Arafat Sends Condolence Video to Rabin FamilyPalestinian leader Yasser Arafat November 15 expressed his condolences over the passing of Leah Rabin, widow of slain Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, in a video cassette that he sent to the Rabin family.In the video, Arafat expressed his and his people's commitment to peace. He said that the Palestinians are determined to complete the peace process and they have not lost hope despite the recent crisis. Leah Rabin died Sunday at the age of 72 after a long battle with cancer. Arafat did not attend Leah Rabin's funeral held November 15 afternoon in the elite Herzl cemetery in west Jerusalem due to security concerns in the light of the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli violence. Arafat, a good friend of Leah Rabin, had expressed his sadness at the death of the outspoken woman who undertook to boost her husband's legacy for peace after the late prime minister was gunned down five years ago by an extremist Jew opposed to his peace moves. Arafat reportedly issued an order late Tuesday that Palestinian gunmen should halt shootings from the Palestinian areas. Despite Arafat's order, fierce clashes again raged throughout the occupied Palestinian territories Wednesday, in which eight Palestinian youths were killed by Israeli soldiers. The Jewish neighborhood of Gilo in southern Jerusalem also came under fire by Palestinian gunmen, which triggered harsh responses from the Israel Defense Forces. |
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