Thousands of flag-waving Palestinians rallied Sept. 21 in towns across the West Bank to show support for President Mahmoud Abbas’ bid to win U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state. Civil servants and schoolchildren were given time off to participate.
A new poll found that 83 percent of Palestinians believe U.N. statehood recognition is a good idea, although 78 percent expect it will make their daily lives more difficult. The survey, conducted last week by the independent Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, included 1,200 respondents and had an error margin of 3 percentage points.
Two-thirds of Palestinians favor peaceful protests, while one-third say the Palestinians should resume armed struggle, according to the poll.
Near Karnei Shomron, a Jewish settlement in the northern West Bank, an assailant fired on an Israeli car, causing damage but no injuries, the Israeli military said. Nearby, Palestinians threw rocks at an Israeli car, injuring a baby girl, the military said.
On Sept. 20, hundreds of Jewish settlers and their supporters marched in the West Bank to counter the Palestinian show of support. They headed out from the settlement of Itamar toward the Palestinian city of Nablus. The march started at the Fogel home, where five family members were killed in a terrorist attack in March.
Other Jewish marchers left Beit El the same day and headed toward an Israeli military administration center. — ap & jta