AFP
Arafat supporters bid tearful farewell, others say good riddance
Date: Fri Oct 29,
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AFP) - Supporters bade a tearful farewell to Yasser Arafat (news - web sites), as the man who has symbolized the Palestinian struggle for statehood for four decades flew out of the West Bank for possibly the last time.
But his departure was greeted in a decidedly low key manner beyond the walls of his leadership compound with some locals saying that they had not even noticed when he flew out of the West Bank in a Jordanian military helicopter.
"It's a black day for the Palestinian people, President Arafat's gone," said a member of the Palestinian leader's Force 17 security guard, wiping away his tears.
"We thank (French President Jacques) Chirac and pray for his return in good health," added Mohammed, 33, who has spent the last eight years serving Arafat inside his Ramallah compound, universally known as the Muqataa.
He was among more than 100 security men that gathered in the courtyard of the Muqataa, chanting and whistling as Arafat boarded the aircraft to Amman, from where he caught a plane for Paris for treatment for a potentially fatal blood disorder.
Wearing a grey hat in place of his trademark black and white keffiyeh headdress, the frail 75-year-old leader, accompanied by his wife Suha, was bundled on to the helicopter by his security guards.
"With our soul, with our blood we will support you Abu Ammar," his uniformed guards men intoned in unison, using Arafat's nom de guerre.
"To Jerusalem, millions of martyrs will go," they also sang, coming to an emotionally-packed standstill and waving good-bye as the helicopter took off.
"He had a smile on his lips. He was not sad because he left with the intention of returning," Arafat's mother-in-law, Raymonda Tawil told AFP.
"Of course Palestinians are pained but they are not worried about Palestine because he will be back," she added.
Some 150 Palestinians, most of them young men and teenagers, had climbed the compound's external wall, eager to catch a last glimpse of their leader.
"I came from Jerusalem, I had to see him again because it may be the last time," said 18-year-old Adnan.
However he was saddened that so few Palestinians had showed up for Arafat's departure.
"I don't know why large crowds did not make it here today. Maybe people have not realized that he was really leaving us, maybe they can't make it to Ramallah because of the (Israeli) army closures of West Bank," he suggested.
It was all in stark contrast to scenes in Ramallah two years ago when thousands of Palestinians filled the streets in shows of solidarity with Arafat during repeated Israeli raids on his compound.
Bassima and her friend Majdulin Abbas said Arafat should have stayed and died on Palestinian soil.
"He shouldn't be leaving when we haven't yet been liberated. He waited all his life to come home and should die here," said Bassima.
Arafat came back from his Tunisian exile to the Palestinian territories in 1994, after the Oslo peace accords with Israel, and went on to found and head the Palestinian Authority.
"How can he leave and be sure he will be back? Israel has broken so many promises before, it may not let him come back to us," said Abbas.
The Israeli government has officially agreed that the ailing Arafat, whom it has kept under virtual house arrest in Ramallah since December 2001, could return to Ramallah after receiving treatment abroad.
Others in Ramallah were indifferent to Arafat's departure or even rejoicing over it.
"I was busy opening up my shop, I didn't notice he was gone," said the owner of a fruits and vegetables stand just outside the Muqataa.
"Good riddance, I hope he and his gang of thugs never come back," said Abu Hussein, a 48-year-old businessman walking in downtown Ramallah.
"I used to respect Arafat when he was in exile but since he's been here, we've seen his true face.
"He and his cronies have stolen money, sold our land and sent our youths to be slaughtered during the intifada," he added.
SOURCE
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