Visit in Nablus, aerial of Jenin, comment in Ramallah

(13 May 2002)

Nablus
1. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's helicopter on tarmac in Nablus
2. Various of Arafat leaving helicopter and greeting officials
3. Top of Arafat's motorcade arriving in Nablus
5. Arafat arriving in Nablus flanked by security
6. Arafat trowling on cement on debris
7. Arafat praying
7. Set up shot of Yasser Arafat
8. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Yasser Arafat, Palestinian leader (non verbatim): "We will have a Palestinian state, if the Israelis want it or not, and who ever has a problem with this can drink from the water of the Dead Sea."
9. Crowds around Arafat as he leaves to go to old city
10. Arafat picking up clothing left in attack
11. Crowd surrounding Arafat, chanting

Ramallah, West Bank
12. Arafat's helicopter arriving
13. Arafat getting out of helicopter
14. Arafat being greeted by pilot
15. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Yasser Arafat, Palestinian leader
"It's Jeningrad. I call it Jeningrad, like Stalingrad. Because there's a real tragedy here. Almost half of the camp has been totally demolished, and many people lost their lives."
16. Arafat walking away surrounded by security

Jenin, West Bank
17. People climbing over demolished building
18. People milling around shack with pictures of Arafat on it
19. Security guards on roof of partly demolished building
20. Palestinian woman looking out of window of partly demolished building
21. Arafat's helicopter in air, circling
22. Various of crowd looking up, cheering and waving
23. Wide shot of crowd gathered to see Arafat
24. Arafat's helicopter circling overhead

STORYLINE:

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat rounded off a tour of the Palestinian towns and refugee camps hardest hit by Israel's six-week military operation against Palestinian militants with a visit to Nablus.

In Nablus, the Palestinian leader stopped for prayers in the remains of a mosque, damaged when Israeli shells slammed through the building during gun-battles.

With familiar defiance, he responded sharply after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered defeat when his party ignored his pleas and voted overwhelmingly to oppose Palestinian statehood.

Sharon has said Palestinian statehood was inevitable, but has proposed stringent restrictions that Palestinians reject as unacceptable.

Arafat also visited Bethlehem and Ramallah where he said it was his duty to visit Palestinian areas damaged by Israeli attacks.

The Palestinian leader said he was amazed to see the amount of damage in the three Palestinian towns he visited.

Arafat reportedly said the worst scene for him was Jenin, which he described as "Jeningrad", although his helicopter failed to touch down there.

His helicopter circled to the battle-scarred Jenin refugee camp - but in a last minute change, he did not land.

Unconfirmed reports say security arrangements were not satisfactory.

Israel lifted the travel ban on Arafat as part of a US-brokered deal that ended a 34-day Israeli siege on the Palestinian leader's headquarters May 2.

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