Arafat Claims Right to Fly Flag Over Jerusalem

Yasser Arafat angered Israel on Friday by asserting that Palestinians can unfurl their flag in Jerusalem. The city, claimed by both sides, is certain to be an explosive issue in peace talks.

“It is my right to raise the Palestinian flag over Jerusalem, over the walls of Jerusalem and over the minarets of Jerusalem and the churches of Jerusalem,” the Palestine Liberation Organization chairman told reporters Friday at the beachfront hotel where he has taken up residence. “This is my right.”