Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 2, 1994 TAG: 9407040125
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press Note: below
DATELINE: RAFAH, GAZA STRIP LENGTH: Medium
He kissed the sandy ground of Gaza, land held holy by Muslims, Christians and Jews since Moses led his tribes from Egypt.
Then Arafat got into his armored Mercedes for a tumultuous 21-mile ride that transformed him from a shadowy guerrilla chieftain to a head of state.
``This is almost the happiest day of the Palestinian nation,'' said Samir al-Katari, a 32-year-old mechanic, who gushed superlatives when asked what he thought of his leader.
``Abu Ammar,'' people chanted, using the nom de guerre that is now a term of endearment. Before he spoke in Gaza City, jubilant gunfire sounded like the old days in the heart of Beirut.
To extract Arafat after his speech, a living blanket of security men lay across the hood and trunk while the driver hit the accelerator.
But along with wild adulation, there was a letdown among Palestinians who worry that Arafat's 30 years of operating with smoke and mirrors may limit his ability at serious statecraft.
Now there is a government to run, but enemies he has acquired among radical Palestinians and diehard Israelis make it all but impossible for Arafat the politician to get out and press the flesh.
The lightning-flash grand entry at Rafah demonstrated what Arafat is up against.
Only a few thousand dignitaries and diplomats gathered to wait for him to cross the Egyptian border. Police shooed away people who had no credentials to enter the high-security zone.
Beyond a colorful archway over the road, amid a blaze of Palestinian red, green, white and black, a lone Israeli flag stood out - a stark blue and white reality check to keep the euphoria in line. Under the controversial self-rule accord, Israel controls the borders and protects 4,000 settlers who remain in Gaza.
When Arafat finally appeared, he went nowhere near the bleachers where guests had waited hours in the sun for a look at him. He snubbed diplomats who had driven from Jerusalem.
Instead, he took a brief walk somewhere beyond the jostling journalists, rode a few yards on supporters' shoulders, and disappeared into one of three identical long sedans.
Along parts of the motorcade route, frenetic mobs flung themselves at the black cars, straining for a glimpse inside the darkened windows.
When the crowds thinned to small knots of people, Arafat stood up and waved through the open roof, shielded by a guard in a flak jacket. He ducked back inside each time new crowds appeared.
by CNB