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Why Obama Should PlaceA Wreath at Arafat’s Grave

Daoud Kuttab calls on US President Barack Obama to pay his respects at the grave of Yasser Arafat when he visits the West Bank next week.
Members of the Palestinian security forces stand guard by the burial site of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in the West Bank city of Ramallah November 7, 2007. November 11 marks the anniversary of Arafat's death.   REUTERS/Loay Abu Haykel (WEST BANK) - RTX2EI

Less than a week before the important visit that the US president will make to Israel, Palestine and Jordan, there are some mysteries as to the Palestinian leg of his visit. While the most repeated itinerary lists Ramallah as a city where the US president will be spending a few hours, some sources are giving a different story. More than one Palestinian news site has claimed that President Barack Obama will visit Bethlehem rather than the temporary Palestinian capital of Ramallah.

One of the reasons given for why the American president might want to skip Ramallah is the fact that if he visits the secured and natural offices of the Palestinian president he will have a political difficulty. Pundits (mostly western) are claiming that if Obama passes by the grave of Yasser Arafat which is centrally located within the Muqata’a presidential compound that the American leader will have a difficult choice. Not laying a wreath will be seen as an insult to Palestinians while doing so would be seen in negative terms by some Israelis.

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