Palestinians celebrate in the streets
It has been reported that Palestinians are celebrating in the streets.
Thousands of Palestinians celebrated the terror attacks in the United States, chanting "God is Great" and distributing candy to passers-by, even as their leader, Yasser Arafat, said he was horrified.
The U.S. government has become increasingly unpopular in the West Bank and
Gaza Strip in the past year of Israeli-Palestinian fighting, with many Palestinians accusing Washington of siding with Israel.
In the West Bank town of Nablus, about 3,000 people poured into the street shortly after the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and government targets in Washington.
Demonstrators distributed candy in a traditional gesture of celebration.
Several Palestinian gunmen shot in the air, while other marchers carried
Palestinian flags.
Nawal Abdel Fatah, 48, wearing a long, black dress, threw sweets in the air, saying she was happy because "America is the head of the snake, America always stands by Israel in its war against us."
Her daughter Maysoon, 22, said she hoped the next attack would be launched
against Tel Aviv.
In traditionally Arab east Jerusalem, there was a smaller gathering of about
two dozen people, many of them young children led in chants by adults. Some
drivers passing the scene honked their horns and flashed victory signs from
their windows.
Arafat and his top advisers huddled at his seaside office in Gaza City,
watching the events unfold on television. Arafat later emerged to speak to
reporters.
"We are completely shocked. It's unbelievable," he said. "We completely
condemn this very dangerous attack, and I convey my condolences to the
American people, to the American president and to the American
administration, not only in my name but on behalf of the Palestinian
people."
In the West Bank, meanwhile, the leader the Democratic Front for the
Liberation of Palestine denied his group was involved in the attacks.
Qais Abdel Rahim was reacting to reports that two Arab satellite stations in
the Gulf had received anonymous claims of responsibility on behalf of the
DFLP, a radical PLO faction. Abdel Rahim said his group condemned the
attacks.
This is the first attack in history on the Pentagon.
