Arab MKs to attend Habash funeral

Israeli-Arab Knesset members, including Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al) and Jamal Zahalka (Balad), will attend the funeral of George Habash, the founder and former secretary-general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Habash, who died in his home in Amman Saturday after undergoing an angioplasty last week, will be laid to rest in the Jordanian capital on Monday.

"He was one of the most prominent leaders of the PLO and had always fought for independence," Tibi said.

The Israeli MK, who for years served as PLO leader Yasser Arafat's personal advisor, said that despite the many disagreements between Habash and Arafat, the two leaders held each other in high esteem.

On Sunday, Tibi traveled to Ramallah with a delegation of his party members to offer their condolences to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

According to Tibi, Habash was "a man who advocated the ideology of national liberation and democratization of the Arab world."

Balad Chairman Zahalka will also be attending the funeral, together with other members of his party. "I did not know the man personally, but he was one of the most important Palestinian leaders in the 20th century," he stated.

Zahalka said that the Palestinian people should follow Habash's vision, especially in these days of internal strife. "Despite the vast disagreements he had with Arafat, he always refused to divide the movement… he was a passionate promoter of Palestinian unity."