Lebanon's Palestinians mourn in feast

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- Lebanon's Palestinian refugees Sunday spent the first day of the Eid al-Fitr feast mourning the death of Yasser Arafat.

Grief swept through the Rashidiyeh camp in southern Lebanon as verses of the holy Koran were recited on mosque loudspeakers.

Hundreds flocked to the offices of the mainstream Fatah faction in the camp to extend condolences on the loss of Arafat, who died in a Paris hospital Thursday.

A woman, Mariam al-Haj, stood by a memorial monument set up for the late Palestinian leader, praying.

Al-Haj, 65, said she felt the Palestinians were now left as "orphans with the death of Arafat, and we pray for a new leader that will protect the Palestinian people and take us back to our homeland."

Large posters of Arafat, draped in black ribbons, as well as black and Palestinian flags were raised around the memorial monument.

Banners were also displayed with quotes by the late Palestinian leader, including: "We are returning to Jerusalem with millions of martyrs" and "Jerusalem is the capital of the Palestinian state whether anyone likes it or not."

The Palestinians in Lebanon's 12 refugee camps, in which 450,000 live, declared 40 days of mourning after Arafat's demise.