Somber mood over Arafat grave
Mourners pay final respects
 |  Palestinian security guards pray at Arafat's grave on the first day of Eid-al-Fitr at his West Bank compound. |
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 A steady stream of mourners pay their final respects.
 After the opening prayer, funeral services begin for Yasser Arafat.
 A look back at the life and political career of Yasser Arafat.
 How the world viewed Yasser Arafat.
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RAMALLAH, West Bank (CNN) -- In contrast to the frenzy surrounding the burial of Yasser Arafat, a somber mood has fallen over the Ramallah compound as a steady stream of mourners pay their final respects to the late Palestinian leader.
Earlier, Palestinian leaders -- including Palestine Liberation Organization chairman Mahmoud Abbas, interim Palestinian Authority president Rawhi Fattuh, and former Gaza security chief Mohammed Dahlan -- laid wreaths at Arafat's grave after prayers for Eid al-Fitr, the Islamic feast that marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei, who also paid his respects Saturday, told reporters that elections will be held before January 9 -- in accordance with the Palestinian constitution which calls for elections within a 60-day period following the death of a leader.
No firm date has been set for the vote; Palestinian officials insist the Israeli military presence in Gaza and the West Bank will need to be reduced to facilitate a free and fair election.
On the Eid holiday, it is tradition to visit the graves of the dead. Palestinian soldiers stand watch over the Arafat's tomb as mourners visited the site throughout the day.
A day earlier, tens of thousands of Palestinians mobbed the helicopter which carried Arafat's casket to the Muqata in Ramallah from Cairo, Egypt, where a formal military funeral -- attended by world leaders and dignitaries -- had taken place.
The plans for his interment had to be changed as the massive crowds broke out into chaos. A plan for Arafat's body to lie in state was called off.
By the end of the day, 120 people were slightly injured -- most from suffocation and fainting, and four of them from bullets or shrapnel, the Palestine Red Crescent said.
Arafat's casket, draped in a Palestinian flag, was removed from the helicopter and carried through the crowds to the tomb, made of concrete and marble, which is sunk in the ground but extends above it.
Some officials had brought dirt from Jerusalem -- about four buckets worth -- which they poured into the tomb, lining the base.
Palestinian legislator Hanan Ashrawi said Arafat would have loved the massive outpouring of emotion and support.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Sha'ath said of the crowd: There was no "no hatred, no bitterness. It was really a people who loved this leader."
As the crowd dispersed somewhat, several ambulances carrying medics came in to treat the injured.
Palestinian officials said they do not think of the burial site as Arafat's final resting place, because they hope he will one day be buried in Jerusalem.
Israel has ruled out a Jerusalem burial, saying Arafat was a terrorist who orchestrated attacks against many civilians.
Even later, when he officially recognized Israel and called for an end to terrorism, Israeli officials say Arafat continued to implicitly support it and did nothing to stop attacks against Israelis.
Palestinian officials said Arafat will be remembered as a strong leader who symbolized the Palestinian cause of nationhood and self-determination.
Hopes for peace
During a joint news conference Friday with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, U.S. President George W. Bush said "the months ahead offer a new opportunity to make progress toward a lasting peace."
Choosing a new president will be "the first step in creating lasting, democratic political institutions through which a free Palestinian people will elect local and national leaders," Bush said. (Full story)
Meanwhile, officials in the Palestinian Authority are searching for millions of dollars believed hidden away by the Palestinian leader.
Last week, as Arafat lay in his death bed, Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayyad held a teleconference with donors spelling out massive budget problems.
He said the authority had only $19 million to meet payroll expenses of $225 million by the end of this year alone.
During Arafat's illness, Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei was in charge of the Palestinian Authority, while Mahmoud Abbas led the Palestine Liberation Organization's executive committee.
On Thursday, the PLO's executive committee unanimously approved Abbas, a former Palestinian prime minister, to replace Arafat as PLO chairman. (Full story)
Arafat is survived by his widow, whom he married in 1991, and their daughter, Zahwa, who was born in 1995.
CNN Producer Alfredo De Lara contributed to this report.
