PALESTINIAN BOYS and girls marched into the Arafat Square carrying placards bearing the flags of UN members, chanting “one-nine-four” as they assembled under a huge banner commanding the UN to admit Palestine as its 194th member. Spirits were high but pragmatism reigned. No one expects Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas to return to Ramallah with an invitation to join the UN in his pocket.
Legislator Mustafa Barghouti told The Irish Times that the Palestinian bid for recognition of a Palestinian state within the borders of 1967 and full UN membership “is a very important step. To some it may seem symbolic but this is not the case ... [The bid] has already achieved a lot. The Palestinian issue is ... the main issue before the UN.”
He suggested that since the Palestinians had the support of “85 per cent of the people of the world” for their application, they might be able to “create a movement to sanction Israel” for continuing the occupation and settlement of East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Hind, a student at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, agreed with Dr Barghouti that the UN application was a “good step. If nothing is done the situation will stay the same. At least Israel is facing [world] public opinion.”
Soon after Palestinian dignitaries took their seats on the stage in front of the huge screen on to which Mr Abbas’s UN address was broadcast, the screen toppled forward on to the heads of the men. Although they were unhurt, it seemed a momentary bad omen. The shadow passed quickly. Nothing dampened the mood of the cheerful throng as it swelled to fill the wide square.
Once the television screen was back in place, the Palestinian ambassador in Lebanon, Abdullah Abdullah, spoke to flag-waving cheering crowds in Beirut and here. A vendor selling sweets thrust his way through the people, standing shoulder to shoulder, while Palestinian boys and girls in national dress performed a folk dance to the juddering thud of drums and wail of flutes.
The tempo of the music grew increasingly insistent as the moment approached for Abbas, “Abu Mazen”, to address the general assembly. A French colleague quipped: “He is being treated like a rock star.”
A huge cheer went up from the tightly packed square the moment he appeared in the green marble assembly chamber and began his address. Applause exploded when he reminded world leaders that late president Yasser Arafat had appeared in 1974 before the assembly, a pistol in one hand and an olive branch in the other and when Abbas called for the repatriation of Palestinian refugees and the release of prisoners by Israel.
“We are celebrating like we are gaining independence now ... but we have a long way to go,” said an official who did not wish to be identified.
Palestinians sipping coffee in an internet cafe opening on to the square were generally pleased with the address, cheering and clapping when Abbas said the Palestinian people were applying for full membership of the UN. The cafe audience stood and clapped when delegations of the US rose and applauded Abbas’s words.
Tony, a businessman who recently visited Derry, said Abbas had handled the UN campaign well. “It could create movement. It has generated excitement among the people, but what will happen if the [US] casts a veto?”
Mustafa Jarrad shrugged: “It’s a standard speech. They’ve been preparing for four months. It’s not a charismatic performance – no tears.”
When Mr Abbas concluded by stating that before he began his address he had handed a letter calling for UN entry of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza with East Jerusalem as its capital, a great shout echoed round the square. Flags waved frantically. “Allahu Akhbar! With our blood and hearts we will sacrifice for you, Palestine!”