|
80,000
Demonstrate in Italy for Palestinian State
 |
|
Pro-Palestinian
demonstrations broke out in Italy, Greek and Cyprus.
|
ROME,
May 13 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Tens of thousands of people
marched in central Italy Sunday, May 12, to appeal for peace in the
Middle East, news agencies reported.
Demonstrators, who numbered 80,000 according to organizers, walked
between Perouse and Assisi carrying a banner saying "Israel and
Palestine: two states, two peoples."
In a message to the rally read by the bishop of Assisi, Pope John Paul
II said he wished for "reconciliation and lasting harmony in the
Holy Land."
The pope last month sent his special envoy, Cardinal Roger Etchegaray,
to the Middle East in a bid to help end the conflict.
Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi also sent a message for the
peace rally, which has been held at irregular intervals on the
30-kilometer (20 mile) route between the two towns.
He called for an end to "attacks in Israel and military
operations in the Palestinian territories to enable the international
community to launch an initiative to replace the wild logic of
violence with negotiations for a just peace."
Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said in Rome he
supported Italy's offer to host a Middle East peace conference,
although no decision on such a meeting has been made.
In
Cyprus, nearly 40 Cypriot and Arab demonstrators gathered Saturday,
May 11, at the beach-side front of the Flamingo beach hotel to show
their support of the exiled Palestinians, and pro-Palestinian
demonstrators rallied at classic marathon site in Athens, Greece.
The
Cypriot and Arab demonstrators arrived Saturday night at the hotel
hoping to present the exiled Palestinian activists with a bouquet of
flowers, though security did not allow them to enter the building,
news agencies reported.
Agence-France
Presse (AFP) reported that they then gathered at the beachside front
and chanted slogans in Greek and Arabic, and waved Palestinian flags,
in support of the Palestinians.
One
male demonstrator made a loudspeaker call to the confined Palestinians
saying: "We hail you and welcome you oh children and heroes
of Palestine."
The
demonstrators also clapped to a series of famous nationalist songs
broadcast through speakers entitled "Jerusalem shall return to
us" and "Where are the millions? Where are the Arab
people?"
One
of the exiled Palestinians emerged onto his balcony, waved a huge
Palestinian flag and pumped his fist in the air, triggering a
crescendo of cheers from the small crowd.
The
following day witnessed leftist activists and pacifists gathered at
the fabled site of the Marathon battle of Ancient Greece, as they will
walk the marathon-length route back to Athens in a show of support for
the Palestinian cause, news agencies reported.
The
rally began with cries for "Freedom for Palestine" from atop
the ancient burial mound in Marathon, the ancient theater of battle
where Athenians conquered the Persians in 490 B.C.
|
|
-
Jenin: World
testimonies 
-
Israeli Operation Defensive Sheild
-
Palest ine: Maps and Facts
-
United in Bethlehem Church
-
Carter Meets With Castro, Seeks to Urge Change on Human Rights
-
Sweden To Protest Israeli Destruction of Bethlehem Peace Center
-
Historic Arms Deal Between U.S., Russia Finalized
-
500,000 Afghan Refugees Back Home, Marines Under Attack
-
Massive Palestinian Map For Display in UAE, Marking ‘Nakba’
-
For First Time In 5 Months, Arafat Tours West Bank Hotspots
-
E.U. Foreign Ministers Delay Decision on Exiled Palestinians’ Fate
-
Kashmiri Women to Adopt Gujarat Orphans, Anti-Muslim Attacks Continue
-
The U.S. Owes Us An Explanation, Says Chavez
-
Likud Vote “A Pity”, Palestinian State “Only Solution”, Says E.U. Presidency
-
80,000 Demonstrate in Italy for Palestinian State
-
Israel’s Likud Votes ‘No to Palestinian State’
-
Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators In Larnaca, Athens
-
Gujarat Victims Start Migrating To Other Parts Of India, Abroad
-
Israel's Occupation Is "The Root Of Evil"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
