Region | Palestinian Territories
Palestinians face crisis as Arafat is remembered
The Palestinian people find themselves facing a growing leadership crisis
- Arafat posters still hang on buildings in the West Bank and his pictures are drawn on concrete walls erected by Israel to divide the occupied Palestinian areas and that separate them from Israel.
- Image Credit: AP
Dubai: As tens of thousands of Palestinians gathered on Wednesday to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the death of their leader Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian people find themselves facing a growing leadership crisis as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has threatened to quit.
Stalled peace efforts and Tel Aviv's refusal to abide by UN resolutions, specifically in regards to colony expansion have left Abbas exasperated and the Palestinian people divided with little hope.
Speaking to his supporters after paying respects to the late Palestinian leader, Abbas said: "We cannot go to negotiations without a framework, we say the framework is UN resolutions, meaning a return to the 1967 borders. Also, we want a full stop to colonies," he added.
Analysts believe that if Arafat were alive, he could have prevented the split between Hamas and Fatah, but would not be able to face the insurmountable obstacles put in place by Israel.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said: "We have to be frank with the Palestinian people that we have not been able to reach a two-state solution through 18 years of negotiations," he said.
Share this article
Related Articles
More from Palestinian Territories
More from Region
Popular in News
News Editor's choice
-
Protest by rights group fails to stop gory Nepal festival
200,000 animals set to be sacrificed
-
Top Korean model found dead in Paris
Kim was an accomplished painter and video filmmaker who had a solo show of her artwork in Seoul
-
Slain journalist Pearl's widow busy with new film
Widow busy producing documentary on lives of inspirational women


