JERUSALEM, 11 November 2004 — As the world awaits official confirmation of Yasser Arafat’s condition, Palestinians in East Jerusalem are convinced their beloved leader has already died.

Last night as Palestinians observed Laylat Al-Qadr, the Night of Power, the streets were filled with people attending prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City. Bursts of violence broke out on Salah Ed-Din Street, a main thoroughfare in the east leading directly to Herod’s Gate entering the Old City. Groups of young men hurled glass bottles at Israeli soldiers and set tires aflame in front of the police station, expressing anxiety over the perceived loss of their leader.

Families and young couples moved swiftly to avoid the violence, and just 50 meters away near Damascus Gate shopping and festivities in anticipation of the Eid Al-Fitr continued. As groups of young men near the gate threw rocks at Israeli soldiers, taunting them repeatedly, the soldiers responded and rushed through the shopping area chasing the men into the Old City. As the soldiers tried to make their way through the maze of tables, many vendors closed due to the damage that ensued.

The confusion was peppered with firecrackers set off every evening during the month of Ramadan. Israeli police and security forces rapidly set up additional checkpoints around the eastern part of the city, particularly near the Old City and on the roads bordering and leading to West Jerusalem.

Largely desensitized to violence the Palestinians continued to engage in their activities, although the streets were chaotic. As soldiers rushed forward through shards of flying glass, an older gentleman stopped to offer tea to those who gathered to watch.

Menal, a 25-year-old Palestinian student at Al-Quds University, stated that she believes Arafat has already died, although in her heart she hopes he is still alive. She explained that she identifies with him as the leader of the Palestinian people and knows him, a common sentiment amongst Palestinians in East Jerusalem. Many people speak of a personal connection to Arafat, either through their employment or a relative, giving the impression a family member has been lost and not just a political leader.

“I wish he would return just to see the look on Sharon’s face,” she mused.

A Palestinian waiter at the Ambassador Hotel choked back tears and said he was so upset over “Arafat’s death” that he had not been able to eat and break the daily fast of Ramadan. A tense sadness that was not present during other Ramadan nights pervaded the city, although the emotional outpour found in Gaza and the West Bank was not visible here in Jerusalem.

In the Muslim Quarter of the Old City shops continued to accommodate the steady flow of people.

Hamza, a 22-year-old shopkeeper, said, “Every Palestinian feels upset; he is one of us.” He spoke of Arafat as the “symbol of the Palestinian people,” and the “son of Jerusalem,” indicating when the time comes he should be buried in Jerusalem, although he views Ramallah is a close second. Palestinians in Jerusalem are skeptical whether new leadership, even that of Prime Minister Ahmad Qorei and Mahmoud Abbas, will fight for their rights in the way that Arafat did, and will retain the vision of Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. Hamza attributed the stronger reaction of the Palestinians in Gaza and Ramallah to their close proximity to Muqataa, Arafat’s tattered headquarters, and the harsh living conditions of the occupied territories as compared to Jerusalem.

There is a great deal of uncertainty for the Palestinians in East Jerusalem; uncertainly over the details of Arafat’s illness and purported death, uncertainty over his burial, uncertainty surrounding a transfer of power to new leadership, and uncertainty over the authority of the coming elections. There has been very little criticism of Arafat since he was flown to Paris for treatment; instead solidarity of support for a beloved leader has been displayed.

Several hundred young Palestinians converged on Arafat’s West Bank headquarters in Ramallah yesterday, chanting support for the veteran leader.

“With our soul and with our blood we will support you, Abu Ammar,” they chanted as they reached the metal gates of the Muqataa compound, using Arafat’s nom de guerre. “Arafat is the leader, Arafat is Palestine.”

The demonstrators, many of them from Bir Zeit University, brandished portraits of the symbol of the Palestinian national struggle and wore Arafat-style keffiyeh headscarves.