Vigil in Solidarity with the People of the Gaza Strip
George Rishmawi October 9, 2004

Under the title "A Cry to stop the Killing of the Palestinians" the Palestinian Center for Rapprochement Between People in Beit Sahour, and several NGO's from the Bethlehem area organized a vigil in solidarity with the Palestinian People in the Gaza strip who are facing an intensive wide-scale Israeli military offensive for around 10 days.

At least 111 Palestinians have been killed and over 400 have been injured in this operation that the Israeli Military establishment called, "Days of Penitence".

Over 100 Palestinians and International Peace activists gathered in downtown Beit Sahour and lit candles in a sign of hope that peace may prevail on earth.

The protesters carried signs calling Israel to stop its attacks against the Palestinian civilians and to stop killing Palestinian children. Around 25 Palestinian children were killed in the Gaza Strip in the past ten days.

A Palestinian recited a poem he wrote on the situation in Gaza accusing the USA of legalizing the killing of Palestinians by the Israeli army by using the Veto in the United Nations Security Council against a resolution that demands Israel to stop its offensive and withdraw from the Gaza Strip.

Ghassan Andoni, Director of the Rapprochement Center spoke to the crowd after a moment of silent in respect to the people killing in Gaza Strip saying: "It is hard to stand here, knowing that in the last week or more, every 2 hours, a Palestinians is killed in Gaza. This is not justified by any means, we feel the pain and sometimes feel helpless, because we can do nothing about it."

Andoni added "This is a powerful destructive machine, that is razing human lives, homes and destroying under their bulldozers any chance for peace."

Andoni stressed that the gathering is affirm gathered here to confirm the commitment to peace, and to condemn this killing machine and to pray that Gaza will be saved from these attacks.

Photos by Ghassan Bannoura, PCR-IMEMC