President of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas (C) dedicates a wreath to late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Palestine, Nov. 11, 2005.

    RAMALLAH, Nov. 11 (Xinhuanet) -- Thousands of Palestinians held a massive rally on Friday in the West Bank, commemorating the first anniversary of the death of their late leader Yasser Arafat.

    After Koranic verses were broadcast from loudspeakers,Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, flanked by Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, senior faction leaders and some foreign diplomatic officials, delivered a speech before a crowd gathering near Arafat's grave in the Ramallah compound of al-Muqata'a, with many people brandishing large portraits of Arafat.

    Hailing his predecessor as a charismatic leader, Abbas said Arafat's charm came from his significant ability to weather all ups and downs during his decades of struggle for a Palestinian state.

    Vowing to carry on with Arafat's legacy, Abbas said "I will start from where President Abu Ammar (Arafat's nickname) ended and will continue with his path he started and will exert every possible effort to make his dream come true."

    "One day a Palestinian boy and a girl will lift the Palestinian flag on Jerusalem's mosques and churches," Abbas quoted Arafat's words as saying.

    Abbas also reiterated his commitment to reforming Palestinian institutions and reactivating the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in what he said efforts to keep the Palestinian people united behind their sole and legitimate representative."Let us grasp this opportunity and tell our leader as we are standing near his pure tomb that we will keep going until we achieve our legitimate rights," said Abbas.

    He added that Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip is just a beginning. "The eyes of the world are watching us whether we really deserve it and whether we are ready to rebuilt our political system towards democracy and freedom," Abbas said. Abbas laid a new cornerstone at the tomb of Arafat where a picture of Arafat flashing a V-for-victory sign adorned his grave.A museum was also inaugurated at the site of the mausoleum.Ramallah streets were empty as many shops were closed, with portraits of Arafat adorning their shutters.

A huge portrait of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat composed of small photos of him is seen in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Palestine, Nov. 11, 2005.

    In the Gaza Strip, a similar memorial gathering was held Thursday night. There were also lectures by Palestinian officialson Arafat's life.

    Arafat died on Nov. 11, 2004, in a French hospital at the age of 75.

    Terming him as an obstacle to peace, Israel accused him of fomenting violence during the Palestinian uprising which eruptedin September 2000 and refused to hold peace talks with him. Arafat's health deteriorated before he was airlifted to a French military hospital in the suburbs of Paris in October 2004 from his headquarters at al-Muqata'a in Ramallah, where he was effectively besieged by Israel for two and a half years.

    FUNERAL FOR THOSE KILLED IN AMMAN ATTACKS 

    Meanwhile, four senior Palestinian officials killed in the Amman attacks were laid to rest while commemorating Arafat's death. Abbas and the Palestinian leadership attended the funeral.Major General Bashir Nafeh, military intelligence chief in the West Bank, was killed in Thursday's bombing attacks at three luxury hotels in the Jordanian capital Amman, which killed atleast 57 people and wounded over 110 others.

    The victims also included Colonel Abed Allun, a high-ranking preventive security forces official, Jihad Fatouh, the commercial attache at the Palestinian Embassy in Cairo and Mosab Khorma,deputy chairman of Cairo-Amman Bank in the Palestinian territories.

    Jihad Fatouh is brother of Rawhi Fatouh, speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC).

    MILITANTS FIRE ROCKET AT ISRAEL

    As the Palestinians commemorated their iconic leader, militants in the Gaza Strip fired a rocket at the southern Israeli town of Sderot on Friday, causing no casualties or damage, Israeli army said.

    The rocket fire drew Israeli artillery response to the northern Gaza. Enditem