Palestinian Student, Yacoub Al-Atrash, playing on the oud.
Students presenting an olive tree to the university.
Students performing dabke.
Saeb Erekat delivers his speech at AUC.
Photos courtesy of Eric McCune
The Palestinian club at the American University in Cairo, Al-Quds Club, organized an event in memory of those who fell on Land Day. The event featured some key-note speakers such as Saeb Erekat, one of the PLO's chief negotiators, and the Palestinian Ambassador in Egypt, Barakat Al-Farra.
Erekat went into a long speech addressing the Oslo accords, his rejection of the two-state solution, and the return of all the land within the pre-1967 Palestinian borders, including east Jerusalem, to Palestinians. In addition, Erekat reiterated his rejection of the two-state solution. The issues raised in his speech are not news to those who are following the top headlines these days, the Israeli government is not being so discreet about building Jewish settlement in east Jerusalem, which is a kind of a de facto annexation.
The Land Day event was not all politics but also celebrated Palestinian culture. Musical performances, and students performing the Palestinian traditional dance, dabke, were the highlights of the event. The event was followed by a reception, where Middle Eastern/Palestinian food was served.
The members of Al-Quds Club presented an olive tree to the university. Olive trees are a symbol of the Palestinian resistance and culture that is still alive amid all of the occupation, violence and destruction.
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