Friday, June 10, 2005
Palestinians stage first car rally in W Bank
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Web posted at: 6/11/2005 2:51:4
Source ::: REUTERS
RAMALLAH, West Bank: Palestinians raced souped-up cars on a makeshift track in the West Bank yesterday in their first auto rally in nearly four decades.
Thirty-seven drivers including one woman thrilled hundreds of spectators as they gunned cars ranging from a brand-new Mercedes Benz to a retooled old Fiat 127 along a winding, 2.5-km course in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Organisers said it was the first car race in the West Bank or Gaza since 1966, the year before Israel captured the two territories in a war with Arab states. Israeli occupation was an obstacle to racing over the past decades. Although a truce is now in place after a four and half year Palestinian uprising, raising hope for peace talks, army checkpoints still hamper Palestinian movement outside towns.
But organisers finally decided to stage a race within a smaller area in Ramallah, the seat of Palestinian government. “It is a challenge to hold a rally when we are still under occupation. I wish the cars could go further,” said Rand Abu Ujeir, 24, the lone female driver, referring to military roadblocks outside Ramallah. “But I am very excited about it. This is an historic moment,” she said, behind the wheel of her growling, high-powered BMW at the starting line.
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