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Jewish
and Arab musicians have performed a solidarity
concert to a packed-out audience in the West Bank city of Ram Allah
conducted by the legendary Argentine-Israeli musician Daniel
Barenboim.
Sponsored by the Palestinian Culture Ministry and the Barenboim-Edward
Said Foundation, the concert was held on Sunday to honour the
Palestinian-American intellectual who died in 2003 and to boost
understanding towards peace in the Middle East.
The orchestra of young players performed Mozart's Sinfonia
Concertante and Beethoven's Fifth Symphony to rapturous applause and
a standing ovation from the mixed Israeli and Palestinian audience.
One of the world's most famous classical musicians, Barenboim has
for years championed efforts to improve Israeli-Palestinian
understanding in the Middle East and is widely admired by people on
both sides of the conflict.
"We like not only Barenboim's music, but also his ideas. And this is
a particularly special concert because it's in memory of Edward
Said," said Eesa Shihabeh, whose 16-year-old granddaughter Tala was
playing the violin.
Musical solution
"Music can speak by herself if you listen," said his wife Suad.
"Music is one of the solutions to the situation," added her husband.
An American Palestinian, Jamila Abed Bakr, who also lives in Ram
Allah, complained about Israeli restrictions but similarly praised
Barenboim's vision.
"His philosophy is universal. Everyone of my friends admires him
because he's working towards justice and peace all over the world
not just for Palestinians and Israelis," she said.
Members of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, which is based in
southern Spain, are travelling on diplomatic passports issued by
Madrid to limit hold-ups at Israeli checkpoints in and out of the
occupied territory.
Barenboim and Said jointly founded the orchestra comprising around
100 mainly Arab and Israeli young musicians as a means of fostering
friendship between Palestinians and Israelis.
Mutual understanding
Speaking on Saturday, Barenboim said his orchestra was in the West
Bank to convey a message of solidarity and of mutual understanding.
The Ram Allah concert is the climax of a tour that has taken the
orchestra to cities including Buenos Aires and London, and comes
with Israel in the process of dismantling its 38-year occupation of
the Gaza Strip.
A similar concert due to be played in Ram Allah in 2003 while it was
surrounded by the Israeli army was cancelled at the last minute
because of security concerns.
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