American Peace activist holds hunger strike

Monday November 19, 2007 16:31 by Maisa Abu Ghazaleh - IMEMC News

Allene Rusers, a seventy-one year old American Peace activist, on Monday announced that she intended to go on hunger strike for the next two weeks in protest against infighting amongst the Palestinian people and the continued occupation of the Palestinian territories.

From a small room in the al-Thuri neighborhood of Jerusalem, Rusers told reporters that the Palestinian people want peace … they love peace … the problem lies in the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories," adding that the latest events in the Gaza Strip after Hamas took control in the coastal region provoked me to act in this fashion."

Of the ongoing crisis in the Gaza Strip, Rusers expressed her concern for residents of the region, calling on the Hamas movement to relinquish control in Gaza, and warning that the region was facing an Israeli attack in which only the civilian population would be harmed.

Despite calling for Hamas to relinquish control, the woman acknowledged that the movement had won fair, free, and democratic elections and criticized the negative media coverage of the organization.

Speaking on the subject of the future status of |Jerusalem, Rusers acknowledge that the city held special significance for all and, as such, should be jointly controlled by Islamic, Christian and Jewish religious figures.

Of the forthcoming Annapolis peace summit, Rusers commented that it was the only way to achieve peace in the region, adding "I hope that this conference will be as an introduction for making peace in accordance with President Bush's vision of two states living side by side."

Translated by Manar Jibrin IMEMC News

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