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Palestinians greet their hero
Source: Agencies |
September 26, 2011, Monday
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Thousands of Palestinians cheering and waving flags gave President Mahmoud Abbas a hero's welcome yesterday, as he told them a "Palestinian Spring" had been born following his speech to the United Nations last week.
Abbas' popularity has skyrocketed since he asked the UN last Friday to recognize Palestinian independence, defying appeals from Israel and the United States to return to peace talks. His request has pushed the region into uncharted waters, and left the international community scrambling over how to respond.
Thousands of people crowded Abbas' West Bank headquarters in the city of Ramallah to get a glimpse of the 76-year-old president on his return from New York.
Abbas compared his campaign to the Arab Spring, the mass demonstrations sweeping the Arab world in hopes of freedom, saying an independent Palestinian state is inevitable.
"We have told the world that there is the Arab Spring, but the Palestinian Spring is here," he said. "A popular spring, a populist spring, a spring of peaceful struggle that will reach its goal."
He warned that the Palestinians face a "long path" ahead. "There are those who would put out obstacles ... but with your presence they will fall and we will reach our end."
The Palestinians want an independent state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast War.
Israel says it is ready for peace talks, but has rejected Palestinian calls to freeze construction of Jewish settlements in lands claimed by the Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also rejected Palestinian demands that the borders between Israel and a future Palestine be based on the 1967 pre-war lines.
Abbas yesterday repeated his refusal to talk with Israel without a settlement freeze after international mediators, responding to his UN bid for statehood, urged negotiations within a month.
"We have confirmed to all that we want to achieve our rights through peaceful means, through negotiations - but not just any negotiations," Abbas told the cheering crowd in Ramallah.
"We will not accept (negotiations) until legitimacy is the foundation and they cease settlement completely," he said.
The UN Security Council is expected to study Palestine's request for full UN membership for several weeks before making a decision.
Abbas' popularity has skyrocketed since he asked the UN last Friday to recognize Palestinian independence, defying appeals from Israel and the United States to return to peace talks. His request has pushed the region into uncharted waters, and left the international community scrambling over how to respond.
Thousands of people crowded Abbas' West Bank headquarters in the city of Ramallah to get a glimpse of the 76-year-old president on his return from New York.
Abbas compared his campaign to the Arab Spring, the mass demonstrations sweeping the Arab world in hopes of freedom, saying an independent Palestinian state is inevitable.
"We have told the world that there is the Arab Spring, but the Palestinian Spring is here," he said. "A popular spring, a populist spring, a spring of peaceful struggle that will reach its goal."
He warned that the Palestinians face a "long path" ahead. "There are those who would put out obstacles ... but with your presence they will fall and we will reach our end."
The Palestinians want an independent state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast War.
Israel says it is ready for peace talks, but has rejected Palestinian calls to freeze construction of Jewish settlements in lands claimed by the Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also rejected Palestinian demands that the borders between Israel and a future Palestine be based on the 1967 pre-war lines.
Abbas yesterday repeated his refusal to talk with Israel without a settlement freeze after international mediators, responding to his UN bid for statehood, urged negotiations within a month.
"We have confirmed to all that we want to achieve our rights through peaceful means, through negotiations - but not just any negotiations," Abbas told the cheering crowd in Ramallah.
"We will not accept (negotiations) until legitimacy is the foundation and they cease settlement completely," he said.
The UN Security Council is expected to study Palestine's request for full UN membership for several weeks before making a decision.
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