Palestinians mark the day of Arafat's death

A Palestinian girl lights a candle in front of a portrait of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in Gaza City Thursday. One year after his death, Yasser Arafat remains the ultimate symbol of the Palestinian struggle for independence.. PHOTO: AFP

Twelve months to the day since Arafat died in a Paris hospital aged 75, thousands of Palestinians were expected to attend a rally in the West Bank to remember the man who guided Palestinian aspirations for four decades.

Conspiracy theories that he was poisoned abound despite doctors finding no trace of toxins, piling yet more mystery on the life and legacy of a man who shared the 1994 Nobel peace prize with Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.

Likened to Adolf Hitler by Israeli leaders, accused of fomenting violence and branded an obstacle to peace by Israel and Washington, Arafat's passing has done little to reignite the stagnant Middle East peace process.

His grave in the courtyard of the Muqataa, the Palestinian Authority headquarters in Ramallah, will provide the focus for official commemorations on Friday.