Yesterday, Monday, our people in a number of governorates commemorated the 20th anniversary of the martyrdom of the founding leader, Yasser Arafat.

In Tubas, our people in the governorate participated in a massive march to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the martyrdom of President Yasser Arafat.

The march, called for by the Fatah movement and the Tubas Governorate, toured the city's streets, with participants chanting slogans and chants of loyalty to the martyrs, and denouncing the occupation's ongoing crimes against our people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The Governor of Tubas and the Northern Jordan Valley, Ahmed Al-Asaad, pointed out that the Palestinian people today commemorate the 20th anniversary of the martyrdom of President Yasser Arafat, and affirm their loyalty to his memory and the blood of the martyrs, stressing that the Palestinian people are today walking on a clear and unambiguous path towards independence, freedom and return.

In turn, the Secretary of the Fatah Movement in Tubas, Mahmoud Sawafta, said that the masses of the governorate are participating today in commemorating the memory of the martyred President Yasser Arafat, and through this they are affirming their loyalty to the blood of all the martyrs of the Palestinian people.

He pointed out that the Palestinian people today, through their sacrifices and loyalty to the blood of their martyrs, confirm their adherence to their fixed rights to an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

In Tulkarm, the Supreme National Committee, under the patronage of the Tulkarm Governor, commemorated the martyrdom of leader Yasser Arafat and the declaration of the Independence Declaration, with a national event at the headquarters of the region’s leadership in the governorate.

Governor Mustafa Taqatqa conveyed the greetings of President Mahmoud Abbas, pointing out what the martyr Abu Ammar represented in terms of a national, militant and revolutionary biography and path on the land of heavenly messages and civilizations in the path of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, where he carried the banner, carried the commandments of his people, and the dream of achieving freedom and establishing an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

Taqatqa said: "Yasser Arafat was a decisive battle in the history of the Palestinian people, and it is the battle of national identity. He is the founder of revolutionary thought with his brothers, the first founding leaders. After him, President Mahmoud Abbas, who is steadfast on the principles, carried the banner, starting from the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of our Palestinian people in all places of their presence in the homeland and the diaspora."

He explained that the martyr Arafat led the battle for national independence and wanted to tell the whole world that he was carrying the banner towards Jerusalem, and he presented to this people an independent Palestinian national project that resounded from the land of Algeria when he announced the birth of the independent Palestinian state, and he was the one who defeated the enemies when he was besieged, with the slogan "I will not accept anything less than being a martyr."

The commander of the region, Colonel Ahmed Al-Baz, said in his speech: “Today we commemorate a painful memory in our hearts, which is the memory of the martyrdom of the leader Yasser Arafat, that man who sacrificed himself as a martyr to achieve the dream of all Palestinians for an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, this dream for which we paid the price of hundreds of thousands of martyrs, wounded, and heroic detainees behind bars.”

The representative of the National Action Factions, Hakim Taleb, delivered a speech in which he recalled the path of the martyr Abu Ammar and his national, struggle and revolutionary presence, praying for his soul and the souls of all the martyrs, especially in light of the ongoing war of genocide against our people in the Gaza Strip.

He said: "Yasser Arafat had an advanced position among all the global liberation movements and the freedom fighters and freedom fighters of this world. He adhered to the constants and was martyred while adhering to them. He did not give up or compromise. He said, the right of return is a sacred right of the Palestinian people that cannot be compromised. He was a model of steadfastness, heroism, courage, boldness, clarity of vision and position."

In turn, Faisal Salama, in a speech by the Fatah Movement - Tulkarm Region, stressed the role of the martyr Yasser Arafat, "who made the Palestinian keffiyeh a symbol and an identity. He is the owner of the idea and the initiator of the revolution, and President Mahmoud Abbas followed in his footsteps, defending our national cause."

He said: "Yasser Arafat had a station in every village and city. He returned to building the Palestinian state, raised the Palestinian flag, and gave every Palestinian a Palestinian identity and a passport."

Salama recalled the martyrs of Gaza Hashem as a result of the ongoing aggression of the occupation, and said: "We will remain steadfast on this land until the end of the occupation, the departure of the colonists, the establishment of the independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, and the liberation of the detainees from the occupation's prisons."

The Director of Education in Tulkarm, Mazen Jarar, gave a speech in which he said: “On days like these, it was not an ordinary day in the history of the Palestinian people. The anniversary of the martyrdom of Yasser Arafat, the symbolic leader who is still alive in us, we say that Abu Ammar is not just a leader. It is a message of loyalty from this governorate. We pause in reverence and respect for his struggle to follow in his path and teach our children that Palestine is ours and we will liberate our land.”

The event included national segments, a theatrical and poetic performance presented by the students and flowers of Fatima Al-Zahraa Girls School in Tulkarm.

In Hebron, the city’s Education Directorate organized the central event to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the martyrdom of the iconic leader Yasser Arafat, at Othman bin Affan Elementary School for Boys, in addition to opening a photo exhibition dedicated to this anniversary at Hebron University.

The event witnessed official and public attendance, as it was attended by the Director General of Education in Hebron, Atef Al-Jamal, the Mayor of Taffuh, Ahmed Khamaysa, representatives of the security services, members of the local community and the Parents Council.

The event began with the recitation of Al-Fatihah for the soul of the martyr Yasser Arafat, and the Palestinian national anthem, followed by a speech by the director of Othman bin Affan School, Ahmed Erziqat, who praised the contributions of the late president in consolidating the spirit of struggle and building the Palestinian identity to achieve the national project.

Al-Jamal stressed Arafat's role in strengthening national unity and supporting the Palestinian people's cause at the international and local levels.

In a speech by the Mayor of Tufouh, Ahmed Khamaisa, he pointed out that President Arafat led the Palestinian struggle and placed the Palestinian cause at the heart of the world’s concerns, calling for the continuation of the struggle that President Arafat began.

The event also included a scouting show, patriotic poems and folk songs, which embodied the depth of belonging to the Palestinian cause and the legacy of the martyr Abu Ammar.

Hebron Governor Khaled Dudin also opened a photo exhibition documenting the life of the late President Yasser Arafat, in the presence of a number of political and security figures, and freed prisoners.

The exhibition included photos documenting the stages of the late president’s struggle, and reviewed his career in defending the rights of the Palestinian people, and his dream of establishing an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.

Governor Dudin said that this exhibition comes in loyalty to President Arafat, who devoted his life to defending the rights of his people, stressing that the Palestinian people will continue the path of struggle and steadfastness until achieving freedom and independence, following in the footsteps of the martyr Abu Ammar.

In Qalqilya, the Fatah Movement and the Cubs and Brownies Foundation of the Mobilization and Organization Commission, in cooperation with the Qalqilya Municipality, organized a photo exhibition today, Monday, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the martyrdom of Yasser Arafat.

Qalqilya Governor Hussam Abu Hamdeh said that Yasser Arafat was a symbol of struggle, resistance and steadfastness, and he placed the Palestinian cause at the heart of the world's concerns.

The head of the media department in the Fatah region, Tariq Al-Khatib, explained that the exhibition includes various corners, including pictures of the martyr Yasser Arafat and his stages of struggle and heroism, and another corner specializing in historical books and the Palestinian cause, and models that simulate the suffering of the Palestinian people as a result of the Israeli aggression.