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Palestinians Never to Yield Their Legitimate Rights: Arafat
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said Wednesday that the Palestinians will never yield their legitimate rights and that Jerusalem does not only belong to the Palestinians but also to all Arabs, Muslims and Christians worldwide.
Arafat made the remarks upon his return to the Gaza International Airport Wednesday afternoon from the Camp David summit that failed to reach an agreement between the Palestinians and Israel.
"Jerusalem is the capital of the Palestinian Independent State willy-nilly," Arafat noted.
Arafat and the delegation that accompanied him to Camp David summit received warm welcome from the Palestinian public who gathered along the road from the airport to the presidential office here to show solidarity with the Palestinian negotiators who held the steadfast position regarding the issues of Jerusalem and refugees.
About ten thousand Palestinian people flocked to the airport and set up two large tents to protect themselves against the Sun heat.
They hoisted the Palestinian flags and Arafat's photos as well as banners to express support to the Palestinian leader and denunciation to the Israeli policy.
Arafat exchanged hugs and kisses with his supporters who received him in cheerful tears at the guest house beside his private plane. The crowds blocked Arafat's short way from the plane to the guest house for half an hour.
Anwar Fyadh, a citizen of the West Bank province of Khan Yunis said, "Arafat's position defends our legitimate right to Jerusalem and refugees' right to return to their homes."
"It is impossible for us to give up Jerusalem," said Soad Um-Hiba from Rafah province. "None of the Palestinians, Arabs or Muslims could yield an inch of the Holy City that will be the capital of the future Palestinian Independent State," she added.
After 14 days of hard talks, the Camp David Summit attended by Arafat, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and U.S. President Bill Clinton failed to reach a peace deal due to the huge gap between the Palestinians and Israelis on sovereignty over East Jerusalem.
Barak held Arafat fully responsible for the failure of the summit to reach a framework agreement on the final status issues especially Jerusalem. The Palestinian side insisted on regaining full control on the eastern side of the Holy City while the Israeli side insisted on maintaining the city as a unified capital of the Jewish state.
Hanan Ashrawi, member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and spokesperson of the Palestinian negotiators at Camp David Summit, said "Arafat headed for the summit with clear determination and was fully aware of the significance of the fateful issues and responsibilities of this stage."
"Barak's so-called 'Nos' which the Israeli leader deemed the reference of the peace process are the reason for the failure of the summit," she added.
On his way home from Camp David, Arafat visited Alexandria, Egypt, where he briefed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on results of the trilateral summit. Despite the failure of the summit, the Palestinian-Israeli talks will go on till September 13 when the Palestinian independent state will be declared, Arafat revealed.
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