Under the slogan ‘day of hope Jerusalem two capitals for two states ‘ dozens of Israelis and Palestinians on Friday afternoon, held a gathering organized by the Israeli Peace Now movement to mark the 40th anniversary of the occupation of Jerusalem.
The gathering was held at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem participants raised flags of red, white and green with the word peace written on them in Arab, Hebrew, and English as well as wearing shirts with the same phrase.
During the gathering a petition was signed by the participants the petition read, ‘Today, we are Palestinians and Israelis who we were exhausted by forty years of occupation, bloodshed and loss of hope and violence, advocate a just and lasting peace for both peoples and Jerusalem as the capital of two states.’
As a rejection to the settlement policy and building of the illegal wall organizers o the event showed pictures that shows the suffering of the Palestinian people because of the separation wall, of the military barriers and checkpoints, and show the effect of the continues settlement expansion on the expense of the Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
Israeli Knesset (Parliament) member Yossi Beilin
Knesset member Yossi Beilin who attended the gathering said in his speech to: ‘We believe in everything Arab Palestinian and Israeli Jew in Jerusalem, who believes in the two nations, believes that there should be two capitals of the State of Israel and Palestine.’
The MP continued by saying ‘The city of Jerusalem is not a problem or an impediment to the peace process, but it is a place to meet and where the solution is found.’ Beilin praised the ideas of the late Faisal Husseini, who was reflecting the vision of a real and lasting peace for the city of Jerusalem, and that two nations can live side by side as neighbors.
Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Abdullah Abdullah,
Abdullah Abdullah member of the Palestinian Legislative Council who also attended that gathering said: ‘ before massacres Israeli and Palestinian lived side by side as neighbors and friends in the city of Jerusalem, and we must work together and all in our bower to restore peace and security to the holy city and our sacred land, as all religions humanitarian values calls for.’
Abdullah added: ‘The two capitals for two states is recognition of the Palestinian right so the Palestinians could recognize the Israeli right. It is a response to the cycle of violence and continued killings, as well as the response to the Israeli government’s attempt to build more settlements and walls to keep the conflict going and keep the two peoples living in fear and promised security.’ The Palestinian MP stressed that the Arab peace initiative provides a solution for the Israelis and Palestinians alike. He said: ‘it has proven from the Iraqi and Lebanese experience that political conflict is not resolved by military force, but with the commonsense and a strong will.’
