Palestinians, who just three days ago were celebrating President Clinton's visit to their homeland, burned the US President in effigy and ripped down US flags yesterday in protest at the air strikes on Iraq.
Thousands of demonstrators, mostly high school students, took to the streets in towns across the West Bank and in Gaza City to denounce the US air raids and, on occasion, call on President Saddam Hussein to hit back at Israel as he did during the 1991 Gulf War.
A Palestinian intellectual yesterday reflected the views of many of his countrymen in outrage at the air strikes against Iraq. He was particularly bitter about the fact that the bombing followed Mr Clinton's triumphal visit to the Palestinian self-rule areas in Gaza and the West Bank.
"Clinton cancelled all the good will he generated during his visit when he bombed Iraq. He came to us with sweet words, but left without compelling Israel to implement the agreement he negotiated in October, both exciting us and humiliating us. Then, on the day Israeli troops are supposed to be pulling out of more West Bank territory, Clinton hits Baghdad. . ."
Palestinians from a refugee camp between Bethlehem and Jerusalem braved the cold and rain to stage a protest against the bombing, burning US and Israeli flags. On Tuesday, the Clinton family had joined refugees in Bethlehem in singing Joy to the World.
