GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinians are marking the 11th anniversary of the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who passed away Nov. 11, 2004, at the Percy Military Hospital in Clamart, France. Although Arafat — the long-serving chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization and first Palestinian Authority (PA) president — united the majority of Palestinians around him, the commemoration of his death this year, as with previous commemorations since the internal Fatah-Hamas division that began in June 2007, has not succeeded in uniting the factions. In Hamas-controlled Gaza, a dispute between Fatah and Hamas over commemoration events remains ongoing despite Hamas’ approval for a commemoration at a closed, rather than outdoor, venue for security reasons.
In a Nov. 5 press release, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said, “We support the idea of commemorating the anniversary of Arafat’s death, and we leave the [organizational] details to the competent authorities.” He noted that communications with Hamas on the subject had been not through Fatah, but the Yasser Arafat Foundation, which is in charge of the anniversary events in the West Bank and Gaza.
