20 nov 2019
Palestinian prisoner Marwan al-Barghouthi, member of the Fatah Central Committee, has called on president Mahmoud Abbas to uphold the national unity and create the atmosphere to contain everyone in the Palestinian arena as late president Yasser Arafat was doing.
This came in a letter sent from his prison on the 15th anniversary of Arafat’s passing.
Barghouthi said that Abbas must issue a presidential decree to hold elections and abandon his hard-line positions.
He called for necessarily adopting “a national strategic plan to reunite the Palestinian people instead of dispersing them and to take swift steps towards finding solutions to all internal issues in order to reach the stage of national liberation.”
The Fatah official also called on Abbas to revoke the punitive measures he imposed on the Gaza population and to work on strengthening their steadfastness.
This came in a letter sent from his prison on the 15th anniversary of Arafat’s passing.
Barghouthi said that Abbas must issue a presidential decree to hold elections and abandon his hard-line positions.
He called for necessarily adopting “a national strategic plan to reunite the Palestinian people instead of dispersing them and to take swift steps towards finding solutions to all internal issues in order to reach the stage of national liberation.”
The Fatah official also called on Abbas to revoke the punitive measures he imposed on the Gaza population and to work on strengthening their steadfastness.
16 nov 2019
Ramzy Baroud – Middle East Monitor
15 years after the passing of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian people continue to reflect on his legacy. Thousands of images of “Abu Ammar” have been shared across numerous social media platforms remembering a man whose nom de guerre has been affiliated with the Palestinian struggle for decades.
Arafat’s legacy, however, is a contentious subject. The deep sense of loyalty that many Palestinians feel towards him is admirable but also worrying. This creates a dilemma: how is one to honestly dissect the history of a man whose status, among many Palestinians, has been elevated to that of an infallible warrior?
Considering that this current Palestinian generation is suffering the consequences of a checkered past – one that was partly molded by Arafat himself – examining Abu Ammar’s successes and failures is more critical than ever before.
One can honestly say that it was Arafat and his generation of Palestinian leaders and intellectuals who helped resurrect the Palestinian national identity after the humiliating Arab defeat by Israel in the June 1967 war. Prior to that date, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was neither truly Palestinian nor a genuinely revolutionary force.
Moreover, Arafat, throughout the 1960s and 70s used the party he founded, Fatah, and the PLO to establish a large array of global alliances throughout the Southern hemisphere. This made the image of Arafat, adorned with his black and white Palestinian keffiyeh, a recognizable brand from Chile to South Africa, and from Iran to China.
But Arafat is also responsible for many of the ailments that continue to plague Palestinian society and hamper the Palestinian cause until this day. In fact, much of the widespread corruption, failures and absence of democratically run institutions in Palestine are rooted in the very system of political patronage created by the late Palestinian leader.
From the onset, back in the mid-1960s, Arafat and a small clique of Fatah members tried to dominate the PLO and by extension, all Palestinian national and political institutions, including the Palestine National Council (PNC) and the PLO’s Executive Committee. The former served as a Palestinian parliament in exile and the latter became the executive branch of a government-like structure. While Arafat assigned to himself most of the top positions, his allies were strategically allocated in all branches of Palestinian political life.
Under Arafat, the PLO operated according to the most minimal standards of democracy. Throughout his political career, whether in exile or following his return to Gaza in 1994, he labored to appear politically inclusive. In reality, Arafat shrewdly managed all Palestinian political affairs without any margins for meaningful dissent. Under immense American and Israeli pressure, Arafat and his Palestinian Authority cracked down on all Palestinian political parties that rejected the PA’s subservience to Israel and its “peace at all costs” approach.
Unlike the current leader of the PA and PLO, Mahmoud Abbas, Arafat, at least, was genuine in his desire to establish Palestinian political unity. However the unity he envisaged seemed to imply a united Palestinian front behind him and the political agenda of his choosing.
Palestinians continue to suffer the consequences of this misconstrued notion of ‘unity’, agreeing to a singular political agenda, as opposed to uniting within a single democratic political institution. Arafat could neither achieve the former nor secure the latter.
The shortcomings in Arafat’s legacy became even more amplified after his death. With no true democratic institutions that would permit Palestinians to sort out their many differences, Abbas, Arafat’s heir to the PA/PLO throne, used his position to accumulate wealth, prop up his cronies, and insist on his complete dominance over all Palestinian affairs.
On numerous occasions, Arafat dared to challenge Israel. His besiegement in his office in Ramallah for years, prior to his death from a “mysterious blood disorder” was a testimony to Israel’s loathing of the Palestinian leader. However, it was the skewed political structure that Arafat created that emboldened the aging Abbas in his drive for political supremacy. Indeed, Abbas has single-handedly squandered all Palestinian national achievements, including the PLO itself as a unifying Palestinian political platform.
15 years later, it has become clear that the lack of a meaningful Palestinian political dialogue under Arafat led to the weakening, fragility, and systematic dissolution of the Palestinian national project. If Arafat had allowed for the development of a healthy Palestinian democracy, the Oslo agreement would have never been signed in the first place.
Thanks to Oslo, Palestinians are now as trapped in a political maze of unfulfilled agreements and broken promises as they are also imprisoned behind Israeli walls, fences and checkpoints. While the vast majority of Palestinians continue to reel under this horrific Oslo-induced reality, Abbas, the Fatah, and PA elites enjoy the perks of their acquiescence and outright betrayal of the Palestinian people.
Arafat, despite all of his political miscalculations, is still missed in Palestine 15 years following his death. This truth is a commentary on today’s sad state of affairs. What’s most ironic however, is that today’s tragic reality is, in many ways, the direct outcome of Arafat’s own legacy.
15 years after the passing of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian people continue to reflect on his legacy. Thousands of images of “Abu Ammar” have been shared across numerous social media platforms remembering a man whose nom de guerre has been affiliated with the Palestinian struggle for decades.
Arafat’s legacy, however, is a contentious subject. The deep sense of loyalty that many Palestinians feel towards him is admirable but also worrying. This creates a dilemma: how is one to honestly dissect the history of a man whose status, among many Palestinians, has been elevated to that of an infallible warrior?
Considering that this current Palestinian generation is suffering the consequences of a checkered past – one that was partly molded by Arafat himself – examining Abu Ammar’s successes and failures is more critical than ever before.
One can honestly say that it was Arafat and his generation of Palestinian leaders and intellectuals who helped resurrect the Palestinian national identity after the humiliating Arab defeat by Israel in the June 1967 war. Prior to that date, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was neither truly Palestinian nor a genuinely revolutionary force.
Moreover, Arafat, throughout the 1960s and 70s used the party he founded, Fatah, and the PLO to establish a large array of global alliances throughout the Southern hemisphere. This made the image of Arafat, adorned with his black and white Palestinian keffiyeh, a recognizable brand from Chile to South Africa, and from Iran to China.
But Arafat is also responsible for many of the ailments that continue to plague Palestinian society and hamper the Palestinian cause until this day. In fact, much of the widespread corruption, failures and absence of democratically run institutions in Palestine are rooted in the very system of political patronage created by the late Palestinian leader.
From the onset, back in the mid-1960s, Arafat and a small clique of Fatah members tried to dominate the PLO and by extension, all Palestinian national and political institutions, including the Palestine National Council (PNC) and the PLO’s Executive Committee. The former served as a Palestinian parliament in exile and the latter became the executive branch of a government-like structure. While Arafat assigned to himself most of the top positions, his allies were strategically allocated in all branches of Palestinian political life.
Under Arafat, the PLO operated according to the most minimal standards of democracy. Throughout his political career, whether in exile or following his return to Gaza in 1994, he labored to appear politically inclusive. In reality, Arafat shrewdly managed all Palestinian political affairs without any margins for meaningful dissent. Under immense American and Israeli pressure, Arafat and his Palestinian Authority cracked down on all Palestinian political parties that rejected the PA’s subservience to Israel and its “peace at all costs” approach.
Unlike the current leader of the PA and PLO, Mahmoud Abbas, Arafat, at least, was genuine in his desire to establish Palestinian political unity. However the unity he envisaged seemed to imply a united Palestinian front behind him and the political agenda of his choosing.
Palestinians continue to suffer the consequences of this misconstrued notion of ‘unity’, agreeing to a singular political agenda, as opposed to uniting within a single democratic political institution. Arafat could neither achieve the former nor secure the latter.
The shortcomings in Arafat’s legacy became even more amplified after his death. With no true democratic institutions that would permit Palestinians to sort out their many differences, Abbas, Arafat’s heir to the PA/PLO throne, used his position to accumulate wealth, prop up his cronies, and insist on his complete dominance over all Palestinian affairs.
On numerous occasions, Arafat dared to challenge Israel. His besiegement in his office in Ramallah for years, prior to his death from a “mysterious blood disorder” was a testimony to Israel’s loathing of the Palestinian leader. However, it was the skewed political structure that Arafat created that emboldened the aging Abbas in his drive for political supremacy. Indeed, Abbas has single-handedly squandered all Palestinian national achievements, including the PLO itself as a unifying Palestinian political platform.
15 years later, it has become clear that the lack of a meaningful Palestinian political dialogue under Arafat led to the weakening, fragility, and systematic dissolution of the Palestinian national project. If Arafat had allowed for the development of a healthy Palestinian democracy, the Oslo agreement would have never been signed in the first place.
Thanks to Oslo, Palestinians are now as trapped in a political maze of unfulfilled agreements and broken promises as they are also imprisoned behind Israeli walls, fences and checkpoints. While the vast majority of Palestinians continue to reel under this horrific Oslo-induced reality, Abbas, the Fatah, and PA elites enjoy the perks of their acquiescence and outright betrayal of the Palestinian people.
Arafat, despite all of his political miscalculations, is still missed in Palestine 15 years following his death. This truth is a commentary on today’s sad state of affairs. What’s most ironic however, is that today’s tragic reality is, in many ways, the direct outcome of Arafat’s own legacy.
11 nov 2019
Dozens of Palestinians suffocated, today, as Israeli forces attacked citizens participating in marches commemorating the 15th anniversary for the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, said a local activist.
Media activist in Beit Ummar, Mohammad Awad, told WAFA that Israeli forces stormed an area adjacent to the Israeli settlement of Karmi Tzur, built illegally on Palestinian land to the south of Hebron, and attacked participants who were commemorating Arafat’s death anniversary.
Forces fired rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas canisters at locals and their homes, causing dozens to suffocate due to tear gas inhalation.
Media activist in Beit Ummar, Mohammad Awad, told WAFA that Israeli forces stormed an area adjacent to the Israeli settlement of Karmi Tzur, built illegally on Palestinian land to the south of Hebron, and attacked participants who were commemorating Arafat’s death anniversary.
Forces fired rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas canisters at locals and their homes, causing dozens to suffocate due to tear gas inhalation.
Thousands of Palestinians, Monday, marked the 15th anniversary of the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat at the Arafat Memorial in Ramallah, The Palestinian News and Info Agency (WAFA) reported.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the crowds, praising Arafat, who led the Palestinian revolution for the liberation of the homeland from the Israeli occupation.
“Our revolution is a national liberation movement that deserves to be respected. It is going to achieve all its goals and achieve the independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Abbas said.
He criticized the American so-called ‘deal of the century’, which he said intends to strip the Palestinians of their rights and dreams, stating “We will not go back on our rights. It is not a matter of stubbornness or rejection for the sake of rejection. We reject what does not agree with our rights and what our people do not accept,”
“We agreed to go to legislative, then presidential elections,” stressing the importance of holding these elections in Gaza and occupied Jerusalem as well, “without which there will be no elections.” he declared.
The Palestinian president expressed hope that everyone will agree to elections, “because they protect our existence and our cause,” adding, “we are going to elections under all circumstances and then to achieve our hope and dream, which is the independent Palestinian state, self-determination and return to the homeland.”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the crowds, praising Arafat, who led the Palestinian revolution for the liberation of the homeland from the Israeli occupation.
“Our revolution is a national liberation movement that deserves to be respected. It is going to achieve all its goals and achieve the independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Abbas said.
He criticized the American so-called ‘deal of the century’, which he said intends to strip the Palestinians of their rights and dreams, stating “We will not go back on our rights. It is not a matter of stubbornness or rejection for the sake of rejection. We reject what does not agree with our rights and what our people do not accept,”
“We agreed to go to legislative, then presidential elections,” stressing the importance of holding these elections in Gaza and occupied Jerusalem as well, “without which there will be no elections.” he declared.
The Palestinian president expressed hope that everyone will agree to elections, “because they protect our existence and our cause,” adding, “we are going to elections under all circumstances and then to achieve our hope and dream, which is the independent Palestinian state, self-determination and return to the homeland.”
Omar Haitham al-Badawi, 22
Israeli soldiers shot and killed, Monday, a young Palestinian man in the al-‘Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank.
Medical sources at the al-Ahli Hospital in Hebron said the soldiers shot Omar Haitham al-Badawi, 22, with a live round in the chest. video 18+
They added that the soldiers surrounded the refugee camp, and refused to allow the medics through, as they were rushing into it to provide treatment to several Palestinians, including al-Badawi.
Local then placed the seriously wounded Palestinian in a car and rushed him to the al-Mezan Hospital, in Hebron, where he died from his serious gunshot wound to the chest and the massive bleeding. video video
The fatal shooting took place after the army resorted to the excessive use of force against dozens of Palestinians marking the fifteenth anniversary of the death of the late President Yasser Arafat, before several young men started throwing stones at the soldiers, stationed in the permanent military roadblock at the entrance of the refugee camp.
In related news, the soldiers attacked protests near the northern entrance of al-Biereh city, in central West Bank, causing dozens to suffer the effects of teargas inhalation.
Israeli soldiers shot and killed, Monday, a young Palestinian man in the al-‘Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank.
Medical sources at the al-Ahli Hospital in Hebron said the soldiers shot Omar Haitham al-Badawi, 22, with a live round in the chest. video 18+
They added that the soldiers surrounded the refugee camp, and refused to allow the medics through, as they were rushing into it to provide treatment to several Palestinians, including al-Badawi.
Local then placed the seriously wounded Palestinian in a car and rushed him to the al-Mezan Hospital, in Hebron, where he died from his serious gunshot wound to the chest and the massive bleeding. video video
The fatal shooting took place after the army resorted to the excessive use of force against dozens of Palestinians marking the fifteenth anniversary of the death of the late President Yasser Arafat, before several young men started throwing stones at the soldiers, stationed in the permanent military roadblock at the entrance of the refugee camp.
In related news, the soldiers attacked protests near the northern entrance of al-Biereh city, in central West Bank, causing dozens to suffer the effects of teargas inhalation.
Israeli soldiers injured, earlier Monday, two Palestinians with live rounds, and caused dozens to suffer the effects of teargas inhalation, near the main entrances of the al-Fawwar and the al-‘Arroub refugee camps, in the southern West Bank governorate of Hebron. video
Media sources in Hebron said the soldiers violently attacked Palestinians, marching in their communities and marking the fifteenth anniversary of the death of the late President Yasser Arafat.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said the soldiers shot a young man, from Doura town, south of Hebron and caused many others to suffer the effects of teargas inhalation.
The PRCS added that its medics moved the young man to Hebron Governmental Hospital, after he was shot with a live round in the thigh, at the main entrance of the al-Fawwar refugee camp, south of Hebron.
The soldiers also closed the main road leading to Doura town, near the bypass road #60, and prevented all Palestinian cars from crossing.
It also said that the soldiers attacked dozens of students, marching at the western entrance of the al-‘Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron, and fired live rounds, gas bombs and concussion grenades at them.
The PRCS said one Palestinian suffered serious wounds after the soldiers shot him with a live round in the abdomen at the entrance of the refugee camp.
At the time of this report, Palestinian medics were still unable to reach a hospital due to the many military roadblocks, installed by the army, in several parts of Hebron governorate.
Media sources in Hebron said the soldiers violently attacked Palestinians, marching in their communities and marking the fifteenth anniversary of the death of the late President Yasser Arafat.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said the soldiers shot a young man, from Doura town, south of Hebron and caused many others to suffer the effects of teargas inhalation.
The PRCS added that its medics moved the young man to Hebron Governmental Hospital, after he was shot with a live round in the thigh, at the main entrance of the al-Fawwar refugee camp, south of Hebron.
The soldiers also closed the main road leading to Doura town, near the bypass road #60, and prevented all Palestinian cars from crossing.
It also said that the soldiers attacked dozens of students, marching at the western entrance of the al-‘Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron, and fired live rounds, gas bombs and concussion grenades at them.
The PRCS said one Palestinian suffered serious wounds after the soldiers shot him with a live round in the abdomen at the entrance of the refugee camp.
At the time of this report, Palestinian medics were still unable to reach a hospital due to the many military roadblocks, installed by the army, in several parts of Hebron governorate.
22 jan 2019
The Jerusalem District Court issued, on Tuesday, a temporary lien for a plot of land in occupied East Jerusalem belonging to the estate of the late Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat.
Hebrew-language news outlets reported that the court issued the order at the request of eight families, who identify themselves as “victims of terrorism,” and who filed a civil damages lawsuit against the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Arafat’s estate.
The plaintiffs claimed that if they win the lawsuit, it would be difficult to collect the compensation from the estate and requested to place a temporary lien on the property, in order to fully collect their damages.
A lien is a claim against an asset that allows a person to keep the property of a person who owes them money until it has been paid.
The land measures 2.7 dunams (0.675 acres), most of which is located inside the cemetery on the Mount of Olives, which Arafat inherited.
Arafat's estate makes up 135-square-meters, about 0.5%, of the plot of land in question. However, the judge ruled that legally it was possible to put a temporary freeze on the entire plot.
Yossi Arnon, the lawyer representing the PA in the case, said he intends on taking action to reverse the ruling.
It is noteworthy that about 120 lawsuits are underway against the PA in Israeli courts based on claims that the PA is directly responsible for damages arising from “terrorist attacks.”
Hebrew-language news outlets reported that the court issued the order at the request of eight families, who identify themselves as “victims of terrorism,” and who filed a civil damages lawsuit against the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Arafat’s estate.
The plaintiffs claimed that if they win the lawsuit, it would be difficult to collect the compensation from the estate and requested to place a temporary lien on the property, in order to fully collect their damages.
A lien is a claim against an asset that allows a person to keep the property of a person who owes them money until it has been paid.
The land measures 2.7 dunams (0.675 acres), most of which is located inside the cemetery on the Mount of Olives, which Arafat inherited.
Arafat's estate makes up 135-square-meters, about 0.5%, of the plot of land in question. However, the judge ruled that legally it was possible to put a temporary freeze on the entire plot.
Yossi Arnon, the lawyer representing the PA in the case, said he intends on taking action to reverse the ruling.
It is noteworthy that about 120 lawsuits are underway against the PA in Israeli courts based on claims that the PA is directly responsible for damages arising from “terrorist attacks.”
