Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat's body arrived for final farewell and burial in the West Bank city of Ramallah Friday. A sea of grief-stricken Palestinians broke through security checks, encircling the Egyptian military helicopter bearing the body the minute it touched down at Muqataa, Arafat's headquarters. The crowd was stricken with hysteria the moment the helicopter landed, delaying burial procedures by blocking the chopper's door and making it impossible to remove Arafat's coffin. Police fired shots in the air to disperse the frenzied crowd. The flag-draped coffin was later unloaded and carried shoulder high by the sea of mourners who crammed Muqataa's yard. Thousands of Palestinians had been converging on Ramallah since early morning to attend the burial ceremony. Arafat's body left Cairo for Ramallah at midday after prayers and an official military ceremony at Cairo airport attended by Arab heads of state and leaders from more than 40 countries. A cement grave, shaded by trees, was prepared for Arafat only 200 meters from the Muqataa wing where he was cornered. Sources said the grave was made of cement so Arafat's remains could be moved in the future to Jerusalem where he wished to be buried. Members of the al Aqas Martyrs Brigades fired in the air to greet Arafat, and thousands chanted slogans. The Israeli army and police intensified its presence outside Ramallah and increased the number of roadblocks and checkpoints erected between the Palestinian towns and cities in the West Bank. Two helicopters landed at al Muqataa, one carried Arafat's corpse, and the other carried Palestinian and Egyptian officials, including Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abu El Gheir and Omer Suleiman, chief of Egypt's intelligence. © Copyright 2004 by United Press International

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