Palestinians gather in Ramallah, Gaza to support France

Hundreds of Palestinians in Ramallah and Gaza City on Sunday participated in rallies in solidarity with France in light of the spate of attacks last week.

Participants in Ramallah gathered in al-Manara Square raising Palestinian flags and signs condemning all forms of terrorism.

Yasser Abed Rabbo, secretary-general of the PLO Executive Committee, said at the rally that Palestinians reject terrorism, including that which is inflicted upon them by the Israeli occupation.

"Our message to France is that we defend our common values -- the values of freedom, justice, and equality between peoples -- and we are sure that terrorism will be defeated," Abed Rabbo said.

"The way to do that is through democracy," he added.

Fatah Central Committee member Abbas Zaki said the attacks in France were against civilization, adding that the rally in Ramallah emphasized Palestinian solidarity with the French people and government.

"This is a message to the world that the Palestinian people, who are the people who have suffered the most due to terrorism, reject terrorism in all its forms," Zaki said.

Meanwhile, in Gaza, Palestinians lit candles in front of the French Cultural Center in Gaza City in solidarity with the victims of the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris.