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Gazans Unmoved by Obama Visit

Gaza's Palestinians have expressed mostly pessimism and frustration in response to US President Barack Obama's visit, reports Mohammed Suliman.
A Palestinian woman argues with policemen during a demonstration against U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to the Church of the Nativity, revered as the site of Jesus' birth, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem March 22, 2013. Obama made a pilgrimage on Friday to the traditional birthplace of Jesus, receiving a subdued reception from Palestinians at the end of a Holy Land visit heavy on symbolism and lacking in practical steps towards peace. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3FBWP

Shortly after touching down at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, US President Barack Obama praised the “profound relationship” between Israel and the US. He “repeatedly affirmed the US-Israeli alliance and insisted it would remain unbreakable in the face of the winds of change blowing in the Arab world," wrote Alex Kane, who noted that while Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to the Palestinians and their willingness to engage in peace talks with the Palestinian Authority (PA), Obama made no mention of the Palestinians in his initial speech.

The visit, its political implications and its significance for the Palestinians living under Israel’s continued occupation of both in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip has been hotly debated. The reaction to this visit by those on the ground seemed rather consistent, however. While demonstrations took place over the past few days in the West Bank, the Palestinians also took part in protests in Gaza City against Obama’s three-day visit to Israel and the West Bank.

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