Eid al-Adha is celebrated at the end of the 'Hajj", which is the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. It is considered to be one of the holiest observances in the Muslim world, featuring the slaughter or sacrificing of animals, in commemoration of Ibrahim's (Abraham) willingness to sacrifice his son as God had commanded him.
This is also a time for charity and solidarity for Muslims, prayers, honoring the dead, and is the culmination of the 3-day Hajj Festival. For Palestinians, the celebration came at a time when Prime Minister Netanyahu offered a partial freeze on settlement activity in the West Bank, but excluded Jerusalem. The proposal was dismissed by the Palestinians as a half-measure, and condemned by both Egypt and Jordan as insufficient. One of the strongest condemnations came from Brazilian President Lula last week, when he declared that the U.S. should not be mediating peace talks in the Middle East.
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