Arafat’s body flown to Egypt

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Yasser Arafat’s body was being flown back to the Mideast for funeral services after French and Palestinian officials honored him Thursday with a ceremony befitting a head of state.

Arafat’s widow, Suha, stifled sobs as the Palestinian flag-draped coffin of her 75-year-old husband was carried off a military helicopter to an official French aircraft. It then left for Cairo, Egypt, where funeral services will be held Friday.

Arafat, revered as the champion of Palestinian statehood and reviled as a terrorist, died Thursday morning, spreading spasms of grief among Palestinians and rekindling calls for new peace talks with Israel.

Arafat’s death marked a turning point in modern Middle East history, leaving the Palestinians without a strong leader for the first time in four decades and arousing fears of a chaotic power struggle that could lead to fighting in the streets.

In a hurried effort to project continuity, the PLO elected former Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas as its new chief, virtually ensuring he will succeed Arafat as leader of the Palestinians, at least for an interim period.

The Palestinian legislature also swore in Parliament Speaker Rauhi Fattouh as caretaker president of the Palestinian Authority until elections can be held in 60 days, according to Palestinian law.

Arafat died at 3:30 a.m. Paris time (9:30 p.m. EST Wednesday) at a French military hospital. Neither his doctors nor Palestinian leaders said what killed him.

“He closed his eyes and his big heart stopped. He left for God but he is still among this great people,” said senior Arafat aide Tayeb Abdel Rahim, who broke into tears announcing his death.

In the West Bank and Gaza Strip, thousands ran into the streets, clutching his photograph, crying and wondering how they would survive without the man who embodied their struggle for statehood.

“He is our father,” Namia Abu-Safia, 48, said sobbing in the Jebaliya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. “He is Palestine.”

Black smoke from burning tires rose across the Gaza Strip and gunmen fired into the air in grief. Palestinian flags at Arafat’s battered compound here were lowered to half-staff. Somber music played on the radio, church bells rang out and Quranic verses blared over mosque loudspeakers.

The Palestinian Cabinet declared 40 days of mourning, and the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades in Gaza, a militant group linked to Arafat’s Fatah movement, decided to change its name to the Martyr Yasser Arafat Brigades.

Fearing the grief could rapidly turn into rioting, Israel quickly moved to seal of the West Bank and Gaza Strip and increased security at Jewish settlements.

Arafat’s health began deteriorating last month, and he was rushed to France on Oct. 29 for emergency medical treatment, marking the first time in nearly three years he left his compound - where he had been held virtual prisoner by Israel.

Hundreds of mourners lining the streets near the Percy Military Training Hospital outside Paris shouted, “From Paris to Jerusalem, we are all Palestinians!,” as Arafat’s body was brought to a French army helicopter for a short flight to Villacoublay military airfield.

Story Continues →