GAZA CITY: Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank on Thursday held rallies to mark the 13th anniversary of the death of revered former leader Yasser Arafat.
This year’s events came as rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas seek to carry out a landmark reconciliation deal signed last month that aims to end their 10-year rift.
Arafat, who died on Nov. 11, 2004 at a hospital near Paris from unknown causes at the age of 75, remains a towering figure among Palestinians.
Former senior Fatah party official Mohammed Dahlan, who lives in exile in the UAE, organized a rally in Gaza.
A few thousand Dahlan supporters raised pictures of Arafat and Palestinian flags, while on the stage there were large portraits of Arafat and Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder of Hamas who was assassinated by Israel in 2004.
Dahlan was not in attendance but a speech was delivered on his behalf.
He was once one of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s top officials in Gaza but fell out with him and was later kicked out of his Fatah party. Since then he has become closer to rivals Hamas, the movement that has run Gaza since 2007.
Year of reconciliation
In a separate event in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Thursday, dozens of Palestinians gathered to commemorate Arafat’s death.
“We really wanted to come this year because this is the year for reconciliation between here and Gaza,” said rally participant Sanaa Al-Rifai.
“We hope this reconciliation will be a good start and the soul of the martyr (Arafat) will be more at peace when he sees the Palestinian people more united.”
Arafat rose to become the leader of the Palestinian movement after the creation of Israel, leading an armed struggle in which thousands died.
Decades later he disavowed violence and famously shook hands with Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin on the White House lawn, although the peace the Oslo accords were supposed to bring never materialized.
The Palestinians have long accused Israel of poisoning him, charges the Israeli government firmly denies. His body was exhumed in 2012 for tests but a subsequent French investigation found no proof of poisoning.
Last month, Hamas signed an Egyptian-brokered reconciliation agreement with Fatah that is supposed to see the Palestinian Authority reclaim control of the Gaza Strip by Dec. 1.
Hamas handed over the borders to Fatah on November 1 in a first key test of the agreement but there have been signs of tensions in recent days over security control of the Gaza Strip.
Palestinians mark 13 years since Arafat’s death
Palestinians mark 13 years since Arafat’s death
EU warns Israel suspending Gaza NGOs would block ‘life-saving aid’
BRUSSELS: The EU warned Wednesday that Israel's threat to suspend several aid groups in Gaza from January would block "life-saving" assistance from reaching the population.
"The EU has been clear: the NGO registration law cannot be implemented in its current form," EU humanitarian chief Hadja Lahbib posted on X, after Israel said several groups would be barred for failing to provide details of their Palestinian employees.
"IHL (international humanitarian law) leaves no room for doubt: aid must reach those in need," Lahbib wrote.
NGOs had until December 31 to register under the new framework, which Israel says aims to prevent "hostile actors or supporters of terrorism" operating in the Palestinian territories, rather than impede aid.
Israeli authorities announced Tuesday that organisations which "refused to submit a list of their Palestinian employees in order to rule out any links to terrorism" had received notice that their licences would be revoked as of January 1, with an obligation to cease all activities by March 1.
Israel has not disclosed the number of groups facing a ban, but it has specifically called out Doctors Without Borders (MSF) for failing to meet the rules. It accused the medical charity of employing two individuals with links to Palestinian armed groups.
The Israeli government told AFP earlier this month that 14 NGO requests had been rejected as of November 25.
Several NGOs said the new rules will have a major impact on aid distribution in Gaza, with humanitarian organisations saying the amount of aid entering Gaza remains inadequate.
While an accord for a ceasefire that started on October 10 stipulated the entry of 600 trucks per day, only 100 to 300 are carrying humanitarian aid, according to NGOs and the United Nations.
COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, said last week that on average 4,200 aid trucks enter Gaza weekly, which corresponds to around 600 daily.
