Jailed Palestinian leader calls for million man march

[News_Editor]

Jailed Palestinian leader calls for million man march

2011-07-21 03:33:32 GMT+7 (ICT)

RAMALLAH (BNO NEWS) -- Prominent jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti called for a massive demonstration to be held by Palestinians in support of the United Nations bid for statehood, Palestine News Network reported on Wednesday.

Barghouti, who is serving five life sentences terms for his role in the second Palestinian uprising that began in 2000, called for the protests in a statement. In his statement he calls "on our people in the homeland and in the diaspora to go out in a peaceful, million-man march during the week of voting in the United Nations in September."

He says that the demonstrations would promote a "popular and peaceful resistance." Barghouti, a well-respected and influential figure in the Palestinian movement, drafted the Prisoner's Document in collaboration with all other jailed Palestinian leaders in 2006 and proposed the Mecca Agreement to form a national unity government in 2007.

Barghouti's statement comes at a time when many voices are speaking up about how or if the bid at the UN should come to fruition. Last week, Secretary-General of the Arab League Nabil al Arabi announced that the Arab League has decided to go to the United Nations to seek recognition of a Palestinian state and a full membership.

More than 115 out of 193 countries have currently recognized the State of Palestine and those are seen as likely supporters if the UN votes on the issue. Those states may seek recognition of the Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The UN debate on the Middle East is scheduled to take place during the last week of July and a vote on recognition of the State of Palestine is said to be in September.

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