Students spell out peace message in Jericho desert

Hundreds of students gathered in the Jericho desert on Friday to create a massive aerial image of Pablo Picasso's Dove of Peace, in a project by British artist John Quigley and UNRWA. "Palestinian youth are sending the message to "Love One Another" and "Love All" so we can find a path to peace," a UN statement quoted Quigley saying. It took some 1,000 children from schools run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees to draw out the image at the foot of the Mount of Temptation in Jericho. "The world needs to sit up and listen to the youth of this region, their message of peace is essential. It is the voice of the next generation," UNRWA Commissioner General Filippo Grandi said. The initiative is part of Project Peace on Earth, which will stage a "musical prayer for peace concert" from Bethlehem's Manger Square on Christmas Day, the release said. "These kids are planting seeds of hope into the heart of the middle east conflict ...they deserve the kind of positive future we wish for all children," Quigley said.