Arafat HQ, street scenes, newspapers

(10 Nov 2004) 1. Wide shot Muqata compound, Palestinian Authority headquarters 2. Palestinian flag waiving atop building 3. Various street scenes 4. Various newspaper headlines about Yasser Arafat 5. Pull out from the flag with Arafat's photo to wide shot of Ramallah street scene STORYLINE: Yasser Arafat will be buried at the battered West Bank headquarters that had been his virtual prison for the last three years, his aides decided after the deeply comatose Palestinian leader suffered another downturn. The sandbagged compound, known as the Muqata, is seen by many Palestinians as a symbol of resistance to Israeli occupation, and Palestinian officials said it would be turned into a shrine. The decision defused potential conflict with Israel. Israel initially said it would only agree to a Gaza burial, the Palestinians insisted on Jerusalem, and Ramallah emerged as the compromise. The Muqata is just a few miles from Jerusalem, and Palestinian officials said their leader could be reburied in the holy city in the future. Both sides claim Jerusalem as their capital, and Israel fears burying Arafat - leader of the Palestinian movement for four decades - in Jerusalem would have strengthened Palestinian claims to the holy city. Palestinian leaders returned to the West Bank early on Wednesday, after rushing to Arafat's bedside in Paris for a firsthand look at his condition. For more than a week, Arafat's wife, Suha, had restricted access to her husband, causing a rift with his top lieutenants. According to various sources Palestinian leader is near death in a Paris hospital. On Wednesday morning in the markets and streets, shopkeepers kept televisions tuned to Arabic satellite stations so that customers shopping for the weekend festivities that mark the end of Ramadan could get updates on Arafat's condition. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...