Tuesday September 11 11:33 AM ET
Palestinians in West Bank Celebrate Attacks on U.S.
NABLUS, West Bank (Reuters) - Hundreds of Palestinians distributed sweets in the West Bank city of Nablus to celebrate a series of aircraft attacks on two major U.S. cities on Tuesday.
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat (news - web sites) condemned the attacks which leveled the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and struck the Pentagon (news - web sites) in Washington.
Palestinians who have often burned U.S. flags in protests during their 11-month-old uprising against Israeli occupation celebrated in the streets of Arab East Jerusalem.
``I feel I am in a dream. I never believed that one day the United States would come to pay a price for its support to Israel,'' said Mustafa, a 24-year-old Palestinian gunman.
Several dozen Palestinian youths gathered in Arab East Jerusalem to celebrate as well, honking out wedding tunes on their car horns.
``We are so happy that America was hit. America is against us in supporting Israel,'' Suleiman, one of the demonstrators, said.
In Nablus, motorists honked their horns and gunmen fired into the air from assault rifles to cheer on the attacks which unfolded in the space of a few hours and stunned people around the globe.
Israel and the Palestinians have been locked in nearly a year of fighting since a Palestinian uprising against occupation erupted last September after peace talks stalled.