Palestinians throughout the West Bank rallied on Thursday marking the 17th anniversary of the death of Yasser Arafat, the first president of Palestine and chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
The central event took place at the Arafat Mausoleum in Ramallah, where hundreds of people, waving Palestinian flags and holding posters of Arafat, poured into the mausoleum in honor of ‘Abu Ammar’, the nom de guerre of the late PLO leader.
17 años del asesinato por envenenamiento del líder palestino Yasser Arafat
"Traigo en una mano la rama de olivo y en la otra el arma de los que luchan por la libertad, no permitan que deje caer el olivo" Arafat, 1974#PalestinaLibre #FreePalestine https://t.co/kAYIlSNVgg
— Joaquín Brand (@joaco_brand) November 11, 2021
Also in Ramallah, WAFA reported that young Palestinians clashed with Israeli soldiers at the northern entrance to the city, adding that the soldiers fired teargas canisters and rubber bullets at the demonstrators. No injuries were reported.
IN PHOTOS: #YasserArafat in Charcoal on His Death Anniversary https://t.co/oYfADqURZ8 via @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/oaTqlLAmz6
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) November 10, 2021
West Bank schools devoted the first hour of school hours to talk about the biography of the late president and his role in reviving the Palestinian cause at the international level. Palestinian students held placards with a portrait of Arafat and wore the Keffiyeh.
In the southern West Bank, Israeli soldiers violently cracked down on a students’ rally in Beit Ummar town, north of Hebron (Al-Khalil), causing dozens to suffocate from tear gas. According to WAFA, Israeli folces also quelled a similar rally held by the students of Tareq Bin Ziad Secondary School in the southern part of Hebron city, causing dozens of suffocation cases.
Today, we commemorate the 17th anniversary of the death of former President Yasser Arafat, AbuAmmar. Arafat put Palestine on the world’s political map and united the Palestinian people & shaped the Palestinian identity.https://t.co/kPBkTHvVlu
— Palestine in NL (@PalMissionNL) November 11, 2021
Dozens of other students suffocated as Israeli troops clamped down on a similar rally in Tuqu‘ town, southeast of Bethlehem.
In the besieged Gaza Strip, hundreds of Palestinians headed to Arafat’s home, west of Gaza, which still reflects the simple and modest lifestyle of the iconic Palestinian leader and where Arafat lived with his family from 1994 to 2001.
(WAFA, PC, Social Media)
