World March for Peace
and Nonviolence
October 14th,2009
On Wednesday October
14th, 2009, the World March for Peace and Nonviolence arrived
in Bethlehem, Palestine. The marchers began at Nativity Square, and
walked to the stage at Aida, a Refugee Camp that is directly affected
by the apartheid wall.
The
March was hosted by the Holy Land Trust; and attended among others by
Mrs. Luisa Morgantini, the Vice-President of the European parliament,
Archbishop Atallah Hanna of Jerusalem, Dr. Victor Batarseh, the Mayor
of Bethlehem, and Mr. Georgio Schultze, EU-Spokesperson of the World
March. Each hailed the importance of the World March, and had a message
of hope and peace for the Palestinians.
The
Arab Educational Institute was proud to take part in the World March,
and AEI’s choir performed in front of several hundreds of people,
singing songs for peace, unity and nonviolence. They continued with
a poem which they wrote, describing and celebrating each Palestinian
city. It was appealing to the audience, who enjoyed the women’s creative
initiative.
AEI-Open
Windows supports such international initiatives which show deep support
for the Palestinian cause and shed light on the occupation’s practices
against the Palestinian people. Moreover, they reflect AEI’s strong
belief in the importance of nonviolent resistance, and the need for
constant work towards achieving unity and peace in the community.
