Palestinians commemorate 15th anniversary of Arafat's death

Source: Xinhua| 2019-11-12 01:59:17|Editor: Mu Xuequan
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RAMALLAH, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- Palestinians on Monday commemorated the 15th anniversary of the death of late Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) leader Yasser Arafat.

Hundreds marched through West Bank's Ramallah city at noon towards the mausoleum of Arafat, raised flags of the Fatah party and Palestine, and chanted slogans describing him as "the immortal leader" and the "spark of the Palestinian revolution."

An official commemoration ceremony was led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the mausoleum, where he laid a wreath of flowers on Arafat's grave.

After that, Abbas addressed the public, highlighting Arafat's role in the Palestinian Declaration of Independence that was adopted by the PLO and declared on Nov. 15, 1988.

Arafat died on Nov. 11, 2004, at the age of 75, at a military hospital near Paris due to an unknown illness.

Arafat's death spurred Palestinian accusations against Israel of poisoning him. No autopsy was performed at the time of his death, based on his wife's wish.

Arafat's remains were exhumed in Nov. 2012 to take samples for investigations, during which Polonium substances were found after tests by French, Swiss and Russian scientists.

Arafat's wife resorted to French judiciary to look into her husband's death. In Sept. 2015, French judges investigating the claims closed the case without bringing any charges.

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