{"id":265226,"date":"2023-02-17T14:17:05","date_gmt":"2023-02-17T19:17:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?p=265226"},"modified":"2023-02-17T14:17:05","modified_gmt":"2023-02-17T19:17:05","slug":"a-bunker-frozen-in-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/opinion\/columns\/a-bunker-frozen-in-time\/","title":{"rendered":"A bunker frozen in time"},"content":{"rendered":"

A part of the <\/span>Mukataa complex<\/b><\/a> is frozen in time, specifically in October 2004. It is the bunker in which the then-president of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), Yasser Arafat, installed his offices and residence. It happened during the final days of an Israeli military siege that kept him confined for almost three years in these facilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Mausoleum in which the remains of Yasser Arafat rest temporarily. Photo: Alejandro Ernesto.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Mukataa, located in Ramallah, occupied West Bank, was built at the beginning of the last century during the British Mandate and was used as a prison. Today it houses the headquarters of the PNA, the Yasser Arafat Museum and a small mausoleum with the remains of the Palestinian leader built shortly after his death in 2004.<\/span><\/p>\n

Arafat rests under a tombstone made of Jerusalem stone. His is not an eternal rest, but provisional. His people dream of and hope for the creation of a Palestinian State and the recovery of Jerusalem, occupied by Israel since 1967. When that day comes, the remains of the Palestinian leader must be transferred to the Dome of the Rock, in the Esplanade of the Mosques, the third holiest place in the Islamic world.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Arafat rests under a tombstone made of stone from Jerusalem, his hometown, but his is not an eternal rest. In a future Palestinian State, his remains will be transferred to the Dome of the Rock. Photo: Alejandro Ernesto.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The museum is large, very well set up and narrates through audios in various languages the history of the struggles of the Palestinian people to conquer sovereignty.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The museum is large, very well set up and tells in detail the history of the struggles of the Palestinian people to conquer their freedom. Photo: Alejandro Ernesto.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are images from the British Mandate, from the Six-Day War, from the first and second Intifadas; historical documents; record of the signing of important agreements such as those of Oslo or the Camp David summit. In addition, objects belonging to Arafat make up the exhibition: his glasses, his iconic kufiya \u2014 the typical Palestinian headdress \u2014, his pistol and his olive green uniform.<\/span><\/p>\n