Thousands of Palestinians rallied for unity in Ramallah and Gaza City. The rallies Tuesday were organized on Facebook by young Palestinian activists who are calling for an end to the division between Fatah, which governs the West Bank, and Hamas, which ousted Fatah and took over Gaza in 2007.
Dozens of Israeli lawmakers have signed a petition calling for a boycott of Israeli companies that have signed contracts to help build a new Palestinian city. Sponsored by the Land of Israel Lobby, the petition was signed by 48 lawmakers after being circulated Monday. Right-wing lawmakers and half of the Kadima Party signed, The Jerusalem Post reported. The petition comes in response to a contract signed by 20 Israeli companies to help build Rawabi, in the West Bank near Ramallah, in which they agree not to use raw materials, products or services originating in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, as well as in eastern Jerusalem or on the Golan Heights, which the Palestinian Authority also defines as settlements.
The Palestine National Orchestra performed for the first time in the Palestinian Authority and in Israel. The orchestra made its debut in Ramallah, and then performed in eastern Jerusalem over the weekend and in Haifa on Sunday night. \”Today an orchestra, tomorrow a state,\” Suhail Khoury, director of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, wrote in the program, according to the French news agency AFP.
Mahmoud Abbas told thousands of Palestinians gathered for a Yasser Arafat memorial that \”The Palestinian state will arise when it is cleared of settlements.\”
A street in Ramallah has been named after a Palestinian terrorist responsible for the deaths of dozens of Israelis.\n
Letter from France highlights three stories; slander trial raises questions over footage of the killing of Mohammad al Dura in 2000, the mayor of Paris shows his support for captive Isreali soldiers, Israeli Prime Minister Olmert visits Paris.
Standing in the Muqata, Yasser Arafat\’s compound in Ramallah, on his funeral day made me believe that we Palestinians must overcome a hurdle if we are to move forward.
Our youth face uncertainty, our people feel lost and beaten and our elders are sad to think that their children and grandchildren will share their same destiny — never to live in peace in an independent Palestinian state.
When Ariel Sharon decided to isolate Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat in Ramallah, he realized he would be accused of deliberately blocking diplomatic channels if he didn\’t find an alternative form of dialogue with the Palestinians. Sharon\’s answer: A regional conference of Israel, moderate Arab states and Palestinians — but not Arafat — to be convened under American auspices.
So now what? Does Israel dig in and prepare itself for a state of escalating, interminable siege? Does it try to get back to the negotiating table with Yasser Arafat? Does it do both?
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