Sunday, September 18, 2011

Palestinian marching bands celebrate ahead of statehood bid

Palestinian scouts perform during a candle-lit rally on an annual march
calling for the establishing of the Palestinian State the West Bank town of
Beit Sahour near near Bethlehem on December 25, 2010.
[MaanImages/Luay Sababa]

BETHLEHEM (Reuters) -- Palestinians gathered in Bethlehem's Manger square on Sunday to watch local marching bands playing in support of an expected Palestinian statehood bid at the UN later this week.

"As part of our duty, the marching bands are holding this festival in support of Palestinian leaders' bid to seek recognition of a Palestinian state in the United Nations," said head of the marching bands in Bethlehem, Jiris Qumsia, as youths waving Palestinian flags and playing the drums or trumpets walked by.

President Mahmoud Abbas said on Friday he would demand full membership of the United Nations when he goes to the UN General Assembly next week, setting up a diplomatic clash with Israel and the United States.

Abbas indicated that he would seek a vote on the issue in the UN Security Council, a move that is most likely to be vetoed by the United States, which is firmly opposed to such a move, arguing that a Palestinian state can only be created through direct negotiations.

Israel is wary of large-scale protests by Palestinians as their leaders sidestep stalled peace talks by appealing for United Nations statehood recognition this month. A similar deadlock in 2000 triggered a Palestinian revolt that Israel fueled with military crackdowns, resulting in a heavy death toll among unarmed protesters.

Abbas has denied seeking bloodshed, and on Friday said all activities supporting the UN bid must be peaceful in a televised address to the nation. Israeli officials said it was too early to know how this month's showdown at the United Nations would resonate locally.

Palestinians want their state to encompass the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, from which Israel withdrew settlers in 2005, with East Jerusalem as their capital. Israel captured all three areas in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.


Maan News Agency

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