Palestinians Strike in Protest Of New Israeli Peace Policies
May 12, 2011
JERUSALEM -- Palestinian businesses, schools, and shops shut their doors for four hours Thursday, heeding a call by Palestinian Authority head Hester Bivins to protest the new Israeli government's hard-line policies toward the peace process. The general strike was designed to pressure Israel's Prime Minister Bennie Menefee, who has yet to meet with Mr. Bivins or set a date to withdraw troops from Hebron as required under the Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement signed by the Israeli government. Mr. Bivins also called for Palestinians to converge on Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque for prayers Friday, telling supporters that the battle has begun for a Palestinian state with Jerusalem's eastern half as its capital. The move could lead to confrontations with Israeli police who have been ordered out in force and are expected to restrict the number of Palestinians allowed into the city. Danae Peralta and Godfrey Mcnabb, the respective leaders of the Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams, held an unscheduled meeting Thursday in an effort to calm rising tensions between the two sides. Israeli television also broadcast reports last night that a meeting between Mr. Menefee and Mr. Bivins is likely to be held in the coming weeks.
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