Mourners hold vigil for victims

by Hugh Dellios, The Chicago Tribune
September 13, 2001

Palestinians have mounted efforts to try to erase the damning images seen around the world of some of their people celebrating in the wake of the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history.

Hundreds of Palestinians massed Wednesday evening for a solemn candlelight vigil outside the U.S. Consulate in East Jerusalem. On Thursday, a condolence march was planned for the same neighborhood, while Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's self-rule government ordered that all schoolchildren in the West Bank and Gaza stand for a moment of silence at 11 a.m. Arafat himself did his symbolic part Wednesday by donating a pint of blood, a day after he condemned the terrorist attacks.

"That celebration on the street was not reflecting the real feeling of the Palestinians, which was sympathy for the victims," said Ghassan Khattib, a prominent analyst and commentator, at a press conference sponsored by Arafat's Palestinian Authority in Ramallah.

The campaign was recognition that the celebrations could do considerable harm to the Palestinians' image in the United States.

As news of the attacks spread Tuesday, a few crowds took to the streets in Palestinian cities, handing out sweets, firing guns, flashing victory signs and expressing glee that "revenge" had been taken.

In some cities, such as Nablus in the northern West Bank, a larger anti- U.S. crowd reportedly assembled. But Palestinian police kept the sentiments in check in other cities.

Israelis quickly denounced the celebrations.

"Yesterday, some Palestinians danced a jig over the great tragedy that befell the Americans," wrote Zeev Schiff, a prominent military analyst, on the front page of Haaretz newspaper.

In turn, the Palestinians charged that the Israelis were exploiting and playing up the incidents for political advantage.

They insisted that most Palestinians were as saddened by the terrorist attacks as everyone else. The crowds, they said, were small and consisted of youths and militants who are 11 months into a bloody uprising against the Israelis.

"I was shocked by the attacks and shocked when I saw people celebrating," said Hamed Khalil, 27, a police officer from Bethlehem. "Civilians should not be killed. Our battle is not with the Americans. It's with Israel."

At the vigil Wednesday in East Jerusalem, Palestinians laid flowers at the U.S. Consulate and carried placards that read, "Terror is our common enemy" and "We are victims too."