GAZA, Palestinian Territory — Tens of thousands of Gaza Palestinians marked the 13th anniversary of the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat’s death on Saturday for the first time since the Islamic Hamas group seized the territory a decade ago. Arafat died in 2004 at a hospital in France after two years of an Israeli siege on his West Bank headquarters. After winning legislative elections in 2006, Hamas forces violently overthrew Fatah in Gaza the following year. Under the deal, Hamas would cede control of Gaza to the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority after a decade of unilateral rule by the Islamic movement. In his speech, Abbas reiterated his firm stance that he wants “one authority, one law and one legitimate weapon” in Gaza.

Source: National Post November 11, 2017 12:33 UTC