Thousands rally for statehood bid

Ramallah: Tens of thousands of Palestinians took part in rallies organised in various Palestinian cities yesterday in support of Palestine's bid for UN membership.

Only the Palestinian flag and banners with the slogans "Palestine UN 194" and "Palestine Deserve", pictures of the late Palestinian president Yasser Arafat and the current President Mahmoud Abbas were allowed in the rallies.

On Tuesday night, educational departments instructed all their pupils to show up in their schools yesterday to attend classes till 10am. Thereafter they were guided by their teachers and administrative staff to key roundabouts in their cities to attend the rallies.

The call for the rallies was issued by the Palestinian National Campaign to support Palestine's UN bid.

The instructions did not apply to the UNRWA schools which were given strict instructions to suspend classes yesterday and not to take part in those public activities.

Message

Public sector employees also took part in the rallies to convey a message that their salaries and suspension of foreign aid should not be an obstacle in the way of international recognition of their state.

Palestinian vehicles decorated with the Palestinian flag and banners were stopped and fined in Zone C by the Israeli police. The Israeli police also ordered the drivers to remove all flags and banners fixed on their vehicles.

During the rallies, Palestinian national bands played patriotic Palestinian songs composed especially for the occasion.

The rallies attracted a large number of families of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. They said they were ready to file collective cases against the Israeli government in international courts once their state is recognised by the UN.

The Palestinian activities did not experience any kind of friction with the Israeli Army, which was put on highest alert, or the colonists who resorted to provocative actions in some Palestinian villages such as Howarah, Borine, Arabah, Southern Asirah by sealing off all the main roads leading to Palestinian cities.

Groups of Israeli colon-ists around Ramallah also blocked the road to the Yasser Arafat roundabout (the venue of the rally in Ramallah) and prevented thousands of Palestinians from areas of Ramallah and Al Beirah from taking part in the rally.

The rallies were also attended by international and Israeli activists.

Addressing the rally in Ramallah, Al Tayeb Abdul Rahim, who heads the Palestinian Presidential Affairs, told the demonstrators that the Palestinian leadership will meet in the next week to decide on the steps needed to place their case to the UN General Assembly or any other option.