This piece was reprinted by OpEd News with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.
It's an international city. Obama should have gone elsewhere. Ideally he should have stayed home. He's unwanted. Palestinians protested his visit. They did so across the West Bank.
They awaited his arrival in Ramallah. A sign in English said: "USA is not a fair sponsor for any political process in the Middle East." Another said: "I want to see my father's village."
One Palestinian spoke for others, saying:
"We are here to send our clear message to American President Barack Obama that the Palestinian people are more determined to achieve the goal of building their own independent state in the Palestinian territories.""We want to say clearly that we refuse all the pressure that the United States is putting on the Palestinians' shoulders."
Ismail Haniyeh is Palestine's legitimate prime minister. His visit changes nothing, he said.
"We believe American policies perpetuate the Israeli occupation and settlements in Palestine under the slogan of peace.""The PA must realize that they have to abide by national principles and reconciliation."
In early March, Haniyah called Obama's visit a "trap." It's "aimed at undermining the Arab population."
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).