story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/people_gere_dc
"Hi, I'm Richard Gere and I'm speaking for the entire world. Get out and vote," Gere says in the English-language advertisement. But many voters, already struggling with the labyrinthine politics of the West Bank and Gaza, say they have never heard of the actor who swept De bra Winger off her feet as a dashing Navy officer in the 1982 film "An O fficer and a Gentleman" and were even less interested when they were tol d he's an American. "I don't even know who the candidates are other than Abu Mazen (Mahmoud A bbas), let alone this Gere," Gaza soap factory worker Manar an-Najar tol d Reuters Wednesday. Arafat's death has stirred international hopes of ending more than four y ears of Middle East violence.
web sites) faction candidate Mahmoud Abbas is the front-runner to succeed him in th e first Palestinian election since 1996. The Gere spot, sponsored by grassroots Israeli-Palestinian peace lobby On e Voice, recalled ads put out by Hollywood notables to support Democrati c candidate Sen.
Gere, 55, said in a statement issued through his Los Angeles-based public ist that he is not "officially associated" with One Voice. But he added: "this is a truly historic moment for the Palestinians as well as for th e entire region, with the possibility for a real vision of peace and sec urity for all people." Gere's spokesman, Alan Nierob, said the actor had visited the Middle East several times during the past year to "educate himself" about the regio n He said the public service announcement was taped recently in New Yor k after One Voice approached Gere about doing it.
Save Up To 75% On Last-Minute Cruises Looking for a great cruise at an unbelievably low price? Check out our complete listing of deeply discounted cruises departing in the next 90 days.
Republication or r edistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the pri or written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any error s or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon .
|