Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's wife Soha said Saturday that Israeli mothers should feel ashamed about the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians in clashes with the Israeli army.
"This is my message for Israeli mothers: It's shameful that your sons are killing Palestinian children," Soha Arafat told AFP on the sidelines of the first summit of Arab leaders' wives here in Cairo.
"Israeli women should rise up against what is happening in Israel," said the Palestinian first lady, herself the mother of a young girl, Zahwa.
"A mother is always a mother and she should pressure the Israeli government not to send its army to kill Palestinian children," she added.
Arafat dismissed as "propaganda" charges that Palestinians have been sending their children to the front lines to throw stones at Israeli troops during the past month and a half of clashes.
"Could a mother possibly send her son to kill himself, thus losing that which is most dear to her?" she asked.
"Palestinian children will fight on because they see the situation their fathers are in, who can't even scrape enough for their daily bread," she said -- CAIRO (AFP)
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