Egypt cancels Christmas festivals for Gaza
Written by Egypt News Thursday, 01 January 2009
Egypt was one of several
Arab states to cancel lavish
New Year's Eve celebrations in solidarity with the
Palestinian in Gaza who suffered a fifth straight day of
Israeli air raids
Egypt cancelled official events, including a special concert by the
Egypt’s singer Mohammed Munir set to be held at
Cairo’s Opera House and a variety performance hosted by the ministry of information due to be broadcast on state television.
Meanwhile,
Syria and
Jordan also called off celebrations. Newspapers urged Jordanians to join a candlelight vigil in central
Amman at midnight in place of cancelled celebrations to express their support for
Gaza.
For his part, ruler of
Dubai,
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum reported that all public
New Year’s celebrations should be called off “as a sign of solidarity with the brotherly
Palestinian people and because of the death and destruction perpetrated on the
Gaza Strip by the
Israeli air raids”.
He called off multimillion-pound festivities late on Monday night.
A host of other
Arab nations cancelled celebrations in solidarity with
Palestinians caught up in the fighting between
Palestinian Movement Hamas and
Israel.
EGYPT NEWS