23 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Palestinians said goodbye this Thursday to former Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, a key figure in the Oslo Accords signed in 1993 by Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), whose funeral took place in the city of Ramallah, in West Bank, one day after he passed away at the age of 85.
The ceremony, which was attended by the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmud Abbas, took place at the headquarters of the presidential office, according to information from the Palestinian news agency WAFA. The secretary of the Executive Committee of the PLO, Hussein al Sheikh, and the prime minister, Mohamad Shtayé, among other senior officials, have also attended.
Qurei, who was in charge of the Palestinian Legislative Council and was a member of the Executive Committee of the PLO, was also known for his work as a historical leader of the Al Fatá movement.
Abbas, for his part, has laid a floral offering on the coffin, which has been carried on his shoulders upon arrival at the presidential office while the Palestinian national anthem was playing. The body has since been transferred to his hometown of Abu Dis, southeast of Jerusalem, where he will be buried.
In 2003, Qurei became prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, a post he held until the 2006 elections. He joined the Al Fatah movement in 1968. While the cause of death is unknown, various media outlets have noted that He had suffered from a heart condition for some time.
Qurei, who stepped down as prime minister as Fatah lost influence, was instrumental in signing the Oslo Accords, which were designed to offer a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He was one of the leaders of the Palestinian delegation that negotiated the creation of a self-governing Palestinian entity and articulated the cooperation pacts with Israel that led to the establishment of the Palestinian Authority.
During his career, he held very important meetings with Israeli leaders such as Issac Rabin, Ariel Sharon, Shimon Peres or the current Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, among others. However, he was accused of corruption during his years in power.
