Palestinians celebrate UN statehood bid

[Jefferson23]

Palestinian Authority launches official statehood celebrations across West Bank cities despite UN bid's somewhat ambiguous future. General Assembly just hours away from convening in New York; efforts to stop bid at their peak

Elior Levy Latest Update: 09.21.11, 13:46 / Israel News


RAMALLAH – With the clock ticking down to the PA's statehood bid at the UN, the masses in Ramallah can no longer contain their excitement prompting the Palestinian Authority to officially launch its independence celebrations on Wednesday.


Thousands of Palestinians flocked to central Ramallah ahead of a mass march planned in the city, which is the seat of the Palestinian Authority's leadership. Similar marches and rallies will be held in all major Palestinian cities in the West Bank throughout the week.

The Palestinian Authority decided to launch the celebration despite the bid's somewhat ambiguous future. Palestinian security forces have been deployed across the West Bank, pledging to maintain the order.


"This is the final stretch. Everything is ready. All that is left now is for us to fly the flags," Muhammad Azzadin of the Palestinian Infrastructure Ministry told Ynet.

"Our dream is becoming a reality, we will have a state," banners hung above Ramallah's main highway read.

remainder: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4125272,00.html

[Jefferson23]

1. Palestinian songwriter composes anthem for UN statehood bid

'Mestani Dawla be Aylol' - 'I Am Waiting for a State in September' - is written in a witty way, using a tortoise to symbolize the slow pace of the Palestinian quest for statehood.

By Haaretz

A Palestinian living in France has written a song that has arguably become the anthem for the upcoming Palestinians bid for statehood in the United Nations later on this week, according to a Ma’an report.

The songwriter, Ahmed Dari, who worked for the United Nations' Educational, Social and Cultural Organization until recently, composed "Mestani Dawla be Aylol" - "I Am Waiting for a State in September" - in a witty way, using a tortoise to symbolize the slow pace of the Palestinian quest for statehood, Ma’an said.

The song has over 20,000 hits on YouTube, and Dari says he wrote the song to give hope to Palestinians in the run-up to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s bid for UN recognition in New York this week, the report said.

"There are several major points in this song. I evoke the question of the Palestinian refugees, a crucial question. I talk about the probable American veto at the UN on the recognition of Palestine. I'm also interested in the view of Palestinians, who are split between optimism and pessimism about the future," he told Reuters Television in his home in the outskirts of Paris.

Dari, who has recently become an advisor to the Palestinian Authority, created the song with his friend, two computers and a handful of instruments. He used images from the internet and throughout the song there is a woman, reportedly a symbol of life.

in full: http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/palestinian-songwriter-composes-anthem-for-un-statehood-bid-1.385757