Palestinian officials: Arafat to be buried in Ramallah

Israel will allow critically ill Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat to be buried in Ramallah, despite earlier opposition to the move, Israeli political sources said Tuesday evening.

Palestinian officials Tayeb Abdel Rahim and Saeb Erekat announced Tuesday that Arafat will be buried in his Muqata headquarters in the West Bank city, to which Israel confined Arafat for more than two years.

Egypt, meanwhile, is offering to host a funeral service for Arafat in Cairo ahead of burial in Ramallah, said the Palestinian deputy information minister.

The Palestinian announcement, made at a press conference in the Muqata amid conflicting reports on whether Arafat was still alive, marks the first time that Palestinian officials have publicly discussed Arafat's burial.

"If the fate of God comes, all the arrangements will be made here in the Muqata, which is considered a symbol of Palestinian steadfastness," Abdel Rahim said.

"We call on the Palestinian people to unite with steadfastness and show our real image before the whole world that our people are civilized," he said.

Israeli political sources said Tuesday that Israel would not object to Arafat's burial in Ramallah, if the Palestinians request it. Nonetheless, Israel prefers he be buried in the Gaza Strip, where some of his family members' graves are located, due to security concerns.

The sources said the Palestinian security forces in the West Bank will not be able to adequately secure the funeral service, but that diplomatic considerations will spur Israel to give the green light anyway. Security and government officials had previously said Ramallah was not an option for burial.

Israel continues to insist that Arafat not be buried at the Temple Mount or in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Abu Dis.

Palestinian deputy information minister Ahmed Subah said an Egyptian envoy arrived at the Muqata late Tuesday with the proposal for a funeral service in Cairo.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak offered to hold the service for Arafat at the Arab League in Cairo, said Subah. He said Palestinian leaders would make a decision on the offer Wednesday morning.

Funeral may lack heads of stateThe United States and Europe are not planning to send heads of states to a funeral for the ailing Yasser Arafat, but rather Cabinet ministers or diplomats, diplomats said Tuesday.

While the 75-year-old Arafat's health sharply deteriorated Tuesday, countries were discussing how to pay their respects to a man who was both seen as the father of the Palestinian nation and loathed as a terrorist.

For the United States, the issue is a double-edged diplomatic sword.

President George W. Bush has sidelined Arafat since the start of his presidency. And the State Department has declared the Gaza Strip - a likely burial place - off-limits to Americans.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said no decisions had been made but several options were being considered for the funeral, from sending U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to having former U.S. presidents attend, such as Bill Clinton or Jimmy Carter.

European diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, said EU member states were coordinating, and representation at the funeral would probably be at the ministerial level.

It was not immediately clear what plans Arab leaders had for the funeral.

	An Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade member attending a rally in support of ailing PA Chairman Yasser Arafat on Tuesday, amid conflicting reports of his death. (AP)