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.
Ashraf Gomaa, a prominent Fatah member, said that Fatah had not received a formal answer from Hamas on an outdoor venue, stressing that Hamas had only expressed its position through the media. Gomaa told Al-Monitor, “The justifications Hamas is invoking to prevent holding the commemoration of the anniversary of Arafat’s death in an open space are unconvincing.” He called on Hamas to abandon its unjustified opposition to an outdoor venue and take advantage of the anniversary and the current uprising to end the internal division and strengthen Palestinian unity to confront Israeli policies.
When asked about a possible Fatah response should Hamas refuse to allow events in an open place, Gomaa said, “In this case, the Fatah leadership must make a crucial decision to call on the public to take to the street and organize events, no matter what it takes, without authorization from Hamas.”
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