A Palestinian and Israeli boy hug in this StandWithUs billboard, reminding viewers that Israel Needs a Partner for Peace.

A Bethlehem event aimed at fostering more peaceful Israeli-Palestinian relations as well as broader interfaith dialogue was canceled due to Palestinians’ objections to Israelis’ involvement, the Jerusalem Post reported.

The “Bethlehem Walk,” planned for Oct. 5, was nixed after Palestinian youth activists condemned the event as “normalization” with Israel and accused the Jewish state of “desecrating our holy city and sites,” according to the Post. Organizers said they called off the march “out of respect for the feeling of all those who were outraged” by it.

The march’s mission was to “change and acknowledge basic common grounds and sow the seeds of understanding and acceptance.”