The World Marks 'Historic' Moment

From the West Bank to the Gaza Strip, to the sleepy streets of Cairo and the refugee camps of Lebanon, on to Jerusalem, Washington and around the world, there is a sense that however his life is judged, the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is a solemn and historic moment.

The announcement of Arafat's death came early Thursday at Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah.

"Another Abdel Nasser has died," said taxi driver Mahmoud Ibrahim, in Cairo, comparing the Palestinian leader to the towering Arab nationalist who ruled Egypt from his 1956 coup until his death in 1970.

Egypt, where Arafat's state funeral will be held Friday, Yemen and Jordan announced three days' mourning. State-run Jordan radio and television replaced regular programming with recitations of Quranic versus interrupted only by hourly news bulletins.

"We have known him as a defender of right and a struggler against occupation, and striving toward peace," Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said of Arafat as he opened a session of parliament.

Arab League spokesman Hossam Zaki eulogized Arafat as "an extraordinary man, the personification of the Palestinian issue."

"He was a man with a cause, and he carried it in his heart everywhere," Zaki added.

"Yasser Arafat spent his entire life for the Palestinian cause. We pray that his mission is completed after his death," Pakistani Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told The Associated Press from Saudi Arabia, where he was performing the Muslim pilgrimage.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon issued a statement that did not mention Arafat's name but did say "recent events" could bring about a "historic turning point in the Middle East... Israel is a country that seeks peace and will continue its efforts to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians without delay."

Sharon expressed hope that the Palestinians would work toward "stopping terrorism," which he said was a precondition for dialogue and reaching a peace deal.

Ordinary Israelis, however, poured scorn on Arafat, a man they see as an arch terrorist, reports CBS News Correspondent Robert Berger. As one man on the street put it, "even hell won't take Arafat."

In Washington, President Bush called Arafat's passing "a significant moment in Palestinian history." Mr. Bush, who has accused Arafat of blocking peace with Israel, conveyed his condolences to the Palestinian people.

"We hope that the future will bring peace and the fulfillment of their aspirations for an independent, democratic Palestine that is at peace with its neighbors," said President Bush, the first U.S. president to publicly call for an independent Palestinian state.

Secretary of State Colin Powell pledged that the U.S. will help the Palestinians move "toward peace." Assistant Secretary of State William Burns will represent the U.S. at the Cairo funeral.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, expressing his condolences to Arafat's family and to the Palestinian people and noting that Arafat was a Nobel Peace laureate, also looked ahead.

The "goal of a viable Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel is one that we must continue to work tirelessly to achieve," Blair said in a statement read by a spokeswoman.

French President Jacques Chirac, who had visited Arafat days before his death, called him a "man of courage and conviction who, for 40 years, has incarnated the Palestinians' combat for recognition of their national rights."

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Palestinians had suffered a heavy loss, and his Foreign Ministry called for the international community, Israel and the Palestinians to redouble peace efforts.

Praise also came from the European Union, the Arab League and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who said Arafat had "expressed and symbolized in his person the national aspirations of the Palestinian people."

It wasn't all praise, however. Australian Prime Minister John Howard said history would judge Arafat harshly. Arafat could have helped secure Middle East peace by accepting a deal in 2000 that would have resulted in the Israelis "agreeing to about 90 percent of what the Palestinians had wanted," Howard said. Howard said he also found it hard to believe that Arafat could not have done more to restrain terrorists.

Plaudits came from as far away as China, where President Hu Jintao said Arafat was "an outstanding leader of the Palestinian cause and he was an outstanding politician."

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi praised Arafat's efforts on behalf of peace and his people, citing his signing of the 1993 Israel-PLO accord that gave him control of most of Gaza Strip and 27 percent of West Bank.

"He was indeed a pioneer who had laid out the foundation for the establishment of a Palestinian state," Koizumi said.