Humble grave may await Arafat

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Yasser Arafat’s hope to be buried in Jerusalem may be rerouted to a small, private, weed-choked cemetery in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the Gaza Strip.

The 75-year-old Palestinian leader remained in a Paris hospital Saturday.

Some Palestinians ventured out to a small graveyard in the town of Khan Yunis to consider the final days and wishes of the man who led their national movement for decades. Even in these delicate times, they said, Arafat could not elude Israeli control.

Arafat’s wish to be buried in Jerusalem, near the Al Aqsa Mosque in the area known as the Noble Sanctuary to Muslims and the Temple Mount to Jews, seemed bound for disappointment. The Israeli political leadership last week appeared united in denying a possible shrine to the symbol of Palestinian independence in the heart of the holy city.

Instead, the Israelis suggested Arafat be laid to rest in Gaza in a tiny family grave that, as dozens of Palestinians found out Saturday, offers their storied leader little glory.

Any new plot would be crammed in among 32 existing graves, including those of Arafat’s father and sister. The cemetery is behind a locked gate along an open market street in Khan Yunis that is abuzz with hawkers, braying donkeys and swarms of flies.

“I’m not a supporter of Arafat. I’m even part of the opposition. But shouldn’t there be respect for where he wants to be buried?” asked Helmi Muhammed, an engineer who sneaked a peek at the white-granite graves of Arafat’s father and sister.

“Arafat had the desire to be buried in Jerusalem. It’s not the right of the Israelis to refuse him,” said Mohammed Faris, a 40-year-old teacher drawn into the discussion around the grave markers littered with empty plastic soda bottles and torn candy wrappers.

Talk of Arafat’s burial was deemed too sensitive by many Palestinian officials in Gaza, who shied away from discussing contingency plans.

Hostile remarks about Arafat’s demise from Israeli officials, in particular a statement Friday from Justice Minister Yosef Lapid, were described as inappropriate and racially divisive.

“Jerusalem is the city where Jewish kings are buried, not Arab terrorists,” Lapid told the Associated Press on Friday. Nabil Shaath, a key aide to Arafat, said the Israeli Justice Minister offended Palestinians as well as Israeli Arab citizens with his remarks. “You can discuss the political needs and the political process, but his burial?” Shaath said. “To Muslims, this is a very sensitive issue.”