Thousands March to Support Palestinian Statehood

Thousands of left-wing activists marched in Jerusalem on Friday afternoon. Both Israelis and Palestinians joined the rally as the Palestinian Authority draws up its proposal to the UN for recognition as an independent state. Our Jerusalem correspondent Xiaoyu has the details.

It's one of the largest demonstrations of support for an independent Palestinian state during the past year or so. The march started from Jaffa Gate of the old city and ended in the Arab neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem, along the border of east and west Jerusalem.

Israeli congresswoman Zehava Galon was among the demonstrators.

"We believe it is in Israeli interest to have a Palestinian state alongside Israel. It's important for us to call for an end to occupation, for a two-state-solution."

The Palestinian Authority is expected to hand in their proposal to the UN for recognition of statehood by Friday. The march attracted thousands of pro-Palestine activists from all over Israel. Nataly Hassian is an Arab girl from the Israeli city of Tel Aviv.

"As you can see, there are many Jewish people who agree to the idea and can live with the fact that there should be a Palestinian state. I have nothing against Jewish people. I have something against all those people who don't believe in Palestine and who don't think that Palestine should exist."

Sheikh Jarrah is the site of weekly protests against efforts by Jewish settlers to move into largely Arab neighborhoods in the city. Organizer of the protests Hillel Ben Sasson told CRI that he believes negotiation is the only solution towards realizing peace in the region.

"What you see here is cooperation between Palestinians and Israelis who both believe the best way to solve the problem is to work together."

The enthusiasm of demonstrators was apparently unaffected by the current stalemate in peace talks and the general indifference among the public. A recent survey found that only one third of Palestinians accept the concept of a two-state-solution and the existence of Israel as a Jewish state.

For CRI, this is Xiaoyu from Jerusalem.