years ago.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath said there have been no contacts with Israel on funeral arrangements, telling The Associated Press from Gaza that officials have heard of Israel's plans only from the media.
Arafat's clan, the Al-Kidwas, are originally from Gaza, though the Palestinian leader grew up in Jerusalem and Cairo. The family has a small plot of 25 to 30 graves in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis. The overgrown patch is in the middle of a busy vegetable market and would not be considered appropriate.
Other burial options include a seaside plot next to his old headquarters in Gaza City, or Gaza City's ``martyrs' cemetery'' east of the city, close to Israel.
A funeral in Gaza would pose a security nightmare for foreign dignitaries attending the event. There has been increasing chaos in the coastal strip in recent months, with rival groups of gunmen and security chiefs battling for control ahead of a planned Israeli troop withdrawal next year.
Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they were instructed to prepare for the arrival of foreign envoys for the funeral, but the Palestinians weren't ready yet to cooperate in the planning.
Israel anticipated receiving envoys from countries with which it has diplomatic relations and providing security for them until they pass into Palestinian-controlled territory, officials said. Envoys from other countries would likely arrive across the border from Jordan or Egypt, depending on the location of the grave site.
It was unclear who would attend. Although Arafat was elected president of the Palestinian Authority formed after he returned from exile in 1994, it is not a widely recognized government. The Palestinians have observer status at the United Nations.
Erekat chided Israel after some people celebrated the reports that Arafat had died.
``I hope the Israeli public will show sensitivities. I've seen some Israelis dancing in the streets, hugging each other other yesterday,'' Erekat told CNN. ``I think it's alien... I cannot describe my feelings. It's heartbreaking to see Israelis hugging and kissing in such circumstances.''
After Israeli media reported Thursday night that Arafat had died, some young Orthodox Jews gathered in a downtown Jerusalem square to celebrate - singing, dancing, distributing sweets and declaring that one of their greatest enemies was ``on his way to hell.''
11/05/04 10:51 EST
Arafat is an Egyptian. Bury him in Egypt.
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It will be ugly to watch the "dignitaries" who attend.I hope Bush dosn't send powell that would hurt..would we have sent people to hitlers?"
I agree, it was painful enough to see the Father of Modern Terrorism in our Whitehouse a few years ago. At least Clinton made him wait while he provided "mentoring" to an intern.
Sure, go ahead. Why wait for him to die?
Jam,
I agree brick top should take care of the arrangements.
Great movie, too.
C
egypy..hmmm build him a pyramid
According to the Talmud, gehinnom is a real place.
"Arafat Wants to Be Buried in Jerusalem"
A caller on Savage had a great idea. They could bury him near the wailing wall. The jews could dance on his grave, spit on it or piss on it!!!!!
fuggitaboutit.""
Isreal: PLEASE DO NOT WAVER!!!!!
Do not give this man a "place" to be buried. That will only lead to "pilgrims" coming in mass numbers on each "anniversary" of his death, and overrunnig your country with more terrorists. Let them scatter his ashes over the Mediterranean sea or something.
........hmmmmmmmm.......Gaza.......just at the '3 mile limit'.....out at sea?
The family has a small plot of 25 to 30 graves in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis. The overgrown patch is in the middle of a busy vegetable market and would not be considered appropriate."""
With all their family money, don't you think they could afford to keep the place up decently in reverence for their ancestors?
You're totally right. That's why liberalism is a mental disease. They call our brave soldiers both in Vietnam and Iraq
"baby killers", while supporting abortion at home. I guess it just depends on who's babies are dying.
These anti war idiots don't have a pot to piss in. 40 million babies have been aborted in the US alone. But they're not concerned with "those" Human Rights....
THe US will probably have official representation at the funeral of Arafat.
Nobody's forcing them to attend. And there better not be one penny of U.S. taxpayers' money spent on security or anything else for this "event".
"And Michael Moore wants to be carved into Mount Rushmore too"
Hey, lets kill two birds with one stone! Grind up ole Yassir boy with about 30 pounds of USDA Reject pork, barbecue it up and feed it to the lard-a** traitor! That is bound to be a meal even Tubby Moore couldn't digest, and the rest will be history!!!! Hell, I'd be willing to spring for the sauce and after his obscene post-election web page, I've got about several hundred thousand fellow servicemen and women that would be more than happy to help!!!
I doubt it. Why go to the funeral of a vermin that President Bush wouldn't even allow into the White House?
Hopefully the US representative will be the Peanut Farmer Jimmy..........that way we can watch one POS mourning over another POS!
Correction:
Why not shred his body and let the dogs PIGS decide where to deposit him?
With all their family money, don't you think they could afford to keep the place up decently in reverence for their ancestors?
They are Arabs. Too lazy to do it themselves and too cheap to hire someone else.
Since their elections are a sham, no need to go the "Patsy Mink" route where you keep the candidate on life support until the filing deadline has passed and the job appointed....
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