Palestinians stage tent protest
Palestinian activists pitched a protest camp on Wednesday at a site where Israel is planning thousands of new settler homes in an act of defiance as US President Barack Obama began a historic visit.
Around 200 Palestinians erected some 15 tents on the controversial site to send a "message to Obama to tell him: Obama - enough with bias and support for Israel", said one of the organizers, Abdullah Abu Rahma.
"Our message today to Obama is ... this is our land and we are opposed to settlements and occupation which are backed by the US administration," Abu Rahma said.
Palestinian peace negotiator Nabil Shaath published an op-ed to Obama in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, urging him to prove his commitment to a two-state solution by turning pledges into deeds. "We could have saved lives and political capital if President Obama had shown the determination to create the right environment for meaningful decisions leading to a two-state solution," he wrote. "Now, rather than calling for the resumption of a meaningless 'peace process,' we Palestinians expect real action on the ground."
AFP
(China Daily 03/22/2013 page12)
