Palestinians show support for Abbas' statehood bid

Several thousand Palestinians streamed into the center of this West Bank city on Wednesday in a show of support for their president's bid to win U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state.     

The rally, in a small square in downtown Ramallah, was carefully orchestrated, with civil servants and schoolchildren given time off to participate. Crowds of youths hoisted Palestinians flags and chanted slogans calling for the establishment of an independent Palestine.    

President Mahmoud Abbas is to address the U.N. General Assembly later this week and request full U.N. membership. With peace talks deadlocked for the past three years, the Palestinians believe a strong international endorsement will improve their position in future negotiations.  

Israel and the U.S. strongly oppose the push, saying peace can be achieved only through negotiations.       

Wednesday's march appeared subdued, with many people using the day off to mingle and do some window shopping. While turnout was modest, participants said the gathering sent an important message.       

The U.S. has said it would veto Abbas' request in the U.N. Security Council, and members of Congress have threatened to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. aid to the Palestinians