Former Israeli Deputy: Arafat Wanted Peace

One of the few Israelis to attend Arafat’s funeral yesterday in Ramallah, former deputy Uri Avnery, said that Arafat was the only man who had the will and capability to bring peace to the region. The leader of the pro-peace Israeli group Gush Shalom (Peace Block), Avnery said, "Unlike theIsraeli government who demonized Arafat, I think that he was a man who wanted peace. More importantly, he was the only man who was able to make his people to accept peace. We’ll miss him because he was unique." Avnery, a regular visitor to Muqataa, expressed his concerns about the new generation leaders of Palestinian administration’s will for permanent peace: "I am worried about the future. There are serious people trying to fill this huge gap, but I am not sure if they will be able to make Israel accept what Arafat wanted to do."

There were also many Turkish dignitaries among others at the ceremony in Muqataa, where Arafat had been confined for the past three years. A delegation of the Turkey-Palestine Parliamentary Friendship Group included Justice and Development Party (AKP) Mersin Deputy Mustafa Eyiceoglu, Manisa Deputy Hakan Tasci, AKP Manisa Deputy Huseyin Tanriverdi and the Turkish Ambassador to Jerusalem Huseyin Avni Bicakci. They reiterated Turkey’s will to provide a permanent peace in the Israel-Palestine conflict.