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Last update - 09:38 17/05/2008 Palestinian-Americans mark 60th anniverary of Nakba at UN rally By The Associated Press Tags: Palestinians, United Nations  Americans of Palestinian descent on Friday rallied near the United Nations to mark the 60th anniversary of the Nakba ("the Catastrophe"), as the Palestinians refer to the events surrounding Israel's independence in 1948. "Our country died 60 years ago," said Salah Zalatimo, 28, who blames the current Israeli-Palestinian fac-eoff on "minority extremists on both sides." During the 1948 War of Independence, hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arabs fled or were driven from their homes - estimates range from 650,000 to 1 million. Palestinian demands to return with their descendants - at least 4 million people, by UN estimate - represent one of the thorniest issues in the Middle East. Advertisement Zalatimo joined about 1,000 people who rallied at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, across from UN headquarters, to call on the world body to help the Palestinians return to their homeland. Under umbrellas in a driving rain, with the wind whipping their green, white and black Palestinian flags, the crowd marked the anniversary of the Nakba by dancing, singing and chanting, "Free, free Palestine!" "It was the death of a nation that coincided with the birth of a nation," said Zalatimo, an American-born business consultant who said his family members were expelled from Israel in 1948, then again from the West Bank during the 1967 war. "For us, it's been 60 years of tears and heartache and pain and homelessness," he said. Poet and writer Remy Kanazi, who lives in Queens, said his grandmother was forced out of her home in Israel when she was pregnant with his mother. "The Palestinians are Israel's indigenous population, and they're there to stay - and the Jews are there to stay," Kanazi said. "Any resolution has to be based on equality for both peoples. I believe in a one-state solution - one man, one vote." Ora Wise, a Jerusalem-born rabbi's daughter who directs education programs at a Brooklyn synagogue, blamed Israel for the area's problems. "The Israeli government and military policies are the major blockages of any peace or justice in the region," she said. She pointed to the situation in the Gaza Strip, controlled by the Islamic militant group Hamas. The humanitarian situation in the coastal region is harsh, largely as a result of an embargo Israel has placed on it due to ongoing rocket attacks by Palestinian militants on southern Israel. A shopping mall in Ashkelon was hit on Wednesday in one such attack, in which 90 people were wounded, four of them seriously. The United States is home to the largest population of Palestinians outside the Middle East - more than 72,000, according to the 2000 census, with hundreds of thousands more related to Palestinians. Many live in the New York metropolitan area. Among them is the acclaimed comedian Maysoon Zayid, who told the crowd that as a child with Palestinian relatives in the Middle East, "I spent my winters in sunny New Jersey, and my summers in a frickin' war zone." Internationally, the Palestinian cause has been embraced by personalities including actress Vanessa Redgrave, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, singer-bassist Roger Waters of the rock band Pink Floyd and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu of South Africa. Zalatimo still harbored the hope that a peaceful resolution is in sight. "If we removed the leadership on both sides and let the people meet face to face, I'm sure that we could find a resolution," he said. Related articles: Abbas: It's time to end the Nakba of the Palestinian people Yair Sheleg / A good day for hope Israel protests UN chief Ban Ki-Moon's use of term 'nakba' Bookmark to del.icio.us   Animated massacre Animated Israeli film at Cannes explores Sabra and Shatila massacre. Kowtowing to funders When papers are sponsored, can their reporting be truly independent?   1.   Zalatimo should know about extremists, he`s marching with them 07:18  |  McQueen 17/05/08   2.   Do they not realize what they write??? 10:08  |  Ariel 17/05/08   3.   Refugees 10:49  |  zeew 17/05/08   4.   The Irony Of Ora Wise Saying Unwise Things 12:26  |  Lavi 17/05/08   5.   Palestinians Can Learn English & Live In America, But They Still 12:40  |  Lavi 17/05/08   6.   Crocodile tears 13:38  |  Star of David 17/05/08   7.   Naqkba - math does not add up 14:09  |  Ariel 17/05/08   8.   and guess for whom hey are voting?? 15:04  |  bobo 17/05/08   9.   Refugee numbers, Haaretz does love so much to lie 16:19  |  David Teich 17/05/08   10.   "Our country died 60 years ago," 16:21  |  Nechama 17/05/08   11.   Yes bobo...even without an answer... 16:23  |  Nechama 17/05/08   12.   To Lavi in Seattle, please read...... 17:00  |  David James Vickery 17/05/08   13.   #7 17:40  |  Swede 17/05/08   14.   Palestinians in the world 17:43  |  Swede 17/05/08   15.   Salah Zalatimo, 28 17:49  |  Fred 17/05/08   16.   Refugees 18:06  |  Helen 17/05/08   17.   No Ariel, the "palestinians" really don`t get it. 18:51  |  That`s the problem 17/05/08   18.   12: To lying Vickery 21:57  |  David Teich 17/05/08

Read & React Israel protests UN chief Ban Ki-Moon's use of term 'Nakba' Responses: 559 PMO: U.S., Israel see need for 'tangible action' on Iran nukes Responses: 146 Shmuel Rosner: Bush, Obama and the 'appeasement' jibe Responses: 100 Bin Laden vows to 'fight' Israel for Palestinian land Responses: 228 Sultan al-Qassemi: Arab Jews should be welcomed back in their ancestral homes Responses: 158 Rosner's Domain Bush should be measured by the yardstick he prescribed to Obama The greatest achievement and failure of the Jewish people Is Obama a Carter or a Chomsky? (WTR) Poll: Was Bush attacking Obama? Does McCain wants to talk to Hamas? (WTR) More Headlines 21:59 Officials: Barak, Livni to meet Mubarak on Gaza 18:32 Report: Egypt warns Hamas of major IDF Gaza raid if Shalit not freed 21:03 Report: U.S. asks Turkey to push harder for Israel-Syria talks 18:35 Ex-IAF Chief: Expect thousands of rockets on Israel in future war 21:30 Police said set to confront Olmert with new evidence 19:26 Bush: Lebanon facing 'defining moment' in its history 13:46 Min. Dichter says considering bid for Kadima leadership 14:44 Egyptian press blasts Bush over 'Torah-inspired' Knesset speech 17:26 ANALYSIS / Siniora's gov't will fall, the question is when 20:28 Obama says Bush policies strengthened Iran, Hamas 19:15 Police investigating possible murder-suicide near Ben Shemen 15:30 Two men shot to death in Kiryat Ata drive-by murder Previous Editions Select Day 16 may 15 may 14 may 13 may 12 may 11 may 09 may 08 may 07 may 06 may 05 may 04 may

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