Gaza security personnel
Photo: AP
Arafat's chopper stars in Hamas ceremony
Gazan terror group uses PLO leader's iconic helicopter during graduation show for security personnel in the Strip.
One of the security services in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip held a graduation ceremony for its recruits on Thursday. During the event, the security personnel showed off their skills in a zip-lining exercise, among other drills.
But Arafat's helicopter has been grounded for years, a mere hulk of the aircraft that the Palestinian Liberation Organization chief used to fly from the Strip to the West Bank.
Hamas ceremony near Gaza City (Photo: AFP)
The fighters also made use of Yasser Arafat's famed helicopter. The ceremony was conducted west of Gaza City, on the former site of a helicopter pad. The old MI-8 chopper – placed atop a specially-constructed stage – was the real star of the show.
Zip-lining show (Photo: AFP)
Training exercise (Photo: AFP)
Arafat boarding helicopter (Photo: AFP)
The helicopter was destroyed by the Israeli Air Force with the outbreak of the Second Intifada and has since been gathering rust on the tarmac in Gaza.
In recent weeks, Hamas repainted the chopper and placed atop the stage – raising a number of questions among the residents of the Strip. The Gazan terror group's use of the helicopter may be seen as a move against their Fatah rivals, as the Palestinian Authority has long treated Arafat's chopper as a national symbol with historical value.
