By Saud Abu Ramadan

     GAZA, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Ignoring various Israeli military restrictions imposed on their daily lives, Palestinian villagers onSaturday celebrated Valentine's Day by attending the wedding of an American woman and a Palestinian man.

    Emily Washman, 21, and Abdullah Tabal, 19, held their wedding ceremony in the northern West Bank village of Deir Ghussun. Hundreds of Palestinians gathered under a big tent erected in the village's square to celebrate the occasion.

    Emily, the daughter of a successful construction contractor in Texas, the United States, arrived in the Palestinian territories one year ago with dozens of activists of International Solidarity Movement (ISM).

    They stayed at Deir Ghussun village, near the town of Tulkarem, which will lose a large areas of land after the construction of theIsraeli separation wall.

    Emily expressed her solidarity with the villagers and protested against the Israeli army's aggressions, particularly the establishment of the separation wall.

    She became acquainted very quickly with the simple and modest lifestyle of Palestinian villagers, who admired the young girl's courage, personality and activities.

    Abdullah, 19, lived at the village and was a high school studenta year ago. He joined the ISM to took part in the movement's demonstrations and marches to denounce the Israel's practices.

    Being members of the same movement, Abdullah and Emily participated in various activities together. As time passed, their friendship evolved into a love story, which became the villager's preferred gossip.

    Unfortunately, Emily's real life was in Texas. After serving as a peace activist in the Palestinian territories, she had to return home to continue her college studies.

    Abdullah, who had just graduated from high school, encouraged her to return home and pursue her studies, thinking that it was theend of a beautiful but far-fetched relationship.

    Emily left the village and the villagers who had warmly welcomedher and considered her as one of them. Being back in Texas, she could not forget the love these villagers had offered her.

    She kept contact with Abdullah through phone calls and e-mails, but these modern communication methods could not satisfy her, as she considered the time spent in Deir Ghussun as the most precious moment of her life.

    Six months later, Emily decided to return to the village with her parents' consent. Again she joined the movement and the villagers, who were like a family to her, and finally completed herrelationship with Abdullah by a marriage.

    At Deir Ghussun, the couple's friends and colleagues at the ISM as well as all the villagers blessed and attended the wedding, which was celebrated modestly but with intense and sheer love that surpassed words.

    "Here, we all love and depend on each other, and today I feel like God had blessed me a wonderful marriage as well as wonderful people, who are Abdullah's family," the bride said with a big smileand indescribable joy in her eyes.

    The festive atmosphere inside the wedding tent was exciting, where laughter and cheers mounted and many guests danced the Palestinian traditional "Dabkeh".

    People were dancing hand in hand. Some waved the black and whitecheckered Koufiyeh to the rhythm of Palestinian traditional and folk music as to forget for even one day the agonies of the occupation and military aggressions.

    "I know that marriage is a big decision, and neither me nor Emily had imagined that one of us would marry at this age, but thismarriage seems like the only reasonable thing happening around here." The happy bridegroom said. Enditem