Area group to join demonstration for the creation of Palestinian state

A coalition chairman said President Bush 'isn't moving fast enough.'
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR RELIGION EDITOR
YOUNGSTOWN -- Petitioning President Bush for creation of a Palestinian state is the goal of Saturday's "Land Day" demonstration in Washington, D.C.
The demonstration is from 1 to 4 p.m. at Freedom Plaza near the White House.
Ray Nakley, chairman of Coalition for Peace in the Middle East and spokesman for the Arab Community Center, said upward of 40 people will be taking a chartered bus to the demonstration.
That could rise to about 50 people by the time the bus leaves at 6 a.m. Saturday, Nakley said. He said he knows of no other local groups that are going to take part.
The America Muslim Council in Washington has announced that both Islamic and Christian organizations are co-sponsoring the demonstration. Nakley pointed out that he's Catholic.
"The idea of a Palestinian state has always been part of a vision, so long as the right to Israel to exist is respected," Bush said in October.
But Bush isn't moving fast enough, said Nakley.
What they want: Officially, demonstrators want Bush to press for implementation of United Nations resolutions calling for creation of a Palestinian state and self-determination for Palestinians.
In practical terms, that means land, said Nakley.
The demonstrators want what Nakley described as "the last 22 percent" of the former Palestine state: The West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, which were captured by Israel in 1967.
The Golan Heights, which were also seized during the 1967 war, were part of Syria and weren't part of the traditional Palestinian territory, Nakley said.
An Arab League summit in Beirut, Lebanon, that began Wednesday and ends today is considering a proposal that Israel withdraw from those four areas in return for peace.
The 22 percent is a small part of the land the Palestinians used to control, but Nakley added, "Palestinians are enormously reasonable."
The current violence has grown out of a climate of oppression, he said.
Nakley noted that Israel has annexed the Golan Heights, but not the West Bank. Doing so would require that Israel give all the residents there the right to vote, he said.
XThose interested in taking the one-day trip, or who want more information, should call (330) 746-1797.