PALESTINIANS MARK ‘CATASTROPHE’
BBC NEWS
iddle_east/7401892.stm
2008/05/15 10:06:54 GMT
Palestinians are marking the 60th anniversary of al-Nakba, or "the
catastrophe" – the founding of Israel – with a series of marches
and protests.
More than 700,000 Palestinians fled their homes or were expelled
in 1948, during the war that followed Israel’s declaration of
independence.
The events come on the second day of US President George W Bush’s
visit.
He is currently in Israel, joining the Jewish state’s 60th anniversary
commemorations and pushing peace talks.
Palestinians are marking the date with a march to Israeli military
checkpoints in the West Bank and a demonstration at Palestinian
Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ compound in Ramallah.
In Ramallah, there were two minutes of silence for the Palestinians
who fled or were expelled.
Mr Abbas said: "There are two peoples living on this beloved land –
one celebrates independence and the other feels pain of the memory
of its Nakba."
In Gaza City, the Islamic Jihad militant group has organised a rally
of 500 schoolchildren dressed in military uniforms.
‘US steadfast’
Six decades after the founding of Israel, the Palestinians are still
seeking an independent state.
We share a powerful belief and a weapon against terrorists – the
cause of hope, freedom and liberty President George W Bush
The fate of 1948 refugees and their descendents, living scattered in
camps and settlements around the region, remains one of the thorniest
issues in peace talks.
Mr Bush has repeated his belief that Israel and the Palestinians could
strike a deal to bring about a Palestinian state by the end of the
year, which the two sides pledged to do at a US-sponsored conference
last November.
But correspondents say few in the region are optimistic that tangible
progress is being made in the talks, despite repeated visits by US
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
While Mr Bush has praised Israel, many Palestinians accuse the country
of hurting the innocent and of collective punishment in its attempts to
quash Palestinian militants, says the BBC’s Katya Adler in Jerusalem.
On Wednesday, 14 people, including a mother and daughter, were injured
when a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit the southern Israeli city
of Ashkelon.
Earlier in the day, four people were killed in Israeli military
operations in Gaza.
On Thursday, Mr Bush addressed militant groups like al-Qaeda, Hezbollah
and Hamas and said Muslims should "recognise the emptiness of the
terrorists’ vision and the injustice of their cause".
In remarks prepared for delivery to Israel’s parliament, the Knesset,
he says the US "rejects utterly" calls for it to break ties with
Israel.
"Israel’s population may be just over seven million. But when you
confront terror and evil, you are 307 million strong, because America
stands with you."
He will also again urge action to prevent Iran obtaining nuclear
weapons.
"Permitting the world’s leading sponsor of terror to possess the
world’s deadliest weapon would be an unforgivable betrayal of future
generations," he will say.
Before his speech Mr Bush toured the Roman-era desert fortress
of Masada.
In an act of defiance during Roman rule, almost 1,000 Jews were
chronicled to have committed suicide there rather than surrender to
the Romans.
Mr Bush’s Middle East visit will include Saudi Arabia and Egypt in an
attempt to inject some momentum into the current peace talks between
the Israelis and Palestinians.
But there will be no trilateral summit between the American, Israeli
and Palestinian leaders, however, and Mr Bush will not be visiting
the Palestinian territories.
Instead, he is to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas
in Egypt.