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w w w . h a a r e t z . c o m Last update - 16:44 12/11/2004 Arafat buried amid chaos in Muqata By Arnon Regular (Ramallah), Amos Harel and Jonathan Lis, Haaretz Correspondents, and Agencies RAMALLAH - To the roars of tens of thousands of Palestinians, and shots in the air fired by tense Palestinian police and masked gunmen, the flag-draped casket of Yasser Arafat was borne through milling, surging crowds Friday for burial in a plot next to the office to which Israel confined the Palestinian leader for nearly three years. The burial ceremony followed a...

Slobodan Milosevic, who is on trial at the U.N. war crimes tribunal, has sent a letter of condolences to the Palestinians over the death of Yasser Arafat, the former president's aides said Friday. The pro-Milosevic group called Sloboda (Freedom), which is aiding the their leader's defense before the tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, gave no other details about the letter. The group only said it was addressed to the Palestinian people and leadership. Milosevic was charged for genocide and crimes against humanity for his role in the Balkan wars of the 1990s. He was arrested and handed over to the...

Yasser Arafat, considered the founder of the modern-day terrorism, began a wave of murder against Jewish targets around the world shortly after taking control of the PLO in 1968-9. For example: Among the murderous exploits he inspired were the following: * the Savoy Hotel attack of March 1975, in which seven hostages and two soldiers were killed after Fatah terrorists landed on the beach and seized the hotel. * the Maalot massacre in May 1974 in which a school building was taken over while children from Tzfat on a school trip were sleeping there. Three teachers and 22 schoolchildren were...

World leaders marked the death Thursday of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat with a mixture of praise for his dedication to the Palestinian cause and regret for his failure to realize the dream of statehood for his people. Terje Roed-Larsen, the United Nation's longtime Middle East envoy and a key mediator in past peace talks, said Arafat's last years were marred by mistakes. "One of the reasons his credibility as a leader was undermined on the Palestinian side was an increasing agreement among the leadership and the Palestinian people that Arafat had led them in the wrong direction over the...

w w w . h a a r e t z . c o m Last update - 07:38 11/11/2004 Palestinians mourn for Arafat; Hamas, Islamic Jihad pay tribute By Haaretz Service and Agencies Palestine Liberation Organisation official Yasser Abed Rabbo announced a 40-day mourning period for Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat following the annoucement of his death on Thursday morning. Palestinians reacted with tears and tributes to news of Arafat's death Thursday. Palestinian flags at Arafat's battered compound in the West Bank city of Ramallah were lowered to half staff. Television broadcast excerpts from the Koran with a picture of...

Click here to watch short shockwave video about the murderer Arafat

An interesting debate is being conducted in some circles in Israel as to precisely how happy one should be at Arafat's demise. One Biblical verse that has often been quoted of late is, "When the wicked perish, there is jubilation" (Proverb 11,10). A statement by the Tekumah party - a faction of the National Union - notes that the Talmud cites this verse in response to witnesses who fear that their testimony might help put someone to death. The judges tell them, "You will not be liable for this blood; it is rather a merit for you, to purify the...

Many news media are reporting in the name of PA sources that arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat died yesterday in his Paris hospital bed, and that the official announcement will be made later today. Reuters also reported that Arafat suffered a brain hemorrhage last night, and that "aides said privately that he was dead." "I don't know anyone other than Arafat who has as much civilian Jewish blood on his hands since the time of the Nazis," Ariel Sharon said of him in 1995. MK Aryeh Eldad (National Union) said in the Knesset yesterday, "There are not many things that have happened...

Yasser Arafat not only made a career out of terrorism in the guise of creating a new Arab nation, but he also became an extremely rich terrorist. As father of the Palestinian nationalist/terrorist movement, Arafat combined the PLO's money with his own personal accounts. He reserved for himself sole signatory rights on the PLO's accounts, and never hid the fact that he often used the money for his own personal use. A special annual issue of Forbes Magazine reported that Arafat controlled $300 million, placing him among the richest in the "Kings, Queens and Despots" category. Some reports are that...

CAIRO - Comparing himself to South Africa's Nelson Mandela, Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat said in an interview published Tuesday that he will step down from office after he has ruled an independent Palestinian state. Arafat, in the interview with the London-based newspaper Asharq al-Awsat, said he wouldn't impose himself as a candidate for re-election, but the Palestinian leader, elected in 1996, still holds all the keys to decision-making in his territories. He compared himself to Mandela, 86, who became South Africa's first black president in 1994 and stepped down five years later to assume the role of an elder...

Recently released documents captured during Operation Defensive Shield confirm that the family of the suicide bomber who attacked the beach front Dolphinarium dance club in Tel Aviv was awarded $2000 by Yassir Arafat. Arafat also sent the terrorist’s father a letter in which he praised his son’s murderous act. The attack on the Dolphinarium was one of the most brutal massacres of the entire Oslo War, killing 21 people, mostly teens, on a Friday night in August 2001. Over 120 persons were injured in the powerful bomb blast. Hassan Khutari, a Hamas terrorist, carried out the attack. During Operation Defensive...

Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage: U.S. continues to oppose expulsion of PA Chairman Arafat (News Agencies)

Key European countries are pressing Israel to end its policy of isolating Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat. The subject came up in recent meetings between Israeli officials and the Dutch and German foreign ministers, Bernard Bot and Joschka Fischer. Both said that while they are not fans of Arafat's leadership, it is necessary to talk with him. But Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom responded that Israel is sticking with its policy of isolating Arafat. Bot, the rotating president of the European Council of Foreign Ministers, met with Shalom in Maastricht last week and said that Israel's refusal to allow Arafat to...

Some 50,000 Palestinians took part in the Tuesday afternoon funerals for 15 Hamas terrorists killed in an IAF strike in Gaza City overnight. Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei warned Israel that its air strike would invite a response from Hamas, adding that any retaliation for the killings will be justified. "No crime goes unpunished," Qurei said at a meeting of the Palestinian cabinet. "For sure there will be retaliation and the retaliation will be justified." Qurei said the attack hindered Egypt's efforts to help bring peace to the region. "Israel wants to block everything," said Qureia. "Yesterday we had...

Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said Monday that the government remains committed to "removing" Yasser Arafat from the Palestinian territories, although there are no current plans to do so. "The state of Israel will find the way and the right time to bring about the removal of Yasser Arafat from the region," Mofaz said while answering listeners' questions on Army Radio. Mofaz noted the Israeli security Cabinet's decision last year to "remove" Arafat following a series of Palestinian suicide bombings. "I think it is still relevant," Mofaz said. At the time, officials hinted that the order could refer to expelling, killing...

[Interview conductd in Arabic with the station providing passage -by-passage English translation; text transcribed from Radio 786 translation except where noted.] [FBIS Transcribed Text] [FBIS Report] [Begin recording in English] [Radio 786 announcer Farid Sayed] Iraq has been gripped by some of the fiercest clashes in months and Najaf has seen some of the most intense fighting. The Jaysh al-Mahdi [Al-Mahdi Army] are resisting all attempts by American forces to enter the city. In other parts of the country, fighting also continues. In tonight's program, Radio 786 brings you an exclusive interview with Abbas al-Rubai'i, the spokesperson for Islamic leader...

WASHINGTON - Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat is blocking an investigation to find the killers of three American security guards attacked in the Gaza Strip last year, a senior U.S. official said on Tuesday. The United States has persistently complained the Palestinians have failed to investigate fully the bombing of a U.S. diplomatic convoy but officials had not directly blamed Arafat for the handling of the probe before. "There has been no satisfactory resolution of this case. We can only conclude that there has been a political decision taken by the chairman [Arafat] to block further progress in this investigation,"...

BASRA (Reuters) - Hundreds of Shi'ite militiamen loyal to rebel Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr took to the streets of the British-controlled southern city of Basra on Saturday, witnesses said. They said the militiamen, armed with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, took over several areas of the city and were manning checkpoints on the streets. A British military spokesman said he was aware of "disturbances" in Basra and added that large crowds, including some with arms, were gathering in the city center near the headquarters of the South Oil Company. The spokesman also confirmed reports of clashes between coalition forces and...

The White House announced Thursday that United States National Security Advisor, Condoleezza Rice, will meet Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia in Germany on May 17. Rice will be the highest ranking U.S. official to meet the Palestinian prime minister. A source in the White House said that Rice will call on Qureia to recognize that Sharon's disengagement plan offers a historic opportunity to advance the Road Map peace plan.

(IsraelNN.com) In a live televised address from Ramallah, Yasser Arafat addressed PA residents, vowing the struggle against Israel would continue. Hundreds of armed PA residents paraded in the streets of Ramallah during the address in a showing of support for the arch terrorist and PA leader.