Arabs, Jews to march for Palestine
Activists to march along line that divided Jerusalem in 1967; 'Rally to mark future border,' organizer says
The Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity Movement is set to lead a rally across Jerusalem on Friday in support of the Palestinian bid for statehood.
Israelis and Palestinians are expected to take part in the demonstration.
The organizers of the event, titled "Marching for Independence – Solidarity with Palestine," said that with peace talks stalled, the Palestinians have no choice but apply to the United Nations for recognition. They stressed that the rally will not sanction violence.
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The march will set out at 2 pm from the Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem's Old City, and will last for approximately two hours. The participants, who are expected to number 1000-2000, are to walk along the line that divided the capital prior to the Six Day War.
According to the protesters, the boundary is fated to intersect Jerusalem again in the future. They will pass Nablus Gate and complete the journey at the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, where speeches are to be made.
'Government does everything to evade talks' (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
The police are preparing to secure the march and prevent any friction that may arise between the protesters and rightist activists.
'1st step towards Palestinian state'
Hillel Ben Sasson, a spokesman for the Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity Movement, which is organizing the event in collaboration with the popular committees of east Jerusalem, said that the march is the first Israeli-Palestinian measure that's meant to show support for a Palestinian state."It's not a violent rally, it is meant to mark the future border and be the first step towards a declaration of a Palestinian state," he said. "The last time that a significant Palestinian-Israeli political event took place was in 1991.
"We saw today that the Arab League has urged the UN to establish the Palestinian state, and the Palestinians have submitted a request for final confirmation of the appropriate documents," Ben Sasson added. "This measure gives a voice to Israelis who want to put an end to the occupation… when it is clear that the Israeli government is doing everything it can to evade negotiations."
Ben Sasson addressed the opposition expressed by the United States and some European nations to a unilateral move on the part of the Palestinians, saying that "We must wait and see how the nations respond at the end of the day… If the states of Europe will realize that the chances of renewing negotiations are nil, they will also join the call.
"To quote Neslon Mandela, 'Only free men can negotiate,'" he concluded.
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