At funeral, Palestinian terrorist extends hand to Israeli president

JERUSALEM, Feb. 8 (JTA) — Jordan’s King Hussein’s devotion to reconciliation and peace was evident in his death, as sworn enemies came together to pay their last respects to the Hashemite monarch. World leaders, royalty and diplomats from some 40 countries traveled to Jordan on Monday to attend the funeral of the king, who died Sunday after a long battle with cancer. Among the dignitaries were representatives from Israel and Syria, the United States and Iraq. Though the Jordanians made no special effort during the funeral to bring together adversaries or arrange meetings, the circumstances of the occasion enabled informal encounters. One such meeting was between a Palestinian terrorist who approached Israeli President Ezer Weizman and praised him as a man of peace. Arye Shumer, director of the president’s office, said the exchange with Nayef Hawatmeh was unplanned. Hawatmeh’s group, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, was responsible for the 1974 attack on a school in Ma’alot in which 24 Israelis were killed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later criticized Weizman for shaking Hawatmeh’s hand. “I think we should speak with those people who are ready to see us above ground, not under it,” Netanyahu told Israel Radio. Israel’s was one of the largest delegations at the funeral alongside that of the United States. At the Raghadan palace, dignitaries filed past Hussein’s flag-draped coffin, to offer their respects and offer prayers. They also offered condolences to Hussein’s eldest son and successor, King Abdullah. Netanyahu said he came away from his brief conversation with the new king with a positive impression. “He is very open,” Netanyahu said, “with a character which resembles his father in no small way. I am sure he will continue in his path.” The international leaders later joined a slow procession behind the coffin through the palace grounds, where Hussein’s shrouded body was laid to rest in the cemetery of the Hashemite family. The funeral had begun five hours earlier, when the coffin was driven through the streets of Amman. Hundreds of thousands of grieving Jordanians braved chilly weather to line the streets in a final homage to the monarch who had ruled for 47 years.