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Reuters (with additional material bt BBC and AFP). 23 September 2002. Thousands of Palestinians back Arafat in protests. GAZA -- Carrying posters of Yasser Arafat and chanting his nom de guerre, thousands of Palestinians took to the streets of the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Monday to show solidarity with their besieged leader. On the second day of demonstrations against the Israeli army siege of Arafat's headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, protesters gathered in Gaza City, East Jerusalem and Bethlehem, Tulkarm and Qalqilya in the West Bank. Carrying Palestinian flags and posters of Arafat, several thousand protesters, including women and children, marched through Gaza City to the ruins of Arafat's beachfront headquarters destroyed in a December air strike. <P>They shouted their willingness to "become martyrs" for the goal of Palestinian statehood as songs were broadcast on loudspeakers. Many were supporters of Arafat's mainstream Fatah movement but others were armed activists from the militant al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades who fired from rifles into the air. "We will burn the ground under the feet of the Israeli soldiers," the militants shouted. Meanwhile, the 73-year-old leader delivered a defiant speech by telephone Monday to some 3,000 Palestinian students who gathered at Bethlehem university to demonstrate their support. "What is happening now is a very dangerous act. The Palestinian people are struggling to defend their land and dream of establishing a state with Jerusalem as its capital," he said. "The situation is dangerous, but the people can face all dangers. The Palestinian people has seen more dangerous situations than this and won." "We are going to march on Jerusalem and one of our children will raise the Palestinian flag on its walls. We are a people of giants who will not be subdued," a defiant Arafat told the crowd. Students waved his portrait, as his voice was relayed through massive speakers in the university yard. After the speech the crowd of supporters marched through the West Bank town to the Church of the Nativity, which was the scene of the previous siege. The number of demonstrators swelled to 5,000 as schoolchildren joined the rally, shouting: "Arafat is the symbol of peace, liberty and struggle." About 200 students marched to Rachel's Tomb, a holy site revered by Jews and Muslims, and threw stones at soldiers there. Witnesses said several hundred protesters also marched through Tulkarm and Qalqilya. "We will sacrifice our blood and soul for Abu Ammar," they shouted in Qalqilya, using Arafat's nom de guerre. Other signs of support for him took shape as Palestinians in Gaza and Arab east Jerusalem shut up shop or skipped class in line with a strike call. Tayeb Abdel-Rahim, a top Arafat aide, said: "Our people is saying that its legitimate uprising and legitimate struggle will continue. We love to live but we are ready to die for the sake of a dignified and free life." . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ProletarianNews http://www.utopia2000.org with photos ################################################################# ################################################################# ################################################################# ##### ##### ##### ################################################################# ################################################################# ################################################################# --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bacIlu Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
