Thousands of Palestinians took to the streets on Wednesday to wave flags and celebrate the kickoff of their bid for statehood in the U.N. Town squares were filled in a show of support for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who was at the U.N. in New York to submit an official petition for Palestinian statehood. The P.A. held a series of rallies last week in the run-up to the opening of the General Assembly, and was disappointed by the low turnout. It therefore declared Wednesday an official vacation day for civil servants and government officials, and also closed schools, sending thousands of students to the rallies. Some Palestinian Authority officials suggested that the rallies were mandatory. "We received information from civil servants who said they had been told explicitly that if they didn't show up to the rallies, they would not receive their pay for that day," one official said. "Students said that they were forced onto buses heading to Ramallah. Some paid supporters arrived from Jenin and the northern West Bank." Get the Israel Hayom newsletter sent to your mailbox! Wednesday's biggest rally took place in the center of Ramallah at Arafat Square, where 130 flags of countries that support Palestinian statehood waved in the wind. At the square, Palestinian Authority Secretary-General Tayeb Abed Rahim spoke to a jubilant crowd. He told the masses that Mahmoud Abbas remains steadfast in his bid to seek Palestinian recognition at the U.N. Security Council and achieve full U.N. membership. "We sought U.N. recognition only after negotiations reached a dead end," Rahim said. "Abbas knows that the Palestinian people stand behind him as he pushes to establish a Palestinian nation based on the 1967 borders," Rahim said. He also called on Palestinians to refrain from violence, telling the crowd, "We must continue our nonviolent struggle to become the U.N.'s 194th
nation."
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As leaders struggle in NY, Palestinians rally on the streets
City centers throughout the West Bank filled with flag-waving Palestinians Wednesday • Some were coerced to attend the rallies • PA official urges non-violence.
