Arafat supporters bid tearful farewell

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's wife Suha gestures at Allenby Bridge after crossing from Jordan to the West Bank on her way to Ramallah Thursday. It is the first time that Suha Arafat has returned to the West Bank since her husband was put under virtual house arrest by Israel inside his Ramallah headquarters in December 2001. PHOTO: AFP

But his departure was greeted in a decidedly low key manner beyond the walls of his leadership compound with some locals saying that they had not even noticed when he flew out of the West Bank in a Jordanian military helicopter.

"It's a black day for the Palestinian people, President Arafat's gone," said a member of the Palestinian leader's Force 17 security guard, wiping away his tears.

"We thank (French President Jacques) Chirac and pray for his return in good health," added Mohammed, 33, who has spent the last eight years serving Arafat inside his Ramallah compound, universally known as the Muqataa.

He was among more than 100 security men that gathered in the courtyard of the Muqataa, chanting and whistling as Arafat boarded the aircraft to Amman, from where he caught a plane foz Paris nor trea|ment for a potentially fatal blood disorder.

Wearing a grey hat in place of his trademark black and white keffiyeh headdress, the frail 75-year-old leader, accompanied by his wife Suha, was bundled on to the helicopter by his security guards.

"With our soul, with our blood we will support you Abu Ammar," his uniformed guards men intoned in unison, using Arafat's nom de guerre.

Meanwhile, the Israeli government appeared divided yesterday over whether Yasser Arafat should be allowed to return to the West Bank after the veteran Palestinian leader was flown to Paris for life-saving treatment.

Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and senior defence officials were against allowing Arafat to return to the Palestinian territories after his spell in France, contrary to the prime minister's office, military radio reported.