[Onthebarricades] GAZA PROTESTS - the Muslim world
global resistance roundup
onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca
Sat Oct 31 19:53:03 PDT 2009
* Roundups of protests throughout the Muslim world
* IRAN: Protesters storm British embassy
* IRAN: Benetton store torched in Gaza protest
* PAKISTAN: Karachi - US consulate attacked
* YEMEN: Egyptian consulate stormed by protesters
* YEMEN: Tens of thousands in mass protests
* EGYPT: Protesters battle police near summit
* EGYPT: As crisis escalates, protest and civil disobedience spread
* EGYPT: Rallies for Gaza; repression by police
* TURKEY: Protests shut down Israel basketball game
* TURKEY: Thousands join nationwide protests
* INDONESIA: Protesters storm KFC over Gaza
* LEBANON: Protesters march on US embassy
* LEBANON: Protesters burn tyres, target Egyptian embassy
* IRAN: Gaza protesters fight police at Jordanian embassy
* IRAN: Strikes, rallies against Gaza onslaught; students, Iranian Jews
protest
* IRAQ: Sunni party, Sadrists, workers stage protests
* SOMALIA: Thousands march in Mogadishu
* BANGLADESH: Islamist groups, university students lead protests
* UAE: Protests in Dubai, Abu Dhabi
* SAUDI ARABIA: Police attack hundreds-strong protest in Eastern Province
* SAUDI ARABIA: Two arrested for attempting protest in Riyadh
* SUDAN: Tens of thousands march for Gaza
* AFGHANISTAN: Hundreds in Kandahar protest target Israel, NATO
* SYRIA: Hundreds of thousands rally
* LEBANON: Protest at UN building
* ALGERIA: Dozens injured as police attack Gaza protest
* KUWAIT: Anti-Israel protest
* BAHRAIN: Angry protest, clashes
* MOROCCO: Tens of thousands march
* JORDAN: More than 600 protests organised
* JORDAN: Thousands march, some fight police near Israeli embassy
* JORDAN: Protesters urge boycott of Israeli, US goods
* PAKISTAN: Nationwide protests reach Islamabad, Peshawar, Rawalpindi,
Lahore; Karachi protesters teargassed
* MALAYSIA: Youth group launches petition
* MALAYSIA: Thousands march to US embassy, hundreds rally throughout capital
* MALAYSIA: Police arrest protesters at candlelit vigil
* MALAYSIA: Protest in Penang
* MALAYSIA: Ministry plans huge schools protest
* TUNISIA: Thousands protest
* INDONESIA: Tens of thousands protest
* INDONESIA: Protests in Jakarta, Banteng, Bali, Malang, Bandung, Medan
* INDONESIA: Surabaya synagogue sealed off due to protests
* INDONESIA: Women rally at Egyptian embassy
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/12/28/arab.reaction.gaza/index.html
December 28, 2008 -- Updated 0200 GMT (1000 HKT)
Arabs protest their governments' reaction to Gaza attacks
• Story Highlights
• In Yemen, thousands of people demonstrate in capital city of Sanaa
• Citizens of Sudan also protest Israeli airstrikes in Gaza
• Students at University of Qatar boycott their classes in support of Gaza
• Some Arabs blame Egypt, saying it's too cozy with Israel and the
United States
(CNN) -- The dramatic developments in Gaza over the past three days have
driven Arab citizens to the streets, where they have displayed anger
directed first and foremost at their own governments.
A Yemeni protester rips through an Israeli flag in the capital, Sanaa,
on Sunday, December 28
In Yemen, thousands of demonstrators gathered in the capital, Sanaa,
shouting slogans in support of Gaza and its residents and burning
Israeli and U.S. flags.
They cried out against the League of Arab States, which delayed
discussion on the crisis.
One demonstrator told the Al-Jazeera network, "The Arab League is
worthless. ... They're all worthless leaders, and they should all go
home." Al-Jazeera is based in Doha, Qatar.
Israel has been conducting airstrikes in Gaza for three days, in what
they say is retaliation for repeated rocket attacks into southern Israel
by Hamas. Hundreds of people have died, mostly Hamas militants,
according to Palestinian security forces.
In Sudan, the scene was similar. A woman wearing a Hamas banner around
her forehead told Al-Manar TV, "Where are the Arab leaders? Where are
their actions? Enough condemnation and finger-pointing. Show Gaza your
support."
Students at the University of Qatar boycotted their classes and
demonstrated their support for Gaza. Watch a report from CNN's Octavia
Nasr »
One student spoke about what he saw as his moral responsibility: "Our
ancestors claimed that the news about the Palestinian disaster reached
them late in 1948. We have a responsibility to our children and the
future generations. We can't tell them we heard about the Gaza disaster
of 2008 but didn't do anything."
Don't Miss
• Airstrikes continue to hit Gaza
• Humanitarian plight 'disastrous,' U.N. official says
• Calls grow around the world for calm
Jordan's parliament held a special session in solidarity with Gaza. But
one parliamentarian defied the speaker's orders and burned the Israeli
flag before stepping on it in the middle of applause from some of his
colleagues.
The images played repeatedly on Arab media.
Egypt has been the recipient of much criticism in this crisis. Hamas
supporters say Egypt has sold the Palestinians out by being too close
and friendly with Israel and the United States.
From Egypt, political analysts retaliated, blaming Hamas for ending the
Egyptian-brokered cease-fire, thus inviting the Israeli airstrikes.
One expert speaking to the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya blamed Hamas for
"presenting Gazans on a silver plate to the Israeli monster."
He then blamed Syria and Iran for not taking military action to stop the
bloodshed in Gaza.
http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/mhsncwkfqlsn/rss2/
Arab world protests over Gaza attacks
28/12/2008 - 12:04:20
Crowds of thousands swept into the streets of cities around the Middle
East today to protest against Israel’s air assault on Hamas targets in
the Gaza Strip.
From Lebanon to Iran, Israel’s adversaries used the weekend assault to
marshal crowds out onto the streets for noisy demonstrations. The
protests were free of violence except for one in the northern Iraqi city
of Mosul that became a target for a suicide bomber on a bicycle.
In Lebanon, a Hamas official roused a crowd of about 1,000 people topped
by fluttering Lebanese and Palestinian flags, promising victory,
resistance and ruling out surrender. His speech was met with cries of
“death to Israel” from the crowd.
The demonstrators gathered outside the United Nations office in central
Beirut. After an all-night emergency session in New York, the UN’s
Security Council expressed serious concern at the escalating situation
in Gaza and called on Israel and the Palestinians to immediately halt
all violence.
The world body’s Beirut offices were guarded by dozens of Lebanese
troops, but there was no violence.
Hamas representative Osama Hamdan told the crowd that the militant group
had no choice but to fight. Gaza militants have been lobbing dozens of
rockets and mortars into southern Israel since a six-month truce expired
over a week ago, prompting Israel’s fierce retaliation.
“We in the Hamas group and other resistance factions in Gaza know that
we don’t have many alternatives. We have one alternative which is to be
steadfast and resist and then we will be victorious,” Mr Hamdan said.
Mr Hamdan, who was surrounded by several bodyguards, added, “We are not
people who surrender. ... When this aggression ends, the victory will be
ours.”
In the capital of neighbouring Syria, more than 5,000 people marched
toward the central Youssef al-Azmeh square, where they burned an Israeli
and an American flag.
One demonstrator carried a banner reading, “The aggression against Gaza
is an aggression against the whole Arab nation.”
“Down with America, the mother of terrorism,” read another.
In Jordan, where crowds took to the streets on Saturday, the US Embassy
issued an advisory warning Americans to avoid areas of demonstrations.
Iran’s president, who has blasted Israel in speeches and said it should
be “wiped off the map,” joined those condemning the Israeli strikes,
calling them “criminal”.
A state TV report late on Saturday quoted President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
as saying Iran will stand by the Palestinians. Iran’s Foreign Ministry
called the attack “genocide” and asked international bodies to defend
the Palestinians.
Several hundred Iranian students and MPs held separate protests today at
a Tehran square and outside the UN building in the capital.
Iran’s Red Crescent Society is also planning to send a ship loaded with
medicine, food and clothing to Gaza.
In the normally politically placid streets of glitzy Dubai, hundreds of
demonstrators – some draped in Palestinian flags – gathered at the
Palestinian consulate.
Police prevented several attempts by protesters to move their
demonstration from inside the consulate perimeter to the streets outside.
Majdei Mansour, 30, said he came to show support for his fellow
countrymen. The Dubai resident has family still living in Gaza but said
he’s been unable to contact them since the latest fighting.
“These protests all over the world will call international attention to
the cause of Gaza,” Mr Mansour said. “This is a time for the
Palestinians and Arabs to unite to fight against a common enemy.”
Demonstrations are rare in Dubai, one of seven states that make up the
United Arab Emirates. The country does not have official diplomatic
relations with Israel.
In Iraq, a suicide bomber on a bicycle blew himself up amid a crowd of
about 1,300 demonstrators in Mosul who were protesting against Israel’s
airstrikes on Gaza, killing one demonstrator and
wounding 16 others, Iraqi police said.
There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack.
Iraq’s government also condemned the airstrikes on Gaza.
Iraq’s top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, said
condemnation didn’t go far enough.
“Expressing condemnation and denunciation for what is going on against
our brothers in Gaza and expressing solidarity with them by words only
doesn’t mean anything in the face of the big tragedy they are facing,”
he said in a statement released by office in Najaf.
“Now more than at any other time, both Arab and Islamic nations are
required to take a practical stance for the sake of stopping this
repeated aggression and to break the unfair besieging of these brave
people,” the statement said, without giving details of the proposed stance.
About 100 people took to the streets in Baghdad’s largest Palestinian
neighbourhood to protest the attacks.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/29/israel-attacks-middle-reaction
Thousands of protesters in streets
• John Jordan, Associated Press
• The Guardian, Monday 29 December 2008
Thousands swept into the streets of cities throughout the Middle East
yesterday to denounce Israel's air strikes on Hamas targets in the Gaza
Strip.
Several of the protests turned violent. A crowd of anti-Israel
protesters in Mosul, Iraq, became the target of a suicide bomber. In
Lebanon, police fired tear gas to stop dozens of demonstrators from
reaching the Egyptian embassy.
Egypt - which has served as a mediator between Israel and the
Palestinians as well as between Hamas and its rival, Fatah - has been
criticised for closing its borders with Gaza. Egypt's foreign minister,
Ahmed Aboul Gheit, called on Hamas to renew its truce with Israel:
"There has been a calm and we should work to restore it."
In Amman, Jordan, about 5,000 lawyers marched toward parliament to
demand the Israeli ambassador's expulsion.
Israel was also criticised by its regional allies. Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
the prime minister of Turkey, one of the few countries in the region to
have relations with Israel, called the Gaza bombardment a "crime against
humanity".
Syria yesterday announced the suspension of its indirect peace talks
with Israel after the attacks. An official, speaking on condition of
anonymity, said that "Israel's aggression closes all the doors" to a
peace deal in the region.
Israel and Syria held four rounds of indirect negotiations in Turkey
after the peace talks were launched in May. The talks have not been
convened since the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, announced he
would step down earlier this year.
France also called for the truce to be renewed and called on other
European countries to use "all their weight" to stop the fighting
between Israel and Hamas.
"The truce must be restored," France's foreign minister, Bernard
Kouchner, told a French newspaper.
He added that the attacks come "in a context of vacancy of power in
Israel and the US", as both countries were undergoing leadership
transitions.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123051201513538497.html?mod=fox_australian
• DECEMBER 29, 2008
Attacks on Gaza Spur Anti-Israel Protests Across Region
By FARNAZ FASSIHI
BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Widespread demonstrations erupted across the Middle
East, from Tehran to Beirut, in response to Israel's second day of
bombing against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, sparking worry over wider
regional unrest.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a religious
directive, or fatwa, calling on Muslims to stand up and defend
Palestinians against Israel. Though Mr. Khamenei didn't spell out
exactly what he intended, his comments were seized upon in Iran as the
latest rallying cry against Israel.
Getty Images
A Jordanian student shouts anti-Israel slogans during a demonstration in
Amman on Sunday against Israel's deadly raids on the Gaza Strip.
An Iranian lawmaker, Ali Motahari, told Iran's state news agency IRNA
that it was time for Iran and other Arab nations to go to war with Israel.
Over the weekend, images of bloody and maimed victims of the attacks
plastered front pages of newspapers and played across Arab satellite
channels.
Demonstrations against the attacks were staged in Arab capitals,
including Beirut and Amman, Jordan. Protests turned violent in the
Palestinian enclave of the West Bank. "I am very upset with what is
happening in Gaza. The Israelis have no justification to kill people,"
said Aziza Sakr, a Lebanese lawyer.
In Damascus, Syria, more than 5,000 people took to the streets burning
Israeli and American flags. In Jordan, protesters called for the
deportation of Israel's ambassador. In Iran, students staged protests at
universities. In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood accused Arab leaders,
particularly those with close ties to the U.S., of being culpable in
Israel's attacks on Gaza.
A crowd of 1,000 protesters gathered outside the office of the United
Nations in downtown Beirut, chanting "Death to Israel" and waving
Palestinian flags.
Tensions were especially high in Lebanon, where the Shiite political and
militant group Hezbollah fought a 34-day war with Israel in 2006.
Rocket Attacks Plague Gaza Strip
1:47
More than 300 people have been killed in three days of Israeli strikes
on the Gaza Strip. Israel declared areas around the Gaza strip a "closed
military zone," citing the risk from retaliatory Palestinian rocket fire.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah criticized other Arab leaders for
failing to show solidarity with Palestinians and warned that Israel may
use the standoff with Hamas as an excuse to attack Lebanon. "We are not
afraid. We are ready to face any aggression against our territory and
dignity," Mr. Nasrallah said. He called for protests Monday in Beirut's
Shiite suburb of Dahiyeh and across the Arab world.
Lebanon canceled leave for its troops. The state news agency reported
that at least five Israeli warplanes flew low over south Lebanon on Sunday.
Analysts in Beirut said Hezbollah is unlikely to initiate an attack on
Israel and drag Lebanon into another war, but they say that rogue
militant groups, some from among extremists in the Palestinian camps in
the country, might try to launch an attack from Lebanese territories
into northern Israel.
—Nada Raad contributed to this article.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,474204,00.html
Pro-Gaza Protestors Charge Egypt With Collaborating in Israeli Assault
Tuesday, December 30, 2008 | FoxNews.com
AP
Dec. 30: Seen through a shooting hole of an Israeli army post,
Palestinian youths hurl stones at Israeli soldiers.
The Israeli bombing campaign in the Gaza Strip has unleashed outrage
across the Middle East — but the anger is being vented as much against
Egypt as it is at Israel.
Protesters have attacked Egyptian embassies, accusing Cairo of helping
Israel's longtime blockade of the territory and even giving a green
light for the offensive — a sign of the gulf between an Arab public and
some U.S.-allied governments that dislike Gaza's Hamas rulers.
Demonstrators broke into the Egyptian consulate in the Yemeni city of
Aden on Tuesday, trashing the interior, throwing computers out windows
and burning the Egyptian flag on the roof. More than 500 protesters
massed outside Egypt's embassy in Syria, as others did days earlier in
Lebanon.
During a demonstration in the Lebanese city of Sidon this week, people
chanted slogans denouncing Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak as "a pig"
and a "collaborator" with Israel.
Click to view photos.
Mubarak, whose nation is one of only two Arab states to have peace
treaties with Israel, on Tuesday accused his critics of seeking
"political profit" from the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza.
His government vehemently denied backing Israel's attack. And the
foreign minister, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, announced that Egypt was working
with Turkey, which has strong ties with Israel, on an initiative to stop
the offensive, restore a truce and open Gaza's borders under
international supervision.
Egypt already had angered many Arabs by largely closing its Rafah border
crossing into Gaza since the Islamic militants of Hamas violently took
over the territory in 2007. Rafah is the sole access to Gaza that does
not go through Israel, which has imposed a suffocating economic blockade
on the coastal strip.
Embarrassing for Egyptian officials, Mubarak met with Israeli Foreign
Minister Tzipi Livni only a day before Israel launched its assault, and
the foreign minister — though he urged Israel to show restraint — was
photographed smiling and shaking hands with her at a news conference.
Now, with television across the region showing the destruction and death
in Gaza, Hamas and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah — both allies
of Syria and Iran — are stoking the anger against Egypt by accusing it
of giving an OK to Israel to end Hamas rule in Gaza.
"We do not accept that the attack on Gaza be announced from the heart of
Cairo," Mohammed Nazzal, a Hamas senior leader, shouted on Al-Arabiya
television Sunday, referring to the Livni visit.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah charged that Egypt's government was
"taking part in the crime" against Palestinians and called on Egyptians
to rise up and force the Rafah crossing open.
The anger could severely damage the key role Egypt has played as a
mediator between Hamas on one side and Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas and Israel on the other.
Egypt has been in a tough position because of Hamas's control of Gaza.
It worries Hamas rule is boosting Iran's influence in the region and
could fuel Islamic militancy on its own soil. And it is under pressure
from Israel, Abbas and the U.S. not to make any concessions that would
bolster Hamas.
Yet, Egypt's leaders don't want to be seen as fueling a humanitarian
crisis in Gaza. Egyptian television gave heavy coverage to several
truckloads of medical and other supplies that Egypt sent in through
Rafah and 36 wounded Palestinians who were brought out to Egyptian
hospitals.
But on Tuesday, Mubarak insisted Egypt would not fully open Rafah unless
Abbas' Palestinian Authority controls the crossing and European monitors
required under a 2005 agreement are present. Otherwise, he said, opening
the crossing would "deepen the breach" between Hamas and Abbas, who
Egypt's government calls the legitimate leader of the Palestinians.
Aboul Gheit, the foreign minister, initially seemed to blame Hamas for
provoking the Israeli offensive, saying soon after it began Saturday
that "those who didn't listen" to warnings carry the responsibility.
Such talk put Egypt in the uncomfortable position of echoing the
arguments of Israel, which says it acted to halt Hamas rocket attacks on
southern Israeli towns. Since then, Egypt has been more vocal in its
calls for Israel to stop the bombardment without conditions.
On Tuesday, Aboul Gheit denied that Egypt did not do enough to prevent
the Israeli offensive, saying Mubarak warned Livni not to attack Gaza
"because it will have repercussions on the region."
But the clamor over Gaza has underlined an increasing divide in the
Middle East that pits pro-Western countries like Egypt, Jordan and Saudi
Arabia against Syria and Iran and their allied militant groups, Hamas
and Hezbollah.
In an unusually vocal criticism for an Egyptian politician, Abdullah
Kamal, a member of Egypt's ruling party, denounced Hamas on Monday as a
pawn of Iran, saying Iran and Syria are trying to make "Iran as the
leader of the region through its militias, whether Hezbollah or Hamas."
http://www.capetimes.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=4775575
Thousands protest against Israel across the Middle East
December 29, 2008 Edition 2
BASSEM MROUE
BEIRUT: Crowds of thousands swept into the streets of cities around the
Middle East yesterday to protest against Israel's air assault on Hamas
targets in the Gaza Strip.
From Lebanon to Iran, Israel's adversaries used the weekend assault to
marshal crowds out on to the streets for noisy demonstrations. And among
regional allies there was also discontent: Turkey's prime minister,
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, called the air assault a "crime against humanity".
Two days of protests have been free of violence except for one in the
northern Iraqi city of Mosul yesterday that became a target for a
suicide bomber on a bicycle.
In Lebanon, a Hamas official roused a crowd of about 1 000 people topped
by fluttering Lebanese and Palestinian flags, promising victory,
resistance and ruling out surrender. His speech was met with cries of
"death to Israel" from the crowd.
The demonstrators gathered outside the United Nations office in Beirut.
After an all-night emergency session in New York, the UN's Security
Council expressed serious concern at the escalating situation in Gaza
and called on Israel and the Palestinians to immediately halt all violence.
Hamas representative Osama Hamdan told the crowd that the militant group
had no choice but to fight. Gaza militants have been lobbing dozens of
rockets and mortars into southern Israel since a six-month truce expired
more than a week ago, prompting Israel's fierce retaliation.
In Damascus, capital of neighbouring Syria, more than 5 000 people
marched toward the central Youssef al-Azmeh square, where they burnt an
Israeli and an American flag.
One demonstrator carried a banner reading, "The aggression against Gaza
is an aggression against the whole Arab nation."
A group of 30 lawmakers in Jordan were preparing a petition to press the
government to expel Israel's ambassador.
About 5 000 lawyers marched toward parliament to demand the ambassador's
expulsion and the closure of the embassy.
Iran's president, who has blasted Israel in speeches and said it should
be "wiped off the map", joined those condemning the Israeli strikes,
calling them "criminal".
In the normally politically-placid Dubai, hundreds of demonstrators
gathered at the Palestinian consulate.
In Iraq, a suicide bomber on a bicycle blew himself up amid a crowd of
demonstrators in Mosul who were protesting against the strikes on Gaza,
killing one demonstrator and wounding 16 others, Iraqi police said.
http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/thousands-in-middle-east-protest-israeli-attack-on-gaza_100135969.html
Thousands in Middle East protest Israeli attack on Gaza
December 28th, 2008 - 11:40 pm ICT by IANS -
Amman, Dec 28 (DPA) Thousands of people participated in rallies across
the Middle East Sunday to protest Israel’s airstrikes on the Gaza Strip
and to show support for Palestinians caught in the attacks.Some of the
larger protests were in the capitals of Yemen and Jordan. Hundreds of
protesters also clashed with policemen in Lebanon while smaller
demonstrations were staged in Iran.
Arab League leaders agreed to meet Wednesday to discuss a reaction to
the Israeli airstrikes, which were prompted by missile and mortar
attacks out of the Gaza Strip after a ceasefire expired Dec 19.
Since the Israeli attacks started Saturday, 283 Palestinians, many of
them militants, were reported dead. More than 900 have reportedly been
wounded.
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of several Yemeni
cities. The largest, by far, was in the capital, Sana’a, where around
80,000 people rallied in the city’s main football stadium, police
officials said.
Thousands of protesters also took part in anti-Israeli demonstrations in
the cities of Aden, Dhalea, Taiz, Houdieda, Dhamar, Abyan and Lahj, the
police reported.
In Sana’a, protesters held up pictures of the leaders of the Hamas
movement, which has de facto control of the Gaza Strip. They also lofted
the Palestinian flag alongside banners denouncing the Israeli attacks.
Meanwhile, thousands of Jordanians demonstrated outside the Egyptian
embassy in Amman Sunday to press Egyptian authorities to re- open the
Rafah crossing point with the Gaza Strip.
“Our sit-in before the Egyptian embassy today has the primary aim of
telling the Egyptian regime … that the Rafah crossing point should be
re-opened,” said Zaki Bani Ershaid, secretary general of the Islamic
Action Front (IAF).
Palestinian supporters argue that the crossing must be reopened to allow
civilians and wounded to escape. Egypt has reported that it has opened
its border, but that Hamas officials are blocking people from leaving
the Gaza Strip.
Other demonstrators urged the governments of Egypt and Jordan, the only
two Arab countries to have concluded peace treaties with Israel, to
“sever ties” with the Jewish state.
Lebanese anti-riot police used force to disperse a demonstration in
front of the Egyptian embassy in Beirut, firing tear gas and using water
after protesters got close to a barbed wire barricade and started
throwing stones at police officers.
The protesters, who numbered in the hundreds, were mostly of Sunni
background.
Before the confrontation, men riding motorbikes and carrying black
flags, wearing the traditional Palestinian headdress had chanted “God
help our people in Gaza,” were among the protesters.
One of the protesters told DPA, “We are here to show our solidarity with
the oppressed people of Gaza and ask the world community to intervene to
stop the bloodshed.”
Coinciding with the protests, five Israeli warplanes flew over south
Lebanon in a violation of Lebanese airspace, prompting the Lebanese army
to go on full alert.
The Iranian parliament interrupted its normal session Sunday as members
spent several minutes shouting “death to Israel,” while Speaker Ali
Larijani warned that Israel would soon face a third wave of intifada or
Palestinian uprising.
A demonstration was held Sunday against Israel in front of the United
Nations headquarters in northern Tehran. There was also a solidarity
protest in front of the Palestinian embassy in the capital.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-12-29-israel-palestine-monday_N.htm?csp=34
Gaza air strikes prompt mixed response abroad
Updated 12/29/2008 8:42 AM
The Associated Press
The response to the overwhelming Israeli assault against the Hamas-ruled
Gaza Strip that killed more than 300 people since Saturday has been mixed.
In Iraq, about 1,000 backers of the country's anti-American Shiite
cleric Muqtada al-Sadr are holding a protest against Israel's airstrikes
on the Gaza Strip. An influential Iranian group of conservative clerics
began registering volunteers to fight against Israel. Egypt is allowing
trucks loaded with humanitarian aid to enter its border crossing with
the Gaza Strip.
Trucks filled with food and medical supplies have been lining up outside
the Egypt-Gaza border since early morning.
Border guards opened the Rafah terminal Monday afternoon and started
allowing several trucks to enter.
Mustafa Ismail, an organizer with a Cairo-based charity, says the trucks
are allowed to drop off the supplies in the border terminal but may not
enter Gaza.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2008/12/2008123011438386992.html
Violence at Gaza protest in Yemen
Protests have been held across the Middle East against the
four-day-Israeli air attack on Gaza [AFP]
Demonstrators in the Yemeni port city of Aden have broken into the
Egyptian consulate in a protest against Cairo's response to Israel's
offensive against Gaza, a security official has said.
The protesters, who were mostly students from the University of Aden,
"vandalised furniture before they were removed peacefully from the
building", the official said on Tuesday, asking not to be identified.
Another security official said three staff members were inside the
building at the time but they were unhurt.
The official said one protester was wounded when a consular guard opened
fire and that the protesters retaliated by setting fire to two consular
vehicles.
More than 20 demonstrators were arrested.
Protests have been held across the Middle East against the
four-day-Israeli air attack on Gaza, which has killed at least 360
Palestinians and wounded more than 1,600.
Many Arabs have accused Cairo of giving the green light to Israel's
assault after Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's president, hosted Tzipi Livni,
Israel's foreign minister, for talks just two days before the launch of
the onslaught.
Rafah closure
In the absence of Israeli embassies in most Arab capitals, Egyptian
diplomatic missions have been a particular focus of the demonstrations.
Demonstrators in Beirut, Lebanon - angry over Egypt's response to
Israel's raids on Gaza - attacked the Egyptian embassy, throwing stones
before police used tear gas to disperse them.
Protests have also been held outside the Egyptian embassy in Amman, the
capital of Jordan.
Egypt has come under heavy criticism from Arab and Muslim countries over
its refusal to re-open its border crossing with the Gaza Strip at Rafah
over the past year, thereby aiding Israel's blockade of the territory.
Mubarak announced on Egyptian television on Tuesday that the Rafah
crossing will not be fully re-opened until Mahmoud Abbas, the
Palestinian president, regains authority in the territory.
"We will not deepen the division and that breach [among the
Palestinians] by opening Rafah border crossing in the absence of the
Palestinian Authority and the European Union monitors," he said, making
reference to a 2005 agreement over the border.
Jakarta rally
Thousands have also rallied in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, to voice
their opposition to the Israeli assault on Gaza.
Demonstrators waved Palestinian and Indonesian flags while some carried
banners with slogans such as "Move Israel outside Palestine land".
Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation and many
Indonesians have been staunch supporters of the Palestinian cause.
The protest coincided with a condemnation of the raids by Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono, Indonesia's president.
"I have sent a letter to the secretary-general of United Nations as well
as to the UN security council condemning the Israeli military attacks
and urging swift action to resolve the conflict," Yudhoyono said.
"The security council must formally meet and issue a resolution to force
Israel to end all attacks, so that Israeli and Palestinian can continue
the peace process."
Jakarta has no diplomatic relations with Israel.
http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-12/2008-12-28-voa18.cfm?CFID=171581086&CFTOKEN=63459905&jsessionid=6630521841432268fdbf457de3f277673613
Arab World Reacts in Anger at Gaza Strike
By Aya Batrawy
Cairo
28 December 2008
Egyptian protesters burn an Israeli flag, during a demonstration outside
Cairo university Sunday, 28 Dec. 2008, against the Israeli attacks
against Gaza
Protesters throughout the Middle East held angry demonstrations Sunday,
condemning not only Israel's deadly airstrikes in Gaza but also their
own governments for not doing more to prevent the violence.
Despite restrictions on public protests in a number of Arab countries,
demonstrators reacted to the unfolding events in Gaza with an outpouring
of anger and emotion. Cairo saw some of the most emotional protests.
At Cairo University, hundreds of students prayed and wept, holding
posters with images of injured and dead Palestinian children. Others
held up the Quran, while one student burnt an Israeli flag to the chants
and cheers of the crowd.
Although the Egyptian government has condemned Israel's military action
against Hamas militants who control Gaza, protesters in Cairo voiced
anger at Egypt and other Arab governments' for thier limited response to
the attacks.
Ahmed Sayyid, a pharmacy major at Cairo University, said Egypt's
government should do more to protest the Israeli actions. He says the
Israelis are lucky to have what he calls such a complacent government in
Cairo, and he said there are thousands of youths, girls and boys, that
if they were allowed to fight, or trained to fight, would go now to
defend the Palestinians.
Elsewhere in the region, police in Beirut used tear gas to control
crowds that were throwing rocks at the Egyptian embassy.
In Jordan, lawmakers demanded the expulsion of Israel's ambassador.
Jordan is the only other Arab country besides Egypt to have an official
peace treaty with Israel.
Protesters in Cairo also called on the government to recall its
ambassador, kick Israel's ambassador out, halt the export of Egyptian
gas to Israel and allow medical supplies to reach Gaza.
Anger throughout the Arab was accompanied by grim images on pan-Arab
satellite channels that broadcast pictures of bloodied Palestinian
bodies, rows of men with limbs blown off and children being carried
screaming through the streets.
Amidst the backlash against Israel, the United States and Egypt, some
demonstrators also protested the Fatah-backed government of Palestinian
Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who was in Egypt Sunday meeting with
the Egyptian president.
In an effort to help the injured in Gaza, Egypt announced it would open
the Rafah crossing along Egypt's border with Gaza to allow wounded to
get medical care. Egypt also accused Hamas of not allowing wounded
Palestinians to cross the border. Throughout Cairo, Ministry of Health
vehicles where stationed where people could donate blood.
One woman who lined up to give blood said she was moved by the desire to
help injured Palestinian children. She says she came to donate blood
because she says it's the first time she understands the kind of
suffering Palestinians undergo. She said she came to help the children
who were wounded.
The United Nations Security Council has called for an immediate end to
all military actions in the Gaza Strip. Israel has blamed Hamas for
triggering the assault by breaking a six month old ceasefire and
launching a new round of rocket attacks against Israel. The United
States has also blamed Hamas for triggering the crisis.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98772093&ft=1&f=1004
Protests Over Gaza Strikes Erupt In Muslim World
by Peter Kenyon
Aamir Qureshi
Pakistani Muslims shout anti-Israel slogans during a protest in
Islamabad on Sunday against airstrikes in Gaza. AFP/Getty Images
Jaafar Ashtiyeh
A Palestinian hurls a stone with a slingshot toward Israeli soldiers in
the West Bank village of Azzun on Sunday during a protest against
Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. AFP/Getty Images
All Things Considered, December 28, 2008 • Angry protests erupted around
the Arab and Muslim world and beyond, as the death toll in Gaza mounted
Sunday. Demonstrators vented their fury at both Israel and the Arab
leaders who in their eyes have put their own political concerns ahead of
the Palestinian cause.
From Turkey to Indonesia, the calls of outrage rang out. After seeing
hourly images of bleeding Palestinians, demonstrators took to the
streets in Damascus, Amman and Cairo.
In Beirut, police had to use tear gas to get demonstrators to stop
stoning the Egyptian embassy. Egypt has been sharply criticized for
agreeing to keep its border with Gaza closed, thus in the eyes of
critics aiding and abetting the Israeli blockade.
As Gaza hospitals were quickly overrun, Egypt ordered the crossing
opened, but later blamed Hamas for failing to let wounded Palestinians
out to receive treatment in Egypt. Finally on Sunday, the border was
briefly opened, and ambulances and trucks filled with medical and
humanitarian supplies rolled into southern Gaza.
The shock of the large-scale military operation has thrown into sharp
relief Arab divisions that have been partially submerged under
diplomatic rhetoric until now. One of the first to feel the glare was
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who came to Cairo and
dismayed his Arab audience by blaming Hamas for the bloodshed in Gaza.
"Let me say this clearly. We contacted Hamas and spoke to them bluntly.
We spoke to them on the phone and pleaded, 'Please do not end the
cease-fire. Let it continue, so we can avert what has now happened.' And
how I wish we had," Abbas said.
Abbas has always been a pragmatic politician, more interested in
securing real achievements for his people than in being their hero. But
today's comments prompted many Arabs to see him as siding with the
Israeli-U.S. camp, alongside an uneasy Egypt.
In Iran, which has financed and supported Hamas for years, the Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei issued a fatwa, or religious decree, ordering Muslims
everywhere to defend Gazans "in any way possible." Hamas'
leader-in-exile Khaled Meshaal was more specific. In an interview with
the Al-Jazeera satellite channel, Meshaal sought to make this weekend
the birth date of a third Palestinian intefadeh against Israel, to
follow the uprisings of 1987 and 2000.
"There is no path except that of martyrdom — armed resistance and
martyrdom operations. This is what will support Gaza. This is what will
lift the oppression from you. We do not take up arms except in the face
of the Zionist enemy. I call upon you to uprise. This is the time for
the third intefadeh," Meshaal said.
Some analysts doubt the Palestinians are ready for another mass
uprising, given the divisions between the secular Fatah movement and the
Islamists of Hamas. But others wonder if the bloody events now unfolding
in Gaza will inspire more violence, not less.
http://www.watoday.com.au/world/global-protests-against-israel-20081229-76ht.html?page=2
Global protests against Israel
• December 29, 2008
Demonstrators in cities around the world on Sunday marched in protest
against the Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip that have killed
nearly 300 people in the Palestinian territory.
British police made 10 arrests as a demonstration outside the Israeli
embassy in London turned violent. Riot police moved in after people tore
down the barriers keeping them back from the embassy.
[…]
Recognising the special relationship between the United States and
Israel, Obama will work closely with the Israelis, David Axelrod said in
an interview on CBS television.
"But he will do so in a way that will promote the cause of peace, and
work closely with the Israelis and the Palestinians on that - toward
that objective," said Axelrod.
Around European capitals, Danish police arrested a man on the fringes of
a protest march in Copenhagen after he threw a petrol bomb at officers.
Police said the rally drew about 700 people, though organisers put the
number closer to 2,000.
In Paris, about 200 people gathered on the Champs Elysees, while across
the city in the northern district of Barbes, an area with a high
concentration of north Africans, police said 1,300 others had joined an
anti-Israel protest.
In Madrid, hundreds of people demonstrated outside the Israeli embassy,
brandishing placards reading "Israel terrorist", "Stop state terrorism"
and "No to the Palestinian holocaust".
The largest single protest of about 8,000 people took place in Egypt on
the streets of the southern city of Assiut. Some 4,000 protesters
rallied in the capital Cairo, while a demonstration in the Mediterranean
port city of Alexandria drew a similar number, a security official said.
Lebanese Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah urged Egyptians in their
"millions" to take to the streets to force their government to open the
country's border with Gaza, to help save Palestinians from the Israeli
bombardments.
Another major showing of anti-Israeli sentiment was seen in Turkey where
thousands of people joined demonstrations in about a dozen Turkish cities.
In Syria, protesters burned Israeli and American flags as thousands
demonstrated in central Damascus. Security was tight around the US
embassy, which lies some two kilometres from the scene of the protest in
the Syrian capital.
Demonstrators also burned Israeli flags in the Jordanian capital Amman,
where hundreds of people led by Islamist lawmakers gathered to demand
the closure of the Israeli embassy.
With Egypt, Jordan is one of only two Arab governments to have signed
peace treaties with Israel.
The Israeli bombardment of Hamas targets in Gaza has killed more than
280 people since Saturday, the Jewish state's biggest offensive against
the Palestinian territory since its capture in the 1967 Middle East war.
British aid agency Oxfam warned of a looming humanitarian crisis in Gaza
if the Israeli bombardments do not cease.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a statement:
"The influx of war wounded has put a tremendous strain on Gaza's already
overburdened hospitals, which are in dire need of medical equipment."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7803569.stm
Monday, 29 December 2008
Renewed protests at Israeli raids
Protests in the US, Indonesia, Iraq, Venezuela, Lebanon, Jordan and
Argentina
Protests against the Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip have
again been taking place, with rallies in several cities across the region.
For a second day in Jordan, several thousand protesters gathered in
Amman and burned Israeli and American flags.
There were similar rallies in Egypt, Syria, Libya and Iraq with many
calling for a firm response from their leaders.
One of the largest gatherings was in the Lebanese capital, Beirut,
organised by the Hezbollah movement.
Tens of thousands of people poured on to the streets of southern Beirut,
many carrying Palestinian, Lebanese and Hezbollah flags and banners
supporting the Palestinian people, the Associated Press news agency
reported.
Many held banners - one read "We are ready to die". One Palestinian
woman was brandishing a Jambiyya
Mohammed al-Qiri, Yemen
The rally was called for by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who in a
speech on Sunday urged crowds in the Arab and Islamic world to rise up
in support of Gaza.
He also urged his fighters in southern Lebanon, who fought a brief war
with Israel in 2006, to be on alert in case of Israeli attacks.
In Amman demonstrators, responding to a call by Islamist-led trades
unionists, marched to the office of Prime Minister Nader Dahabi and
delivered a letter demanding Jordan scrap its 1994 peace treaty with
Israel and close its embassy, the AFP news agency reported.
Egyptians staged their largest yet demonstration against Israel's
offensive against the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, with thousands taking
to the streets of central Cairo.
The rally was once again organised by the Islamist opposition in Egypt,
the Muslim Brotherhood, the group from which Hamas first emerged.
Elsewhere in the Islamic world, there were anti-Israeli protests in
Bangladesh and Pakistan.
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/0,5143,705273663,00.html
W e620e460ea471d3ab8ee38cfb76da694 Mon Apr 13 21:53:36 2009
Thousands protest Israeli air assault
By Bassem Mroue
Associated Press
Published: Monday, Dec. 29, 2008 12:16 a.m. MST
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BEIRUT, Lebanon — Crowds of thousands swept into the streets of cities
around the Middle East on Sunday to denounce Israel's air assault on
Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
From Lebanon to Iran, Israel's adversaries used the weekend assault to
marshal crowds into the streets for noisy demonstrations. Angry
protesters carried images of the dead and the destruction in
demonstrations from Cairo to Istanbul.
And among regional allies there was also discontent: The prime minister
of Turkey, one of the few Muslim countries to have relations with
Israel, called the air assault a "crime against humanity."
The Syrian government, meanwhile, announced the suspension of its
indirect peace talks with Israel because the attacks.
Israel and Syria held four rounds of indirect negotiations in Turkey
after the peace talks were launched in May.
Hezbollah's leader in Lebanon told thousands of Beirut residents that
his group will not abandon Gaza and asked his fighters to be alert in
case Israel decides to attack his group.
A radical Saudi cleric used the assault on Gaza to incite believers to
target Israeli interests "everywhere," to avenge the attacks on the Gaza
strip.
Story continues below
Several of Sunday's protests turned violent.
In Lebanon, police fired tear gas to stop dozens of demonstrators from
reaching the Egyptian Embassy. Some in the crowd hurled stones at the
embassy compound. Security officials said two policemen were wounded and
taken to a hospital and several demonstrators were lightly injured.
Egypt, which has served as a mediator between Israel and the
Palestinians as well as between Hamas and its rival Fatah, has been
criticized for joining Israel in closing its borders with Gaza. Egyptian
Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit called on Hamas to renew its truce
with Israel.
Egypt also again summoned the Israeli ambassador to express its
rejection of Israeli government comments about expanding the assault on
Gaza.
France also called for the truce to be renewed and rallied European
nations to use "all their weight" to stop the fighting between Israel
and Hamas.
In Beirut, the leader of Lebanese militant Hezbollah Sheik Hassan
Nasrallah also took a stab at the Egyptian role. He said if it does not
open its Rafah border crossing with Gaza then "you are taking part in
the crime" against Palestinians.
Hamas representative Osama Hamdan told another rally in Beirut that the
militant group had no choice but to fight. Gaza militants have been
lobbing dozens of rockets and mortars into southern Israel since a
six-month truce expired over a week ago, prompting Israel's fierce
retaliation.
"We have one alternative which is to be steadfast and resist and then we
will be victorious," Hamdan said.
In Amman, Jordan, about 5,000 lawyers marched toward parliament to
demand the Israeli ambassador's expulsion and the closure of the
embassy. "No for peace, yes to the rifle," they chanted. There were also
demonstrations in nearby Palestinian refugee camps.
The U.S. Embassy in Jordan warned Americans to avoid areas of
demonstrations.
________________________________________
Associated Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria; Nasser Karimi in
Tehran, Iran; Jamal Halaby in Amman, Jordan; and Hamid Ahmed in Baghdad
contributed to this report.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2008/12/mil-081230-voa01.htm
Protests Against Israel's Assault on Gaza Continue in Middle East
By Catherine Cannon
Washington
30 December 2008
Anti-Israel protests erupted throughout the Middle East again on Monday,
as Israeli forces continued air strikes against Hamas targets on the
Gaza Strip. More than 300 people, including many civilians, have been
killed in the assault, which Israel launched in response to a series of
rocket attacks launched from Gaza.
In Lebanon, tens-of-thousands of Hezbollah supporters gathered in the
streets of Beirut carrying Palestinian and Hezbollah flags. Hezbollah
leaders declared Monday a day of mourning and solidarity with Gaza, and
urged crowds in the Arab world to rise up and support Gaza.
Street protests were also held in Egypt, where demonstrators carried
Palestinian flags and pro-Gaza banners.
In Iran, a spokesman for the country's Foreign Ministry condemned the
Israeli air raids. He called Israel's actions a "war crime" that could
be considered genocide.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28421640/
Gaza protests extend from Mideast to Europe
Hezbollah rally is largest; others march in Egypt, Iran, Iraq and Greece
Mahmoud Tawil / AP
A Palestinian flag flutters in the wind as thousands of Hezbollah
supporters in Lebanon on Monday protest the Israeli attack on Gaza.
Violence denounced
Dec. 29: Thousands across the Arab world have taken to the streets in
growing protests against Israel's actions. NBC's Richard Engel reports.
updated 7:16 p.m. ET Dec. 29, 2008
BEIRUT, Lebanon - From Mideast countries to European capitals,
protesters took to the streets Monday to condemn Israel's assault on
Gaza that has so far left at least 350 people dead, wounded hundreds
more and reduced dozens of buildings to rubble.
By far the largest protest in the Arab world — where outrage over
Israel's air strikes continued into a third day — took place in Lebanon,
with tens of thousands of Lebanese Hezbollah supporters standing under
pouring rain.
The protesters thronged a huge square and nearby streets in the militant
group's stronghold south of Beirut, carrying Palestinian, Lebanese and
yellow Hezbollah flags and banners supporting the Palestinian people.
There were also rallies Monday in Egypt, Sudan, and Iraq.
Regional concern over Hamas
The street protests have been far stronger in condemnation of Israel
than Arab governments, particularly those allied with the United States.
Egypt has criticized the attack and called for a cease fire but it and
other U.S. allies like Saudi Arabia and Jordan are also weary of Hamas.
The Arab nations have long dropped the military option as a means for
settling the Arab-Israeli conflict and support the Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas. They have criticized Hamas' use of rockets and suicide
bombings.
Those governments are also concerned about the rise of Islamic militancy
and have viewed with alarm Hamas' 2007 capture of power in Gaza, fearing
that it could inspire militants in their respective nations to follow suit.
The massive Lebanese rally was called for by Hezbollah leader Hassan
Nasrallah who in a speech on Sunday urged crowds in the Arab and Islamic
world to rise up in support of Gaza and declared Monday a day of
mourning and solidarity with Gaza.
Addressing the crowds Monday through a large screen from an unknown
location, Nasrallah urged Palestinians to unite and sought to boost
morale. "Israel's air force will fail to destroy the will of the
(Palestinian) fighters firing rockets," he said.
"Death to Israel," and "At your service, Gaza!" many in the crowd shouted.
Nasrallah warned Israel that any ground offensive will result in many
losses for the Israelis and said Israel will fail as it did when it
fought Hezbollah guerrillas in a monthlong air and ground offensive in 2006.
Slogans and insults in Sidon
In the southern Lebanese port city of Sidon, around 3,000 people also
staged a demonstration, many of them chanting slogans in which they
insulted the rulers of Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia for perceived
complicity with Israel.
In Egypt, which has been particularly criticized for joining Israel in
closing its borders with Gaza, thousands of people rallied, calling for
the active intervention of Arab armies to protect the Palestinians.
Demonstrations were held near the parliament building and in downtown
Cairo amid a massive security presence of black-clad riot police.
Demonstrations in the tourist destination of Luxor, however, were prevented.
Registering volunteers to fight Israel
The largest protest, a crowd of up to 3,000 people outside the
Journalists' Union, was organized by the opposition Muslim Brotherhood,
and in an unusual move, the Islamist organization's Supreme Guide
Mohammed Mahdi Akef took part, urging the crowd to make "their
declaration of anger through peaceful means."
In Hamas-ally Iran, a prominent conservative political party announced
it is registering volunteers to fight against Israel in response to the
attacks on Gaza. The party, the Combatant Clergy Society, has provided
three options for the volunteers on its Web site to fight Israel,
including in the military, financial and propaganda fields — most
signing up opted for the military option.
The group said Monday it decided to sign up volunteers after Iran's
supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a religious decree to
world Muslims Sunday, saying anybody getting killed while defending
Palestinians in Gaza would be considered a martyr.
http://www.nowpublic.com/world/thousands-world-wide-protest-gaza-air-raids
Thousands World-Wide Protest Gaza Air Raids
Share:
by Rob Walker | December 29, 2008 at 10:55 am
Large protests in response to the recent Gaza air strikes, some
numbering in the thousands, are occurring throughout the world. One of
the largest is in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, where tens of
thousands took to the streets.
For a second day in Jordan, several thousand protesters gathered in
Amman and burned Israeli and American flags.
There were similar rallies in Egypt, Syria, Libya and Iraq with many
calling for a firm response from their leaders.
One of the largest gatherings was in the Lebanese capital, Beirut,
organised by the Hezbollah movement.
Source: news.bbc.co.uk
Witnesses said Saudi police fired rubber bullets to break up a
pro-Palestinian protest on Monday, injuring up to eight people, but a
government official denied the report.
Residents said between 200 and 300 people took part in the march in
Saudi Arabia's oil-producing Eastern Province.
Source: javno.com
http://nation.ittefaq.com/issues/2008/12/30/news0484.htm
Israel air strikes spark worldwide protests
AFP, United Nations
Demonstrators in cities around the world marched Sunday in protest
against the air strikes, which have wounded more than 600 people.
The largest single protest of about 8,000 people took place in Egypt in
the southern city of Assiut, while rallies in the capital Cairo and the
port city of Alexandria drew around 4,000 each, a security official said.
Lebanese Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah urged Egyptians to take to the
streets in their "millions" to force their government to open the
country's border with Gaza and help save Palestinians from the bombardments.
In Turkey, thousands of people joined demonstrations in about a dozen
cities, while in Syria, protesters burned Israeli and American flags as
thousands demonstrated in central Damascus.
There were similar scenes in the Jordanian capital Amman, where hundreds
of people led by Islamist lawmakers gathered to demand the closure of
the Israeli embassy.
http://www.roguegovernment.com/index.php?news_id=13552
Thousands Protest Gaza Raids In Middle East Published on 01-04-2009
Email To Friend Print Version
Source: AP
Thousands protesting Israel's ground offensive on Gaza converged Sunday
in Beirut and Istanbul as the leaders of the only two Mideast Arab
nations to sign peace treaties with Israel demanded an end to the attack.
In Yemen, security officials said anti-Israel protesters attacked
several Jewish homes in the northern province of Omran, smashing windows
and pelting them with rocks. The officials, speaking on condition of
anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media, said at
least one Jewish resident was injured among the tiny minority community.
Lebanese police used water hoses to try to push about 250 demonstrators
away from the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon's capital. When that failed, they
fired tear gas, Lebanese security officials said. A second Beirut
protest — a sit-in outside the U.N. building — drew thousands of
supporters of Hamas and Lebanon's Islamic Group.
In Turkey, more than 5,000 people held an anti-Israel rally in Istanbul,
waving Palestinian flags and burning effigies of Israeli Prime Minister
Ehud Olmert and President George W. Bush. Also in Istanbul,
club-wielding police broke up a small demonstration by protesters who
hurled eggs at the Israeli Consulate, the private Dogan news agency
reported. There were no reports of arrests or injuries.
In Morocco, tens of thousands gathered in the capital Rabat for a
peaceful march to protest the Gaza offensive. Police estimated the
turnout at 50,000, according to the official MAP news agency. Organizers
said the number was bigger, but did not give a precise figure.
Israel's weeklong aerial bombardment of Gaza and the start of the ground
offensive Saturday against Hamas have drawn condemnation across the
Muslim and Arab world and news coverage of the invasion has dominated
Arab satellite television stations.
Thousands in cities from Tehran to Damascus have also taken to the
streets to protest the attacks, which have killed about 500 Palestinians
and wounded more than 1,600, according to Gaza officials.
In some cases, the protests of the past week were as directed against
Arab governments as much as Israel, with many criticizing their
perceived inaction or lack of sufficient support of the Palestinians.
On Sunday, the leaders of Egypt and Jordan — the only two Mideast Arab
countries to sign a peace agreement with Israel and maintain diplomatic
ties — condemned the ground offensive and called for an end to Israel's
onslaught in Gaza.
Several hundred Jordanians shouting "death to Israel" protested against
the Gaza offensive Sunday in two separate demonstrations in central
Amman, the Jordanian capital. The protests were peaceful and police made
no arrests.
In parliament, the Jordanian government came under criticism from
Islamic opposition lawmakers demanding that it suspend relations with
Israel.
"All options are available to assess the relationship with every side,
especially Israel," Prime Minister Nader al-Dahabi told parliament
during a heated debate.
"We will reconsider relations according to our higher national
interests," he said. "We will not remain silent about the situation and
the serious deterioration in Gaza and neither about the threat which
risks the security of the whole area and its stability."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who runs his own Palestinian
administration from the West Bank, also denounced Israel's ground
offensive as "brutal aggression" in his harshest words yet in describing
Israel's assault on his Hamas rivals.
Israel says the aim of the operation is to stop the Palestinian militant
Hamas group from firing rockets at southern Israeli towns. Hamas is
opposed to any peace settlement with Israel and calls for the
destruction of the Jewish state.
"This battle will end a (peace) settlement forever," Hamas'
representative in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, told the protesters at the
sit-in. "This battle will show who are the men."
Five civilians and one policeman were lightly injured in the clash
outside the U.S. Embassy earlier in the day, according to the Lebanese
officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not
authorized to speak to the media.
Meanwhile, the leader of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group, Sheik
Hassan Nasrallah, discussed the situation in Gaza with visiting chief
Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, the group's Al-Manar TV said.
Al-Manar did not give further details but said Nasrallah and Jalili, who
arrived here Saturday from neighboring Syria, discussed "ways of ending
this aggression."
Hezbollah, which is a strong ally of Hamas, possesses a formidable
arsenal of rockets and missiles that bloodied Israel during a monthlong
war in 2006. Hezbollah has not threatened to join Hamas in its current
battle with Israel, but Nasrallah said last week that his men are on
alert in case Israel attacks Lebanon.
http://english.sina.com/world/p/2009/0117/212330.html
Mideast countries protest Israel's Gaza attacks
2009-01-17 07:27:22 GMT2009-01-17 15:27:22 (Beijing Time) Xinhua English
CAIRO, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Residents of the Mideast on Friday continued
angry protests against the Israeli military offensive that has killed
more than 1,100 people in the Gaza Strip.
Tens of thousands of people joined demonstrations across Egypt, where
authorities were forced to deploy police reinforcements in Cairo and
elsewhere, local media reported.
Hundreds of people gathered in the Bassatin district of Cairo before
being dispersed by police. The largest protest was in the northeast town
of Mansura where more than 6,000 people showed up in parades pressing
for an end to the Israeli onslaught.
People in Baghdad, suffering from turbulence since the U.S.-led war to
topple Saddam Hussein began, donated money, food and other items to help
the Palestinians.
In Syria, one of the staunchest opponents of the Israeli onslaught, more
than 2,000 people in the Palestinian Yarmouk camp, urged the Israelis to
pull out of Gaza and end the violence.
Meanwhile, Amman protesters demanded the expulsion of Israel's
ambassador and the abolishment of Jordan's 1994 peace treaty with Israel.
More than 1,000 Lebanese and Palestinian women, including widows whose
husbands died in armed conflicts, staged a sit-in outside the UN relief
agency building in Beirut.
Rallies against Israel have been staged throughout the Mideast since the
Jewish state began unprecedented air strikes on Hamas targets on Dec. 27.
Qatar, the only Gulf Arab state with ties to Israel, said it would
suspend diplomatic relations with the country over its three-week offensive.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani said Qatar also would
ask the Jewish state to close its trade office in Doha and remove its
staff until the situation improved.
Qatar hosted an emergency summit on Friday in its capital Doha to
address the Gaza offensive. About a dozen Arab leaders attended the meeting.
A joint communique issued at the end of the summit meeting called on all
Arab countries to stop all peace negotiations and cut ties with Israel
in response to its ongoing offensive.
"We called on all Arab countries to stop the Arab Peace Initiative (with
Israel) launched in 2002," the communique said, adding that the Arabs
should freeze ties with the Jewish country.
Also Friday, Mauritania announced it has decided to freeze political and
economic ties with Israel, but stopped short of a full severing of
diplomatic relations.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Friday called for an immediate
cease-fire in Gaza during his meeting with visiting UN Secretary-General
Ban Ki- Moon. Gul said the ongoing tragedy in Gaza damaged the
credibility of the United Nations.
Turkey has been Israel's main regional ally since the two countries
signed a military accord in 1996, but the Gaza onslaught has unleashed
anger in predominantly Muslim Turkey.
For his part, Ban said he was pleased with the active policy pursued by
Turkey in the region. He added that Turkey should maintain its efforts
to prevent a likely separation in the Arab world.
The Gaza offensive so far has killed more than 1,100 Palestinians and
wounded more than 5,000 others, according to Palestinian medical officials.
http://arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=118241&d=17&m=1&y=2009&pix=world.jpg&category=World
17 January 2009 (20 Muharram 1430)
Protesters demand immediate action
AP
I FEEL THE PAIN: A Palestinian girl carries a doll to symbolize an
injured child during a protest against the Israeli offensive in Beirut
on Friday. (EPA)
DAMASCUS: Palestinian refugees at a camp near the Syrian capital called
for Israel to pull out of Gaza and widows in Beirut protested outside a
UN building, while Palestinian police in the West Bank beat up
protesters chanting in support of Hamas.
In Syria, up to 2,000 people took part in a protest at the Palestinian
Yarmouk camp, trampling Israeli flags and shouting anti-Israel slogans.
In Jordan, around 1,500 worshippers marched after the noon prayers
toward the EU mission in an upscale neighborhood of Amman.
The protesters condemned a summit on Gaza under way in Doha, demanding
Arabs send armies rather than hold gatherings.
Near the Israeli Embassy in Amman, some tried in vain to push riot
police away and get to the embassy building, demanding the government to
dismiss the Israeli ambassador and abolish Jordan’s 1994 peace treaty
with Israel.
In Beirut, more than 1,000 Lebanese and Palestinian women — including
widows who had lost husbands to armed conflict, many with children in
tow — staged an hour’s sit-in outside the UN relief agency building in
solidarity with Gazans.
Some children held dolls stained with red paint, representing
Palestinian children killed in Gaza. UN and Gaza health officials say
346 children have died in the three weeks of violence.
“Israel, mother of terrorism,” read a sign in English in the crowd. Some
banners in Arabic read: “Patience Gaza,” “Where is the humanity’s
conscience?” and “God is with you, Gaza.”
In the northern West Bank town of Tul Karem, Palestinian police beat
protesters with clubs after some chanted in support of Hamas.
The police broke up the 500-strong rally, chasing protesters down
streets and arresting at least one man.
The West Bank is ruled by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah.
Police have shocked West Bank residents by harshly cracking down on
protests in support of Gaza.
In Jerusalem, around 30 Palestinian women gathered on the stairs leading
to the cobblestone old city, chanting and singing against Israel’s
military operation. They were flanked by scores of blue-uniformed
policemen with batons and Israeli special forces gathered in black
uniforms clutching assault rifles, as khaki-uniformed soldiers stood
nearby. “We kiss the ground under your shoes,” they sung, referring to
Gazans. Police arrested at least two men standing nearby.
http://www.euronews.net/2009/01/10/arabs-protest-attack-on-gaza-some-violence/
Arabs protest attack on Gaza; some violence 10/01/09 03:36 CET
The following article has been retrieved from the archive and no longer
contains the original video.
The resounding silence from many Arab governments as Israel has pounded
Gaza has sparked mass demonstrations across the Middle-East.
In Amman, Jordan, the protests turned violent when riot police tried to
stop them marching on the Israeli embassy.
A television cameraman was hurt and so was a young Spanish protestor.
Five people were arrested.
In Algeria, a journalist was seriously injured in a protest
In Alexandria, in northern Egypt, 50,000 people gathered after Friday
prayers.
The march was led by members of the Muslim Brotherhood demanding the
expulsion of the Israeli ambassador, and the opening of the Rafah border
crossing adjoining Gaza so that people can flee the fighting.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1230733147738
Jan 2, 2009 17:12 | Updated Jan 2, 2009 17:51
Protests against Gaza op sweep Mideast
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
TEHERAN, Iran
Iran warned Israel on Friday not to launch a ground offensive into the
Gaza Strip as protests against the Israeli bombardment of the Hamas-run
Palestinian territory, now in its seventh day, swept several Mideast
capitals.
Iranian protesters attend an anti-Israel rally, after Friday prayers in
Teheran, January 2009.
The demonstrations began shortly after Friday prayers in Teheran, Cairo,
Amman and Damascus. Similar protests have been held daily across since
Israel launched the bombing campaign last Saturday, but these gatherings
were larger _ mainly because Friday prayers are a traditional
opportunity for Muslims to assemble in great numbers.
In Teheran, a crowd of about 6,000 stretching for a half-mile
(kilometer) marched from prayers at Teheran University to Palestine
Square, chanting "Death to Israel" and "Death to America" and burning
Israeli flags
They also carried banners reading: "Don't kill Children" and "Real
Holocaust is happening in Gaza," while some vowed to "fight and defend
Gaza."
Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, one of Iran's most powerful
politician-clerics, said in a sermon to several thousand worshipers that
an Israeli military defeat in Gaza would be a "scandal" for its
government and that, even if the Hamas government there collapses,
Palestinian "resistance" will only expand.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki warned Israel that entering
Gaza "by land will be the biggest mistake of the Zionist regime." He
vowed Israel would be "defeated" in a ground attack.
Iran is a major backer of Hamas, giving it millions of dollars. Israel
and the US accuse Iran of providing the Palestinian terrorist group with
newer, more sophisticated rockets, but Teheran denies arming the group.
In his prayer sermon, Rafsanjani said Hamas had a new anti-tank weapon
that it had not used before but would unleash if Israel ground troops
move in, but he did not elaborate.
US-allied Arab governments like Egypt fear that Hamas and Hizbullah are
giving a foothold for Iran. They have been critical of Hamas - which
took over Gaza in 2007 in battles with loyalists of Palestinian
Authority President Mahmoud Abbas - and of Syria for backing its allies
Iran and Hamas.
Pro-US governments have been wary about protests at home over Israel's
Gaza assault, which has killed more than 400 Palestinians and sparked
outrage among the Arab public. Israel says its offensive aims at
silencing Hamas rockets.
In Jordan, police fired volleys of tear gas and scuffled with dozens of
protesters who tried to push through barrier to reach the Israeli
Embassy in Amman. A few of the protesters threw stones at police, but
the security forces dispersed the group, arresting several.
Hundreds more protesters marched peacefully nearby the embassy, calling
for its closure and the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador. Jordan and
Egypt are the only two Arab countries with peace agreements and
diplomatic relations with Israel.
Egypt clamped down hard to prevent protests Friday. Hundreds of riot
police surrounded Cairo's main Al-Azhar Mosque, where a rally had been
called, and scuffled with would-be protesters, keeping most from
approaching.
At another Cairo mosque dominated by the opposition Muslim Brotherhood,
police set up security checkpoints and inspected worshipers' ID cards.
Around the capital, police arrested 40 members of the Brotherhood, which
had called for pro-Gaza rallies.
In the southern Cairo suburb of Maadi, one mosque preacher called for
holy war for Gaza and several protesters marched nearby, shouting: "Let
us go to jihad," or holy war.
More than 3,000 people marched in solidarity with Gaza in the northern
Sinai city of el-Arish, Egypt's closest city to Gaza. On the border,
dozens of Sinai Beduins raced around in cars in the town of Rafah,
firing their guns into the air.
In Syria, some 2,000 marched in Damascus' Palestinian refugee camp of
Yarmouk, carrying Palestinian flags and chanting "jihad will unite us,"
and later burned an Israeli flag.
Several hundred Syrians also protested in Damascus' historic Ummayad
Mosque, waving green Hamas banners and wearing Hamas headbands.
In Sudan, thousands marched in downtown Khartoum from mosques to the
main Martyrs Square, urging Muslims to jihad and denouncing Israel and
America.
Also in Teheran, a small group of students protested late Thursday
outside the house of 2003 Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi, accusing
her of supporting Israel. They vandalized the house, smashing a sign and
spray-painting the walls.
Ebadi has been a target of Iranian hard-liners because she accuses the
government of human rights violations.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/protesters-storm-british-embassy-in-iran-1219070.html
Protesters storm British embassy in Iran
By Laura May, PA
Wednesday, 31 December 2008
A group of demonstrators stormed the compound of the British Embassy in
Iran, the Foreign Office confirmed.
A spokesman said: "A group of demonstrators have trespassed in the
British Embassy compound in north Tehran.
"The situation has been resolved. All of our staff are safe and have
been accounted for."
He could not confirm reports from the IRNA news agency that the
demonstrators were students protesting against what they see as British
support for Israel's air strikes on Gaza or that the students tore down
the British flag and hoisted a Palestinian standard in its place.
The incident happened at 5.20pm GMT (8.50pm local time) and reports
claimed that the occupation lasted about an hour.
No one at the embassy was available for comment.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband was last night in crisis talks with
European Union counterparts after a fourth day of Israeli airstrikes in
Gaza.
He has insisted any ceasefire had to ensure Israel's security and
reinforce the position of elected Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.
http://news.scotsman.com/uk/UK-embassy-staff-39safe39-after.4833535.jp
UK embassy staff 'safe' after storming by Iran protesters
Published Date: 31 December 2008
By Laura May
DEMONSTRATORS last night stormed the compound of the British Embassy in
Iran.
A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: "A group of demonstrators have
trespassed in the British Embassy compound in north Tehran."
However, he added: "The situation has been resolved. All of our staff
are safe and have been accounted for."
The spokesman could not confirm news reports that the demonstrators were
students protesting against what they see as British support for
Israel's air strikes on the Gaza Strip or that they tore down the Union
flag and hoisted a Palestinian standard in its place.
The incident happened at 5:20pm GMT – 8:50pm local time – and reports
claimed that the occupation lasted about an hour. No-one at the embassy
was available for comment.
David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, was last night in crisis talks
with his European Union counterparts after a fourth day of Israeli
airstrikes in Gaza.
Mr Miliband has insisted that any agreed ceasefire must ensure both
Israel's security and reinforce the position of the elected Palestinian
leader, Mahmoud Abbas.
http://www.roguegovernment.com/index2.php?news_id=13463
Iranian Students Raid Israeli Embassy In Gaza Raid Protest Published on
12-31-2008 Email To Friend Print Version
Source: London Telegraph
"A large group of people and students entered the Gholhak gardens, which
are occupied by the British embassy, to protest at Britain's policies in
supporting the Zionist regime and put up the Palestinian flag there,"
state news agency IRNA reported.
The students stormed the compound on Tuesday evening and pulled down the
British flag, replacing it with a Palestinian flag at compound's
entrance before embassy police forced them to leave.
"We do confirm the raid on our premises. We are in contact with Islamic
republic authorities to resolve the matter," Mitra Behnam, a British
embassy spokesman, told AFP.
Gholhak gardens, a sprawling compound in north Tehran, provides
accommodation for British diplomats and their families.
Britain has called for an urgent ceasefire by both sides in Gaza, where
Israeli warplanes have launched waves of airstrikes against the Islamist
Hamas movement since Saturday, killing at least 360 Palestinians, and
Hamas militants have been firing volleys of rockets into Israel.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/protesters-storm-uk-embassy-in-iran-14124008.html?r=RSS
Protesters storm UK embassy in Iran
Wednesday, 31 December 2008
A group of demonstrators have stormed the compound of the British
Embassy in Iran, the Foreign Office confirmed.
A spokesman said: "A group of demonstrators have trespassed in the
British Embassy compound in north Tehran.
"The situation has been resolved. All of our staff are safe and have
been accounted for."
He could not confirm reports from the IRNA news agency that the
demonstrators were students protesting against what they see as British
support for Israel's air strikes on Gaza or that the students tore down
the British flag and hoisted a Palestinian standard in its place.
The incident happened at 8.50pm local time and reports claimed that the
occupation lasted about an hour.
No one at the embassy was available for comment.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband has been in crisis talks with European
Union counterparts after a fourth day of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.
He has insisted any ceasefire had to ensure Israel's security and
reinforce the position of elected Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1103343/Protesters-storm-British-Embassy-Iran-protest-Gaza-strikes.html?ITO=1490
Protesters storm British Embassy in Iran to protest Gaza strikes
By Ryan Kisiel
Last updated at 11:05 AM on 31st December 2008
• Comments (3)
• Add to My Stories
A group of militant protesters stormed the compound of the British
Embassy in Iran last night.
Dozens of radical students who were angered at Israel's air strikes on
Gaza, broke into the housing complex and tore down the Union flag.
The mob then set fire to it along with an American and Israeli flags in
Gholhak gardens.
Storming the embassy: Iranian anti-riot police stop protestors
demonstrating against the Israeli attacks on Gaza
Protesters then hoisted a Palestinian flag in its place at the site's
entrance before chanting for an hour at 8.45pm.
The compound is the main housing area for British diplomats and their
families.
Iranian police officials were called and eventually removed them from
the grounds in northern Tehran.
It is believed that the fanatical university students believe that
Britain backs Israel's air strikes in Gaza.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'A group of demonstrators have
trespassed in the British Embassy compound in north Tehran.
'The situation has been resolved. All of our staff are safe and have
been accounted for.'
It is thought there are more than 20 British diplomats plus dozens of
other officials including Iranian employees at the British embassy,
headed by ambassador Geoffrey Adams.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband has been in crisis talks with his
European Union counterparts after a fourth day of Israeli missile
attacks in Gaza.
He has insisted any ceasefire had to ensure Israel's security and
reinforce the position of elected Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.
http://www.postchronicle.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=111&num=196663
Published: Dec 31, 2008 Share This Article | Send Us A Tip | Site Search
Iran Protesters Breach British Embassy
by Staff
British authorities say everyone at the country's embassy in Tehran is
safe after hundreds of Iranian radicals stormed and briefly entered the
compound.
The British Foreign Office said the "security breach" was contained
quickly by Iranian police after hard-line Iranian students, who often
stage noisy protests outside the British Embassy in Tehran, breached
diplomatic territory and entered the compound Tuesday night, The Times
of London reported.
Protesting the Israeli military assault on Palestinian militants in the
Gaza Strip, hundreds of Iranian radicals stormed the compound, replacing
the British flag with a Palestinian one, witnesses said.
British officials said it was the first time in decades Iranian
protesters have breached diplomatic territory.
The Times said a hard-line Iranian news agency has indicated the
protests against Britain and Egypt, whose embassy was also targeted
Tuesday, would continue.
http://www.agi.it/world/news/200812311154-cro-ren0019-art.html
GAZA: BENETTON STORE BURNED IN TEHRAN IN PROTEST
Print Send this article
(AGI) - Tehran, 31 Dec. - A store from the Italian Benetton chain was
burned in the early hours of the morning in Tehran as a sign of protest
against the Israeli offensive in Gaza, reported 'Straits Times' in
Singapore, quoting the Iranian 'Jomhuri Eslami'. According to the
Iranian newspaper the gesture was meant to hit Benetton because it is
connected to ''the Zionist network'', adding that the opening of the
stores in Treviso ''caused numerous protests over the last two years''.
The boutique is located in Dowlat Street, in the rich northern area of
the Iranian capital. The Tehran fire brigade has opened an investigation.
http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=615253
Anti-Israel protest targets US consulate in Pakistan
Posted: 2009/01/11
From: Source
Tens of thousands in cities across Europe, the Middle East and Asia
demonstrated against Israel`s offensive in the Gaza Strip.
by Ashraf Khan
(AP)
KARACHI, Pakistan — Security forces used tear gas and batons to repel
anti-Israel protesters who tried to attack a U.S. consulate in Pakistan
on Sunday, as tens of thousands in cities across Europe, the Middle East
and Asia demonstrated against Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip.
A protest in the Belgian capital that drew 30,000 turned violent as
well, with demonstrators overturning cars and smashing shop windows. And
in Manila, Philippines, policemen used shields to disperse students
protesting outside the U.S. Embassy.
Israel launched its campaign in Gaza on Dec. 27 to stop rocket fire from
the militant Palestinian group Hamas. Gaza health officials say nearly
870 Palestinians have been killed, roughly half of them civilians.
Thirteen Israelis have also died.
Some 2,000 protesters in the Pakistani port city of Karachi burned U.S.
flags and chanted anti-Israel slogans, and several hundred of them
marched on the U.S. Consulate, senior police official Ameer Sheikh said.
"They were in a mood to attack," Sheikh said. "They were carrying
bricks, stones and clubs."
A U.S. Embassy spokesman in Islamabad, Lou Fintor, said the protesters
did not get close to the consulate, which was closed Sunday.
Washington provides a large amount of foreign aid to Israel as well as
military and weapons assistance. Israeli military action is often
perceived in the Muslim world as being financed and supported by the
U.S. While Pakistan's government is a U.S. ally, anti-American sentiment
is pervasive in the Muslim majority country.
In Spain, as many as 100,000 people attended rallies in Madrid and the
southwestern city of Seville, urging Israel to "Stop the massacre in
Gaza" and calling for peace initiatives. Spain's Foreign Minister Miguel
Angel Moratinos will tour the Middle East starting Monday to promote
solutions to the conflict.
An estimated 2,500 Lebanese and Palestinians meanwhile protested
peacefully in downtown Beirut, waving Palestinian flags and calling on
the international community to intervene in the Israeli attack.
A convoy of some 15 ambulances from an Islamic medical society sounded
their sirens for 20 seconds in solidarity with Gaza medics. Leftist
participants set fire to a large Israeli flag, while children taking
part in the protest held bloody dolls representing Palestinian children
killed in Gaza.
The death of children in the Gaza assault has become an enduring theme
at protests.
Children carrying effigies of bloody babies headed the march attended by
thousands in Brussels, which later turned violent before police
intervened with water cannons and arrested 10 protesters. Belgian
lawmaker Richard Miller told Le Soir newspaper that he was hit in the
face by a stone thrown by a demonstrator.
Jewish communities appeared divided on the Israeli operations. In
London, thousands of people gathered at Trafalgar Square to support the
action in Gaza, while anti-Israeli protesters held a
counter-demonstration nearby. In Antwerp, Belgium, home to a large
Hassidic Jewish community, some 800 people took part in a peaceful
pro-Israel demonstration.
In a letter published in Britain's Observer newspaper Sunday, 11 leading
British Jews urged Israel to end its Gaza campaign and negotiate a
settlement for security reasons.
"We are concerned that rather than bringing security to Israel, a
continued military offensive could strengthen extremists, destabilize
the region and exacerbate tensions inside Israel with its one million
Arab citizens," the letter said.
In Syria, as revolutionary songs blared from loudspeakers, demonstrators
accused Arab leaders of being complicit in the Gaza assault. "Down, down
with the Arab rulers, the collaborators," the crowd in Damascus shouted.
Separately, activists protesting the Israeli campaign were driving from
Turkey to Syria in a convoy of 200 cars, and participants hoped Syrian
protesters would join them at the border Monday, according to Nezir
Dinler, an activist with the Istanbul-based Solidarity Foundation.
A few thousand people marched in largely peaceful pro-Palestinian
rallies in the Italian cities of Rome, Naples and Verona. In Rome,
municipal authorities were dispatched to erase graffiti — including
Stars of David and swastikas — that had been scrawled on Jewish-owned
stores and restaurants overnight.
Associated Press Writers Zeina Karam in Beirut, Lebanon, Aoife White in
Brussels, Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria, Harold Heckle in Madrid, and
Nicole Winfield in Rome contributed to this report. #
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/pakistan/2009/01/12/191596/Protesters-try.htm
January 12, 2009 9:55 am TWN, AP
Protesters try to attack the U.S. Consulate in Karachi
KARACHI, Pakistan -- Police say a crowd tried to attack the U.S.
Consulate building in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi during an
anti-Israel protest, but security forces managed to repel them. Police
say they fired tear gas shells and baton charged the crowd, forcing it
to disperse.
Pakistan has witnessed several protests against Israel due to its
strikes on the Gaza Strip.
Police official Ameer Sheikh says that during Sunday's protest, hundreds
began marching toward the consulate. He says some were carrying bricks
and sticks.
Roads to the consulate building were blocked off. But the crowd managed
to shove aside some metal barriers several hundred meters away. U.S.
officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2008/1231/1230581503969.html
Egyptian consulate stormed by protesters over Gaza blockade
ADEN – Yemeni protesters angered by Cairo’s co-operation with Israel in
imposing a blockade on Gaza stormed the Egyptian consulate in the
southern city of Aden yesterday, witnesses said.
The protest comes after about 350 Palestinians were killed and more than
800 were wounded in three days of Israeli air strikes on the enclave, of
which Egypt is the only other neighbour.
Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said the incident at the
consulate lasted 15 minutes.
One witness said the protesters burned the Egyptian flag and hoisted a
Palestinian banner on the building. “Some of the protesters were able to
enter the consulate and destroyed some property and papers,” another
witness said, adding some of the protesters were Egyptian.
The Egyptian government has been under attack for the past three days
for helping Israel in the blockade on the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip
for the past six months.
The official Yemeni news agency said 20 Arabs, including some Sudanese,
Iraqis and Palestinians, were arrested “for attempting to enter the
consulate”. Meanwhile, Gulf Arab leaders called yesterday for an end to
Israel’s “massacres” of Palestinians in Gaza but did not unite behind a
Qatari call for an emergency Arab summit.
A communique issued after a Gulf summit suggested that the US-allied
rulers partly blamed Hamas for the violence, which Israel says the
militant faction provoked by firing rockets at southern Israeli towns. –
(Reuters)
This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times
http://news.morningstar.com/newsnet/ViewNews.aspx?article=/DJ/200812300437DOWJONESDJONLINE000105_univ.xml
Protesters Break Into Egypt Consulate In Yemen12-30-08 4:37 AM EST |
E-mail Article | Print Article
ADEN, Yemen (AFP)--Demonstrators in the Yemeni port city of Aden briefly
broke into the Egyptian consulate Tuesday in a protest against Egypt's
response to Israel's offensive against Gaza, a security official said.
The protesters, who were mostly students from the university of Aden, "
vandalized furniture before they were removed peacefully from the
building," the official said.
It wasn't clear if consular staff were in the building at the time of
the protest but there were no reports of casualties.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1051238.html
Yemenites storm Egyptian consulate to protest Cairo's Gaza policy
Yemeni protesters angered by Cairo's cooperation with Israel in imposing
a blockade on Gaza stormed the Egyptian consulate in the southern city
of Aden on Tuesday, witnesses said.
The protest comes after about 350 Palestinians were killed and more than
800 were wounded in three days of Israeli air strikes on the enclave, of
which Egypt is the only other neighbour.
Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said the incident at the
consulate was over and lasted 15 minutes.
One witness said the protesters burned the Egyptian flag and hoisted a
Palestinian banner on top of building.
"Some of the protesters were able to enter the consulate and destroyed
some property and papers," another witness said, adding that some of the
protestors were Egyptian.
The Egyptian government has been under attack for the past three days
for helping Israel in the blockade on the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip
for the past six months.
The official Yemeni news agency said 20 Arabs, including some Sudanese,
Iraqis and Palestinians, were arrested "for attempting to enter the
consulate." It did not give details.
The crisis over Gaza is the most serious foreign policy challenge the
Egyptian government has faced for years because it is the only Arab
country that borders Gaza.
http://newsblaze.com/story/20081230092226zzzz.nb/topstory.html
December 30,2008
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Protesters in Yemen Storm Egyptian Consulate
By The Media Line news agency
Demonstrators against the Egyptian stand on Gaza turned violent as
protesters in Yemen's second largest city 'Aden on Tuesday managed to
storm the consulate, Zawya news agency reported.
Other news agencies reported that hundreds of protesters, mainly
students from the University of 'Aden, stormed the main gate of the
building and climbed on the roof, setting the Egyptian flag on fire and
replacing it with a Palestinian flag.
There are no reports of casualties among the staff of the consulate.
The incident was over in 15 minutes and afterwards the building was
surrounded by Yemeni security forces. Among the people arrested were
locals, as well as Iraqis, Sudanese, Palestinians and Egyptians.
Egypt, which is the only Arab county that borders Gaza, has been
fiercely criticized by both public figures such as Hizbullah leader
Hasan Na'srallah and the "man on the street" for what they perceive as
Egypt's green light for Israel's current military operations in Gaza.
(c) 2008. The Media Line Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-12/30/content_10581914.htm
Angry Yemeni protesters storm Egyptian consulate for Cairo's role in
Israeli offensive on Gaza
Special report: Palestine-Israel Conflicts
SANAA, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of angry protesters stormed the
Egyptian consulate in southern Yemeni city Aden to protest against
Cairo's role in the ongoing Israeli military offensive on Gaza.
The protesters stormed the two-story consulate's front gate and threw
computers from windows while setting fire to the Egyptian flag, said
media reports reaching here from Aden.
A Yemeni security official was quoted as saying that most of the
protesters were local university students who were later removed
peacefully from the building surrounded by heavy security forces.
The incident caused no casualties, according to the reports.
The Gaza Strip was under intensive Israeli air strikes for the four
successive day on Tuesday, during which some 360 Palestinians have so
far been killed in the powerful offensive which Israel said was aimed at
halting nearly daily cross-border rocket attacks by Palestinian militants.
However, many Arabs and Muslims are accusing Egypt of giving the green
light to the Israeli assault on Gaza.
http://yementimes.com/article.shtml?i=1220&p=front&a=1
Tens of thousands of Yemenis protest in solidarity with the people of Gaza
________________________________________
Salma Ismail Photos by Amira Al-Sharif
SANA’A Dec. 28 — The wave of anger that continues to sweep across the
Arab and Muslim world was evident on the faces of the tens of thousands
of Yemeni demonstrators that stood under the blazing sun in protest of
the ongoing Israeli massacre of the Palestinians in Gaza which has so
far killed almost 300 people and injured over 700.
A number of Arab leaders have denounced and condemned the Israeli
attack, which started on Saturday, with President Ali Abdullah Saleh of
Yemen among the first. Not only did he condemn the aggression, he also
called for an urgent Arab Summit in effort to develop a unified stance
against the siege and subsequent attacks.
Saleh discussed the matter with a number of his Arab leaders including
the Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and the President of
Syria Bashar Al-Assad, Lebanese President Michel Sleiman, and President
Omar Al-Beshir of Sudan.
Israel pounded the Gaza Strip with air raids following the decision by
Israel to increase retaliation for cross-border rocket attacks against
Israel, and the breakdown of a six-month-old Israel-Hamas truce,
brokered in Egypt, earlier this month.
The ceasefire expired on December 19, with Hamas arguing that Israel had
violated the truce by preventing vital food and medical supplies into
the Strip.
Massacre in Gaza
According to medical resources in Gaza, the continuing Israeli
bombardment of the impoverished Gaza Strip, has left no space left in
the morgues and bodies were piled up in the emergency rooms and in the
corridors, as many of the wounded screamed in pain.
More than 230 targets have been hit with missiles fired from helicopter
gunships and fighter jets since Israel launched Operation Cast Lead on
Saturday. Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Brarak warned that the air
raids could be followed by a major ground incursion into the Gaza Strip.
Reaction in Yemen
The demonstration in Yemen, which is so far the largest in the region
and beyond, were backed by the ruling party, opposition groups and other
organizations.
In Yemen, banners and slogans that read; “Where is humanity’s
conscience? and “We will not forget Gaza” amid photographs of past and
present Palestinian leaders including Ismail Haniyeh, Sheikh Ahmed
Yassin and Ismail Mughniyeh. In addition to photographs of women and
children injured in the attacks.
The grief was evident in the eyes of the Palestinian women from Saleh
Sakan Foundation, Takaful Foundation, and Palestine Female Youth
Association, Al-Quds foundation. As they called for Al-Qassam Brigades,
the armed wing of Hamas to take revenge and on Palestinian leaders to
reply. They chanted, “Hamas is our base and the crowns on our heads”
Dr. Zienab, an Egyptian protester from Sana’a University dismissed the
Egyptian stance and questioned the Arab, Islamic and the international
communities’ stance, “We are an Islamic nation and the Sharia of Islam
should guide us,” she said.
Nada, a university student looking dazed asked, “What can we do?”
Yemen has called on the UN Security Council to intervene in order to
prevent similar attacks in the future.
Palestinian reaction
In Damascus, top Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal called for a new
Palestinian uprising, a third intifada, against Israel. He also said he
was open to reconciliation with Abbas, but demanded that the Palestinian
president cease negotiations with Israel.
“We will not leave our land, we will not raise white flags and we will
not kneel except before God,” said Ismail Haniyeh.
Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president and leader of the rival Fatah
group, blamed the democratically- elected Hamas for the violence and
traveled to Egypt to discuss the situation with his Egyptian counterpart
Hosni Mubarak.
Hospitals, already suffering from shortages due to an 18-month blockade
on the Gaza Strip, said they were struggling to cope with the number of
injured, which included women and children. Director-general of
ambulance and emergency service in Gaza Moaweya Hasanain said that
hospitals of the Strip are suffering from a severe lack of medicines due
to the Israeli siege on Gaza as they try to cope with this new catastrophe.
Reaction elsewhere
The presidents of Qatar, Yemen, Sudan, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iran
condemned the attacks.
The Arab League will not meet to discuss a common response to the
Israeli massacre until a summit in Doha, Qatar scheduled to take place
on January 2.
Foreign Ministers of Arab countries were also due to hold an emergency
meeting on Sunday but the meeting was postponed until Wednesday.
Arab League secretary-general, Amr Moussa said the delay was because
many ministers were busy in separate meetings of two Arab regional
groups - the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) and the Maghreb Union.
A non-binding statement on behalf of the 15-member United Nations
Security Council called for an “immediate halt to all violence” and on
the parties involved in the conflict “to stop immediately all military
activities”. The statement also called for a re-opening of border
crossings to allow humanitarian supplies to reach Palestinians in Gaza.
The head of the GCC, which groups Washington’s regional allies, on
Saturday, described the Israeli attacks as “barbaric” and “ugly”, and
Saudi Arabia urged the United States to intervene to end the strikes.
In Amman, 30 Jordanian lawmakers demanded the expulsion of the Israeli
ambassador.
In London, protesters attacked the Israeli embassy.
Demonstrations also took place across Iraq and Egypt. In Egypt,
protestors blamed their president, Hosni Mubarak, for not preventing the
aggression.
The Hezbollah movement, which fought a 33-day war with Israel in 2006,
has condemned the attacks as a “war crime and a genocide that requires
immediate action from the international community and its institutions”.
European Union foreign policy Chief Javier Solana condemned Palestinian
rocket attacks on southern Israel but also said that the Israeli
airstrikes “are inflicting an unacceptable toll on Palestinian civilians.”
Leader of the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC),
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, called the Israeli offensive a “war crime.”
A history of violations
Israel responded to Hamas’ win in the elections with sanctions, and
almost completely blockaded the impoverished coastal strip after Hamas
seized power in 2007, although a ‘lighter’ siege had already existed before.
Human rights groups, both international and Israeli, slammed Israel’s
siege of Gaza, branding it “collective punishment.” A group of
international lawyers and human rights activists had also accused Israel
of committing “genocide” through its crippling blockade of the Strip.
Gaza remains under Israeli occupation as Israel controls air, sea and
land access to the Strip. The Rafah crossing with Egypt, Gaza’s sole
border crossing that bypasses Israel, rarely opens as Egypt is under
immense US and Israeli pressure to keep the crossing shut.
Fatah has little administrative say in the Israeli-occupied West Bank,
and has no power in Arab east Jerusalem, both of which were illegally
occupied by Israel in 1967. Israel also currently occupies the Lebanese
Shebaa Farms and the Syrian Golan Heights.
http://www2.canada.com/cityguides/toronto/info/story.html?id=1130529
Protesters, police clash near Arab meeting in Cairo
‘O Mubarak, how many dollars did you sell Gaza for?’ protesters shout at
Egyptian president
Aziz El-Kaissouni, Reuters
Published: Wednesday, December 31, 2008
CAIRO - Thousands of protesters shouting slogans in support of Hamas and
Gaza Palestinians clashed with riot police in Cairo on Wednesday, and
the opposition Muslim Brotherhood said several hundred of its members
were detained.
"They took between 500 and 600. They were detained as they arrived at
the protest area," said Brotherhood member of parliament Mohamed
El-Beltagui, who was present at the protests. Security sources gave the
number detained as between 37 and 50.
Egyptian riot police beat the protesters with batons after losing
control of sections of the crowd, and the protesters, mostly Islamists,
managed to push through parts of the police cordon to join others.
Some of the protesters threw objects at the police outside the Egyptian
Lawyers Syndicate, which along with the nearby Journalists Syndicate is
one of the few places where the Egyptian authorities regularly allow
demonstrations.
Many of the protesters held up copies of the Koran and shouted: "On Gaza
we will march, martyrs by the millions," and "We are all Hamas." Others
chanted demanding the opening of the Rafah crossing, or against Egyptian
President Hosni Mubarak.
"O Mubarak, how many dollars did you sell Gaza for?" they chanted, and
"O Mubarak, are you with us or against us?"
Mubarak has been under pressure for helping enforce Israel's blockade of
Gaza, one of the main grievances cited by Hamas when it chose not to
renew a ceasefire with Israel.
Arab ministers were meeting at the Arab League headquarters one
kilometre away from the protest to seek a common position on Israeli
attacks which have killed more than 385 people in Gaza since they
started on Saturday.
Many Arabs have been looking for Egypt, the most populous Arab country
and the first to sign a peace treaty with the Jewish state, to do more
to end the assault on Gaza or alleviate the effects of the blockade.
Mubarak has explicitly ruled out opening the Rafah crossing in the
absence of the Palestinian Authority and European Union observers,
saying that to do so would entrench the de facto separation between the
West Bank and Gaza, and allow Israel to relinquish its legal
responsibilities as an occupying power.
Smaller protests were held in at least two Egyptian provinces, with
police using force in one demonstration to disperse a group of women
protesters from the Brotherhood.
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE4BU2TH20081231
Protesters, police clash near Arab meeting in Cairo
Wed Dec 31, 2008 8:52am EST
CAIRO (Reuters) - Hundreds of protesters shouting slogans in support of
Hamas and the Gaza Palestinians clashed with riot police in Cairo on
Wednesday as Arab foreign ministers held an emergency meeting down the road.
Egyptian riot police beat protesters with batons after losing control of
sections of a crowd which witnesses estimated at 1,000 people, many of
them Islamists.
Some of the protesters threw objects at the police outside the Egyptian
Lawyers Syndicate and the nearby Journalists Syndicate, two of the few
places where the Egyptian authorities regularly allow demonstrations.
Some of the protesters held up copies of the Koran and shouted: "On Gaza
we will march, martyrs by the millions, we are all Hamas." Others
chanted: "Rule by the Koran."
The Arab ministers were meeting at the Arab League headquarters one km
(half a mile) away to seek a common position on Israeli attacks which
have killed more than 385 people in Gaza since they started on Saturday.
(Writing by Jonathan Wright; Editing by Katie Nguyen)
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/01/10/egypt-civil-disobedience-and-protests-over-gaza/
Egypt: Civil disobedience and protests over Gaza
Saturday, January 10th, 2009 @ 21:42 UTC
by Eman AbdElRahman
Since the beginning of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip on December 27,
and Egyptian street has been boiling with angry calls to open up the
Gaza border and demanding the government to put more pressure to reach
an immediate ceasefire.
Few people joined protests, others joined relief convoys or participated
in collecting donations and organising campaigns, while others preferred
to contributing to the ongoing war online.
On one hand, Salma Eldwardany discussed street reactions and protests in
Egypt since the beginning of the Israeli attack, where significant
clashes between Egyptian security forces and protesters downtown began
on December 31:
In Cairo, several thousand Egyptians marched through downtown Cairo on
December 31, chanting phrases such as, “Off to Gaza we go, martyrs by
the million,” “Where is the Egyptian army?” and “Shame on you Mubarak”.
[…] Security forces began dispersing the crowds by force, and least 40
demonstrators were detained. Scores of others were beaten. […] Various
sources confirmed that at least 300 activists were detained in Cairo on
December 31, with over 160 activists arrested in train stations and cars
on their way in to Egypt’s capital.
Between detained protesters to being beaten up in the streets, Egyptians
didn't give up and joined the largest demonstrations, which prompted a
harsher security response.
On Friday, January 2, two days after the police crackdown in Cairo,
Egyptians took to the streets for the largest demo against the Israeli
offensive.
The rally, organized by the Muslim Brotherhood, began near the Al Fatah
Mosque in Cairo and urged the Egyptian government to open the border
between Gaza and Egypt.
Special Forces units were mobilized and stationed on the street corners
that led to various demonstration sites, and in the early afternoon,
Egyptian police moved in to crush the dissent throughout the city.
Eyewitnesses said that riot police used sticks to beat protesters in an
attempt to disperse the crowd.
Egyptian police also seized three of the biggest downtown mosques before
Friday prayers: Al-Fatah and Al-Azhar in Islamic Cairo, and Al-Nour
Mosque in Elabbassyia district in northern Cairo. Police cordoned the
downtown area with more than 200 vehicles.
Police also warned religious leaders at the Al-Fatah mosque against
talking about Gaza during Friday prayers, witnesses said, also
mentioning the spread of the state security laboratory on the roofs of
buildings along Ramsis Street.
Still, about 5,000 protesters gathered at Al-Azhar mosque after Friday
prayers, carrying placards that said, “Shame upon you, Arabs of silence.”
Central Security troops eventually entered the mosque with eyewitness
accounts counting some 15-security vehicles surrounding streets around
the mosque.
Police attacked the demonstrators and dozens of arrests were made
including at least 40 members of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood who
prepared for the Friday demonstrations.
Protests were not limited only to Cairo, the capital city of Egypt, but
erupted throughout Egypt all the way from Alexandria to Minya, Assiut,
Sohag Fayoum, Suez, Dakahliya, Qalubia, Port Said, Kafr El-Sheikh,
Aswan, Munufeya and al- Arish. Egyptian security forces have also been
targeting journalists as protests have continued unabated since Israel
began its attack. About 200 journalists and activists have so far been
arrested while covering the mass protests.
Protests were also not limited to artists or prominent activists or
Muslim brotherhood party, but students and professors anger erupted
everywhere. Salma continues:
Student demonstrations have also been taking place on campuses all over
Egypt. Trade unionists, professors and students held mass demonstrations
to condemn what they called the “Israeli war machine” and “The silence
of the Arab states.”
A series of demonstrations have been held at Cairo University, but the
security presence has been heavy with Egyptian authorities worried the
students would take their anger to the nearby Israeli embassy.
Some 800 Muslim Brotherhood students at Helwan University have staged a
continuous demonstration in solidarity with Gaza, and at Al-Azhar
University more then 4,000 students have protested over the last week
despite a heavy security presence that has prevented them from hitting
the streets.
Ain Shams University was also the scene of two rallies this past week,
one led by Dr. Ahmed Zaki Badr, President of the University, and the
second by the Muslim Brotherhood student association.
Then she concludes it all with the a glimpse at the other diverse civic
reaction:
As with protests throughout the Arab world, the demonstrations in Egypt
have been diverse with people from a wide range of backgrounds taking
part - secularists, Islamists, leftists, university students,
journalists and others
Hundreds of artists, actors and writers organized a protest in Elgiza
last week condemning the Israeli aggression. Protesters demanded an
immediate halt to the export of Egyptian gas to Israel and expulsion of
the Israeli ambassador. Khaled Elsawy, writer Fathia Elassal and
Professor Ahmed Sakhsookh were some of the artists participating in the
protest.
The Bar Association and the Medical Association have also organized
demonstrations, and the Egyptian Popular Committee for Solidarity signed
a petition demanding that Egyptian authorities open the Rafah crossing,
the expulsion of the Ambassador of Israel.
The group has also called for the cessation of all forms of
normalization with Israel, and they announced they would organize a
convoy of relief to be sent to Gaza.
Meanwhile, Bjorklund, a Scandinavian activist living in Egypt, took part
in a solidarity convoy to Rafah along with around 100 Egyptians and
foreign activists. It was organized by the Egyptian Popular Committee
for Solidarity with the Palestinian People, in order to demand the
complete opening of the Egyptian-Gaza border. Though the convey did not
reach the borders, however with a clever use of civil disobedience the
caravan almost reached el-Arish before being turned back. According to
the organizers this is closer to Rafah than any solidarity convoy of
this scale has reached since 2004.
He started to explain:
The group of activists managed to force three checkpoints by staging
sit-ins in the street, effectively blocking traffic and causing panic
among the police as trailer trucks and minibuses lined up from both
directions. At the fourth checkpoint however, about halfway between the
Suez canal and el-Arish, state security officers was present. After
forcing the reporters of two TV-channels to turn back to Cairo - for
reasons that soon became obvious - they allowed the convoy the continue
with a police escort. While many of the activists at this point felt
they had won the battle and were about to enter el-Arish, this soon
turned out to be a trap.
10-20 kilometers before el-Arish, in the middle of the desert, the road
was blocked by 4 central security trucks and a small army of police in
full riot gear, including some with rifles probably loaded with rubber
bullets or tear gas. With no TV cameras or witnesses present, the
activists feared (and rightly so) that they would be assaulted as soon
as they stepped down from the bus. Some wanted to get out anyway, but
the bus driver refused to stop or open the door. Shouting “I can't, I
can't” he turned the bus around, clearly horrified by the scene and
knowing he was risking as much as the activists - or more - despite
having nothing do to with the convoy.
While most of the participants had expected to be turned back by the
police and several have plenty of experience of being arrested at
demonstrations, many were chocked by this show of force, and terrified
by the prospect of being surrounded by riot police and plainclothes
officers in the middle of the desert. And even those who would have
preferred to try and at least make a symbolic stand in front of the bus
feared this would only lead to the loss of all photo and movie material
taken on the trip so far.
At the end of the trip, contributors had mixed feelings. Bjorklund
continues:
On the way back to Cairo the mood on the bus consisted of mixed feelings
of achievement - for reaching further than previous convoys - and anger
and frustration.
“The thing that makes me most angry,” leftist blogger and digital design
artist Mohamed Gaber explained, “is the fact that we celebrate the
return of Sinai [after the 1973 October war] as a great victory, but
still it doesn't belong to the people.”
At last, in her last post another Qualm, Egy Diva sums up her feelings
towards the current Egyptian situation saying:
And when I read about thousands of demonstrations going on all over
Egypt, spreading outside of Cairo, to Domyat to Sohag to Alexandria, I
am impressed and I think I am wondering if I am filled with hope. But
then I read that the Egyptian police dispersed these demonstrations with
tear gas and electric batons, they beat the demonstrations apart, I dont
think of Gaza. I think what the f***? and I think did anyone just notice
that? And I think it should have its own article, it should be every
article in every national newspaper. No, I think, in this convulated
debate, Egyptian brutality in repressing demonstrations about Gaza
shouldnt be engulfed in a piece about Gaza, and again I am pressed to
think: so what about Gaza…..and it keeps. spirals, and spirals away.
http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2009-01/2009-01-03-voa3.cfm?CFID=164157851&CFTOKEN=39653795&jsessionid=8430ab33e5d8b1d542763774572f6f121d13
Hundreds Protest Closed Egypt-Gaza Border
By Jessica Desvarieux
Cairo
03 January 2009
Egyptian security face protestors, who attempted to take to the streets
after Friday prayers in Cairo, 2 Jan. 2009
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood opposition group called for mass protests
against the government's response to Israeli airstrikes in Gaza but
police moved to quell street protests over the issue. Fights between
police officers and protesters broke out in Cairo, Friday, and dozens of
arrests were reported.
In Egypt, about 400 people gathered near the Al Fatah Mosque in Cairo to
protest the ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza and to get the Egyptian
government to open the border between Gaza and Egypt.
With tears in his eyes, one demonstrator says Egypt should open its
border to help its Palestinian brothers, the injured, the sick. He says
he cannot watching television reports of the violence and remain calm.
He asks to remain anonymous to protect himself from possible Egyptian
government reprisal.
Security officials say Egyptian police arrested at least 40 members of
the opposition Muslim Brotherhood as they prepared for the
demonstrations Friday against Israel's actions in Gaza.
So far more, than 400 Palestinians have been killed in the assault,
which Israel launched in response to a series of rocket attacks by Hamas
militants in Gaza.
Jordanian demonstrators hold a Palestinian flag during a protest near
the Israeli embassy in Amman, 30 Dec 2008
The demonstrations in Cairo were just one of the many protests in the
Muslim world from the Philippines to Jordan.
But in Cairo, the government moved in quickly to restrict the
demonstrations. Fights erupted between police and protesters, but the
security forces quickly prevailed. Officers in civilian clothing loaded
protesters on to large police trucks and hauled them away.
Police also prevented demonstrations near Cairo's historic Al-Azhar mosque.
One Cairo taxi driver says his passengers have been complaining all week
about the government's position concerning the Gaza violence. He says
the Egyptian government should do more to help the Palestinian struggle.
He said if all the Islamic countries united, they would would achieve
something. Palestinians should be Palestinians! Not Hamas Palestinians
or Fatah Palestinians.
With Israel still continuing air strikes into Gaza, and Hamas sending
rockets into Israel, the tension in Egypt isn't likely to simmer down
any time soon.
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2446429,00.html
20 000 in anti-Israel protest
28/12/2008 15:51 - (SA)
l
Cairo - Around 20 000 people took to the streets of Egyptian cities on
Sunday to protest against the killing of more than 280 Palestinians in
24 hours of Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip.
The largest protest saw around 8 000 people demonstrate on the streets
of Assiut, a city in southern Egypt of 400 000, a security official
said, with another 3 000 gathering in Minya, south of Cairo.
A security official said 4 000 people took part in another anti-Israel
and pro-Gaza demonstration in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria,
the security official said.
Another 4 000 people rallied outside the Doctors' Syndicate in the
capital against the Israeli onslaught that has also wounded more than
600 Palestinians in the isolated enclave on Egypt's northeastern border.
"Where is the Arab army?" some demonstrators shouted in Minya, calling
for the Israeli embassy in Cairo to be shut down as other demonstrators
burned the Israeli flag.
Many of the demonstrators across Egypt were members of the banned Muslim
Brotherhood, the country's largest opposition group from which Hamas,
the target of Israel's air strikes, evolved.
- AFP
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=240483
35 Cairo protesters arrested
Posted on » Sunday, January 18, 2009
CAIRO: Egyptian police arrested 35 people, including four journalists,
at a downtown Cairo protest against Israel's war in Gaza yesterday.
Anti-riot police were deployed in strength to deal with the protest by
around 1,000 people, mostly members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood
opposition group. The group, of which Hamas is an offshoot, said on
their website that around 2,000 people attended the protest.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/fifty-arrested-for-organising-protests-1228138.html
Fifty arrested for organising protests
By Hadeel Al-Shalchi, Associated Press, in Cairo
Tuesday, 6 January 2009
Police have arrested 50 members of the opposition group the Muslim
Brotherhood for organising protests in Cairo against Israel's military
incursion into the Gaza Strip.
Fifty arrested for organising protests
By Hadeel Al-Shalchi, Associated Press, in Cairo
Tuesday, 6 January 2009
Police have arrested 50 members of the opposition group the Muslim
Brotherhood for organising protests in Cairo against Israel's military
incursion into the Gaza Strip.
A security official said that yesterday's arrests followed calls by the
outlawed Brotherhood to its members and to other opposition groups to
stage more demonstrations to protest against the Israeli offensive.
Demonstrations have been held across Egypt since Israel moved its troops
into Gaza on 27 December. In some cases, police have clashed with
protesters and made arrests.
The country has a border with Gaza, where more than 500 Palestinians
have been killed and about 2,000 wounded as a result of the Israeli
offensive. Israel says the objective of the incursion is to prevent
Palestinian fighters from firing rockets at its southern towns.
Hamas, the militant Palestinian organisation that runs the Gaza Strip,
has ideological ties to Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, the country's
strongest opposition group. The arrests in Cairo, however, did not stop
some 3,500 Muslim Brotherhood members from taking to the streets in the
city of Assiut, some 200 miles south of the Egyptian capital, yesterday.
The protesters chanted anti-Israel slogans and blocked off the city's
main roads. Large numbers of riot police were deployed in the city, but
there were no reports of clashes or arrests.
Protesters throughout the Arab world have been criticising Hosni
Mubarak, the Egyptian President, and other Arab governments for failing
to take a stronger stand against Israel.
http://news.morningstar.com/newsnet/ViewNews.aspx?article=/DJ/200901051141DOWJONESDJONLINE000291_univ.xml
50 Arrested Trying To Stage Gaza Protest in Egypt - Official1-5-09 11:41
AM EST | E-mail Article | Print Article
CAIRO (AFP)--Egyptian police on Monday rounded up 50 members of the
opposition Muslim Brotherhood trying to demonstrate against Israel's
offensive in the Gaza Strip, with around 400 Islamists arrested in
recent days.
The Islamists were trying to stage a demonstration on a central Cairo
square when riot police prevented them, a security official said.
The group moved away to a less central part of the city and 50 were
arrested.
Senior Brotherhood official Essam al-Aryan told AFP that around 400
Islamists arrested since Israel launched its punishing offensive on the
Gaza Strip 10 days ago remain in prison.
Last year, dozens of Islamists were arrested trying to send relief
convoys to the Gaza Strip, where Israel imposed a blockade after Hamas
seized power.
The Rafah crossing, which Egypt has refused to open permanently, is the
only passage to the coastal strip not controlled by Israel.
The Muslim Brotherhood is banned by the government but fielded
independent candidates in 2005 parliamentary elections, winning a fifth
of seats despite fraud and police intervention.
After the group's success in the election, in which it contested a
limited number of seats, arrests of its supporters have increased.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L2200129.htm
Egypt police hold Islamists ahead of Gaza protests
02 Jan 2009 09:44:19 GMT
Source: Reuters
CAIRO, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Egyptian police detained 20 members of the
Muslim Brotherhood on Friday, security officials said, the same day the
opposition group called for mass demonstrations to protest at the
Israeli offensive on Gaza.
The Brotherhood, Egypt's strongest opposition group, said police rounded
up at least nine members in four provinces.
"The campaign (of arrests) is still going on," the group said on its
website (www.ikhwanonline.org).
The Brotherhood has historical and ideological ties with Hamas Islamists
who rule the Gaza Strip. The group has been leading a broad campaign to
end the Israeli-led blockade on the coastal strip.
The Islamist group called for mass protests nationwide outside mosques
after Friday's prayers. Israel says the attacks, which have killed more
than 400 people, are designed to stop Hamas from firing rockets on towns
in southern Israel. The Egyptian government, which says the Brotherhood
is outlawed but allows it to operate, is wary that the group may attract
more popular support by extending help to the Palestinians and
criticising Arab states for not doing enough to stop the violence.
(Writing by Alaa Shahine)
http://www.metimes.com/International/2009/01/06/pro-gaza_protesters_in_cairo_turn_anti-mubarak/5435/
Pro-Gaza Protesters in Cairo Turn Anti-Mubarak
By JOSEPH MAYTON (Middle East Times)
Published: January 06, 2009
DEMONSTRATORS BARE THEIR SOLES -- Demonstrators take to the streets in
Cairo early Monday here at the Press Syndicate, and at other venues, to
condemn the Israeli war on Gaza and the government of President Hosni
Mubarak for alleged collusion with Israel. (Photo by Joseph Mayton)
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CAIRO -- Whatever hope may have been growing over the relatively quiet
weekend in the minds of state officials that street demonstrations in
Cairo linking the Hosni Mubarak government with the Israeli offensive
into Gaza would weaken were dispelled early and often Monday. Three
separate protests, each organized by three distinct entities, revealed
that Gaza is strong on Egyptian minds.
The first, a sit-in at the American University in Cairo (AUC), saw tens
of students carrying Palestinian flags. Young students in Egypt are a
main driving force in the current stream of activism taking place across
campuses in the country. The students prayed together.
Their Facebook group AUCians for Gaza has drawn a large number of hits.
In a sign of the Egyptian government's attempts to curtail
demonstrations, security forces were quick to remove journalists from
peering in on their activities. Forcing out a number of reporters from
the area, the police said it was "forbidden for outsiders to speak with
students."
Nearby the downtown campus a much larger demonstration, organized by the
Muslim Brotherhood, was beginning. Some 400 protesters took to an open
space in front of the government's Mugama'a administration building – a
massive Soviet-style structure – in downtown Cairo's Tahrir Square.
"It is time to step on Israel," was one of the chants decried by the
protesters, who had emerged from the underground metro station nearby,
taking security forces by surprise.
The gathering waved a large Palestinian flag. A violent confrontation
was expected at the demonstration, but police were quick to surround the
demonstrators and bar everyone, including press, from the immediate area.
A circle of soldiers engulfed the massing of protesters. When the Middle
East Times pressed to enter the area in order to talk with
demonstrators, security used force, saying "we [security] have clear
orders not to allow anyone in. Press is not allowed."
The officer, who called himself Omar, without giving a surname, added
"if you take a picture, we have orders to arrest you and take the camera
if we must. Those are my orders."
In the past, Egyptian security have been quick to allow journalists,
especially foreign reporters, to enter the area around demonstrations,
but with the growing success of Brotherhood power following the Israeli
attack on Gaza, Cairo appears ready to force out all coverage of the
demonstrations.
After an hour of chanting and flag waving, the hundreds of demonstrators
peacefully left the area without an altercation with police. According
to a few activists, at least two Brotherhood members have been detained,
although this is unconfirmed as of Monday evening.
A little over an hour later, more than 100 activists from Egypt's
leftist movement, including members of the opposition Kifaya (Enough)
movement, gathered on the steps of the Press Syndicate in the day's
final pro-Gaza demonstration.
Although the main focus of the protest was support for Gaza, including
chants that "Hamas is not a terrorist organization" and "resistance is
not terrorism," the demonstration spiraled into an anti-President Hosni
Mubarak protest at times. There were chants of "down with Hosni Mubarak"
and a number of cries for the interior ministry to leave activists alone.
The main focus of the demonstration, however, was not lost, as toward
the end of the festivities, an Israeli flag was burned to the cheers of
supporters. The activists also called on Egypt to do more to end the
violence and death that has plagued the Palestinian territory since
Israel began its offensive on Dec. 27.
"We call on Mubarak to open the Rafah border and allow for Palestinians
to be safe," one activist told the Middle East Times.
Activism and protests have been an almost daily occurrence across Egypt,
where the role of the Egyptian government's alleged knowledge of
Israel's actions beforehand has been questioned by many, including both
the Brotherhood and left-leaning activists.
"It shows that the government is afraid of us and that is why they use
so much violence against us when we are protesting against Israel. They
are afraid of the truth we know about them," said Ahmed, a Brotherhood
supporter, who asked that his surname remain anonymous due to security
concerns.
Across the region, Arabs have been frustrated by what they view as a
muted response from their leaders. In Cairo, this is no different, and
with the massive police presence and removal of journalists from the
area it appears the Egyptian government is looking to stem the media
coverage of demonstrations that until now, have been largely
anti-Israeli, but as evidenced by Monday evening's protest at the Press
Syndicate, can turn anti-government rather quickly.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L9424067.htm
Egyptian protesters, police clash in Gaza protests
09 Jan 2009 15:06:32 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Yusri Mohamed
EL ARISH, Egypt, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Egyptian demonstrators pelted police
with stones in the Sinai peninsula on Friday when officers tried to
break up a protest against Israel's offensive in Gaza, security sources
and witnesses said.
Thousands demonstrated in other Egyptian cities after Friday prayers,
demanding Egypt open its border with Gaza to help supply food and
medicine, but protests were dispersed by police.
Five members of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood were detained when
they tried to protest outside downtown Cairo's al-Azhar mosque, a major
seat of Sunni learning, security sources who did not give their names
told Reuters.
About 1,500 protesters outside the Rafae mosque in the coastal city of
El Arish threw stones at police trying to stop the demonstration,
injuring three. Police beat demonstrators with batons. Some demanded
Egypt expel Israel's ambassador.
Demonstrators in downtown Alexandria, on the Mediterranean coast,
shouted slogans against Israel and in support of Hamas.
"We are very angry about the dead people, the women, and the children,
in Gaza," said Hassan Ismail, 40. "We are asking the Egyptian government
to open the Rafah border crossing and we are asking that food and
supplies as well as weapons be sent to Hamas."
Some held up fake rockets in a show of support for Hamas.
Israel says it wants to stop rockets fired into its territory by Hamas
militants who control Gaza. Medical officials say the Palestinian death
toll is at least 783, more than a third children. Ten Israeli soldiers
have been killed and Palestinian rockets have killed three Israeli
civilians.
Israel pushed on with the offensive on Friday, ignoring the U.N.
Security Council's call for an immediate ceasefire.
Egyptian protesters temporarily blocked a bridge over Egypt's Suez Canal
after security forces refused to let them cross over toward the border
with Gaza.
"We are a people's convoy demanding that the Egyptian government open
the border," said Salma Said, 23.
She said the group of about 100 protesters, including French, English,
and Americans, were later allowed to continue towards Rafah, where they
hoped to demonstrate.
The Egyptian government says opening its Rafah crossing fully without
the presence of the Palestinian Authority of President Mahmoud Abbas in
Gaza would give legitimacy to Hamas' rule in Gaza.
In the Nile Delta town of Tanta, Egyptian police broke up a 1,500 strong
protest after prayers, security sources said. (Additional reporting and
writing by Will Rasmussen)
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=265662&version=1&template_id=37
50,000 Egyptians stage protest amid worldwide fury over Gaza
Protesters burn an Israeli flag and hit it with shoes during a
demonstration in Kuwait City yesterday
ALEXANDRIA, Egypt: More than 50,000 Egyptians rallied after Friday
prayers to condemn Israel’s ongoing assault against Hamas in the Gaza
Strip, in the biggest such protest of the day worldwide.
Legislators affiliated with the opposition Muslim Brotherhood led the
protest in the ancient Mediterranean port city that echoed to such
slogans as “Down with Israel and with every collaborator.”
The anger was directed not only at the Jewish state, but at Arab regimes
deemed to be complicit in the ongoing Israeli blockade of Gaza that has
stopped refugees from getting out and humanitarian aid from getting in.
“Gaza, excuse us — opening Rafah is not in our hands,” went another
slogan, referring to the Gaza-Egyptian border crossing that President
Hosni Mubarak’s government in Cairo is refusing to keep open permanently.
A security official put the turnout at 50,000. Riot police were seen by
an AFP correspondent in Alexandria trying to prevent the demonstration
from taking place — only to give up because of the sheer numbers of
protesters.
In the Egyptian capital, riot police foiled demonstrations outside a
number of mosques after the ministry of religious affairs instructed
imams not to refer to Gaza in their sermons.
“They were warned to stay away from the Hamas topic and not to incite
the masses,” the security official said, adding that 35 opposition
activists had been arrested in the morning.
In Kuwait, around 3,000 gathered outside parliament and the seat of
government, shouting “shame, shame” against Arab inaction vis-a-vis Gaza.
In Jordan, police stopped more than 2,000 demonstrators from reaching
the Israeli embassy in the capital Amman. The crowd had set off from
Friday prayers at the Kaloti mosque, about 1km away.
The protesters — wearing chequered Palestinian keffiyehs (scarves), and
carrying Palestinian and Jordanian flags — chanted “No Israeli embassy
on Arab territory” and “Arab rulers are cowards.”
Unable to reach the embassy, protesters instead set up a symbolic
cemetery in memory of the nearly 800 killed so far in Gaza, with the
word “Gazan” scrawled on each mock grave.
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=163479
Turkey-Israel basketball game suspended after Gaza protests
A basketball game between Turkish team Türk Telekom and Israeli team
Bnei Hasharon was suspended on Tuesday after Turkish fans erupted in
protest against the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The referee suspended the match between Türk Telekom and Bnei Hasharon,
part of a European basketball championship, and ordered the players back
to the dressing room after hundreds of Türk Telekom fans began chanting
“Israel, killers!” and “God is great” in an Ankara sports arena. The
players of Türk Telekom also withdrew to their dressing rooms amid the
chaos. Turkish fans hurled coins and other objects at Israeli players,
and one fan threw his shoe at some Israeli players, but police used riot
shields to protect them.
Bnei Hasharon refused to start the contest an hour and a half later,
though police said they had cleared the arena. A disciplinary judge in
the Union of European Basketball Leagues (ULEB) will review the
situation and make a final ruling. Under league rules, the refusal to
play a game by a team can be sanctioned, and the opposing team can be
declared as the winner of the game by 20-0.
A group of citizens gathered earlier outside the sports arena and
protested the match, setting an Israeli flag on fire. The group, made up
of members of the Association of Human Rights and Solidarity for
Oppressed Peoples (MAZLUMDER) and the Humanitarian Aid Foundation (İHH),
made a statement to the press before the match.
The group’s spokesperson said: “While Israel is bombing ambulances and
health care centers in the Gaza Strip, the so-called human rights
defender European Union remains silent. History will remember those
supporting this violence with a curse.” Although the group tried to
enter the arena, they were not allowed to by police, and they continued
their protests until the game was suspended.
The Israeli team departed from Ankara early Wednesday via the Ankara
Esenboða Airport and came to İstanbul amid strict security measures. The
team flew to Tel Aviv from İstanbul Atatürk Airport.
In the meantime, the Israeli press covered the suspension of the match
as “Terror in Turkey for Bnei Hasharon.” The Jerusalem Post, an Israeli
newspaper, reported that the team had witnessed “terror.” Bnei Hasharon
captain Meir Tapiro also said the players were very frightened. “They
threw shoes, cigarette lighters, water bottles. We were holed up in the
dressing room with police protection,” Tapiro told Israeli Channel 5
television.
The Israelis were angered by the possibility that the game would be
awarded as a technical victory to Türk Telekom because Bnei Hasharon
refused to start the contest an hour and a half later, after police said
they had cleared the arena.
Bnei Hasharon Chairman Eldad Akunis said the decision would be scandalous.
“After such a trying ordeal, there was simply no point in playing. The
players were just concerned for their safety,” Akunis said. “We were
also given instructions by the Israeli Embassy staff, who were
monitoring the situation, not to play.”
08 January 2009, Thursday
TODAY'S ZAMAN WITH WIRES İSTANBUL
http://english.sina.com/world/2009/0104/209129.html
Israeli offensive against Gaza protested throughout Turkey
2009-01-04 15:33:05 GMT2009-01-04 23:33:05 (Beijing Time) Xinhua English
ANKARA, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of people on Sunday joined
demonstrations across Turkey to protest against the Israeli raids on
Gaza, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.
Political parties and non-governmental organizations held demonstrations
in different provinces protesting the Israeli strikes, according to the
report.
Thousands of people attended the demonstrations, chanting slogans and
carrying banners condemning Israel and demanding an immediate halt to
Israeli bombing in Gaza Strip, said the report, adding that some
protesters burnt Israeli flags and effigies.
The report said the Felicity Party held a rally in Istanbul to protest
against the Israeli incursion and Turkish security forces took tight
measures during the rally.
Nearly 500 people have been killed and thousands of others injured since
the beginning of Israeli offensive against Gaza on Dec. 27.
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=163482
Thousands march in Taksim to protest Gaza attack
Nearly 4,000 people from the Confederation of Turkish Labor Unions
(Türk-İş) and a number of NGOs protested Israel’s ongoing assault on the
Gaza Strip along İstiklal Street in Taksim on Wednesday. Having gathered
at Tünel Square, demonstrators marched towards Taksim Square protesting
the Israeli attacks.
The group made a statement to the press and demanded that the government
cancel all agreements with Israel. Several people held a huge banner
reading “We curse Israel’s ferocity.”
Protestors also chanted “We stand shoulder-to-shoulder against cruelty,”
“Murderer Israel, leave the Middle East” and “Israel will be drowned in
the blood of martyrs.”
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2008/12/28/turkey-anti-israel-protests/
Turkey: Anti-Israel Protests
Sunday, December 28th, 2008 @ 03:23 UTC
by Deborah Ann Dilley
Erkan's Field Diary posts photos of the anti-Israel protest in
Istanbul's Taksim Square in response to recent attacks on Palestinians.
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=163032
Thousands of Turks protest Israeli strikes on Gaza
Turkish news agencies report that thousands of people have gathered
outside mosques across the country to protest Israeli air strikes on Gaza.
Some 5,000 people denounced the raids outside a mosque in İstanbul after
Friday prayers, burning Israeli and U.S. flags and reciting funeral
prayers for the victims.
The state-run Anatolia news agency says similar protests were held in
several other Turkish cities.
Turkey has strongly criticized Israel for its airstrikes and has warned
the battle threatens to escalate into a wider crisis across the region.
Turkey is Israel's closest ally in the region. Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdoğan is working on a plan to try to end the violence.
http://www.breitbart.com/image.php?id=iafp081228014727.366e9oe1p6&show_article=1
A Turkish muslim holds a Palestinian flag during a protest in Istanbul
A Turkish muslim holds a Palestinian flag during a protest in Istanbul
on December 27. Israeli warplanes have hammered targets in the Gaza
Strip in retaliation for rocket fire, killing at least 228 people in one
of the bloodiest days of the decades-long Middle East conflict.
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=163082
İstanbul prepares for mass protest against Israel on Sunday
Thousands of people protested Israel in İstanbul’s Beyazıt Square after
Friday prayers.
İstanbul's Çağlayan Square will tomorrow be venue for a mass
demonstration in protest of Israel's ongoing bombing raids in Gaza, with
around 200 non-governmental organizations expected to participate in the
demonstration.
Teoman Rıza Güneri, deputy chairman of the Saadet (Felicity) Party which
has arranged the demonstration, said yesterday that they aimed at
showing solidarity with Palestinian people through this demonstration.
Güneri added that they expected 1 million people's participation in the
demonstration to which they also invited officials from the Palestinian
government. He said Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya television channels will
live broadcast the demonstration at the Çağlayan Square.
As of yesterday, protests were also held after Friday prayers in many
cities around Turkey against Israel's assault, which has killed more
than 400 people.
At Beyazıt Square of İstanbul, around 10,000 people gathered after
Friday prayer. After performing funeral pray in absentia for
Palestinians killed by Israeli attacks, some protesters burned Israel
and US flags, while the crowd shouted slogans as saying: "Damn on
Israel, salute to Hamas, continue to resistance;" "Murderer Israel, get
out of Palestine;" "Government, do not sleep and support Palestine."
Some of the protesters at the Beyazıt Square were carrying toy babies in
blood, symbolizing babies killed in Gaza.
At another place in İstanbul, in Göztepe district, hundreds of students
at the Marmara University held a marching against Israel, while carrying
banners against Israel. Marmara University Rector Necla Pur led the
group which called on the UN, Organization of the Islamic Conference and
the Arab League for urgent action in support of Palestinians.
In the capital of Ankara, a group shouted slogans against Israel after
they left the Hacı Bayram Mosque following Friday pray. "It is not
possible for us to remain silent to this acute brutality and genocide,"
a press statement read out by a member of the group said, urging the
government to suspend its diplomatic, commercial and military relations
with Israel.
In Kayseri, a group performed funeral pray in absentia for killed Gazans
following Friday pray that they performed at the Hunat Mosque. The group
shouted "Allahu akbar," Arabic for "God is great" as well as slogans
against Israel and the United States.
In Denizli, members of a group of NGOs held a demonstration following
the Friday pray, as they carried banners with photographs of
Palestinians killed in Gaza. In Hatay, a group of demonstrators also
performed funeral prays in absentia for Gazans killed in the latest
attacks, while shouting "Allahu akbar."
http://www.topnews.in/turks-protest-israeli-invasion-gaza-2104491
Turks protest Israeli invasion of Gaza
Submitted by Mohit Joshi on Sun, 01/04/2009 - 12:18.
Istanbul - Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Istanbul
Sunday to protest Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip.
To the backdrop of large screens broadcasting Al-Jazeera news reports of
Israeli ground operations, the protesters in Caglayan Square on the
European side of the city shouted "death to Israel" and "we are all
Palestinians".
"We are here to share our feelings with the Palestinians", a young man
at the rally told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry meanwhile called on Israel immediately to
halt operations.
"Once again we call on Israel to put an end to its military actions
before the region becomes more precarious," the Foreign Ministry said in
a written statement.
"It is evident that raising tensions will not serve efforts to ensure
peace and stability in the region. Attempts to find a solution to the
problem through military methods will not yield any results except for
causing more bloodshed and more tears," the statement said.
Meanwhile, police stepped up security near prominent synagogues in
Istanbul Sunday and erected metal barriers around the house of Turkey's
chief rabbi.
There were also small protests in Ankara Sunday outside the Israeli
embassy. (dpa)
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-12/30/content_10581910.htm
Turkish-Israeli inter-parliamentary friendship group officials resign in
protest of Israeli air raid over Gaza
Special report: Palestine-Israel Conflicts
ANKARA, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Senior officials of Turkey's ruling Justice
and Development Party (AKP) has resigned from the Turkish-Israeli
Inter-Parliamentary friendship group over the Israeli attacks on Gaza
Strip, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported on Tuesday.
Egemen Bagis, deputy chairman of the ruling party, announced on Tuesday
his resignation from the Turkish-Israeli Inter-Parliamentary friendship
group, saying that Israel's attacks on Gaza have caused sorrow for the
Jewish citizens of Turkey, and this move was a show of disrespect
towards Turkey.
On Monday, Murat Mercan, Chairman of Turkish Parliamentary Foreign
Affairs Committee, also resigned as member of the Turkish-Israeli
Inter-Parliamentary friendship group.
"Israel's recent attack in Gaza tore a hole in people," Mercan, a deputy
of the ruling AKP, was quoted as saying.
"As what I can do is limited, I resigned in reaction to the attack. I
also think that this operation was a sign of disrespect to Turkey," he said.
More than 300 people were killed while hundreds of others injured in
Israel's attacks on Gaza in the past three days.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/01/30/2478960.htm
Turkish PM home to hero's welcome after Israel clash
Posted Fri Jan 30, 2009 11:40pm AEDT
The Turkish Prime Minister has returned home to thousands of cheering
supporters, hours after clashing with the Israeli President over the
recent fighting in Gaza.
Demonstrators waved Turkish and Palestinian flags in Istanbul upon Recep
Tayyip Erdogan's return from the World Economic Forum in Davos.
During his heated exchange with Shimon Peres, Mr Erdogan said he found
it sad that anyone applauded the president for defending Israel's war in
Gaza.
He has since said he does not want to rush into any diplomatic decisions.
"On Turkish-Israeli relations we would want to base our decision on
careful consideration. I made it clear many times our hard words are not
directed towards the people of Israel," he said.
"But they are totally directed towards the Government of Israel."
- BBC
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/249454,indonesian-protestors-storm-kfc-over-israels-gaza-attacks.html
Indonesian protestors storm KFC over Israel's Gaza attacks
Posted : Thu, 08 Jan 2009 09:06:07 GMT
Author : DPA
Category : Australasia (World)
Jakarta - Protestors in Indonesia's Central Sulawesi province on
Thursday stormed an outlet of the US fast food chain KFC during a
demonstration against Israel's raids on the Gaza Strip, police and a
restaurant employee said. About 200 protestors rallied outside the
popular chicken restaurant in the provincial capital Palu to condemn
Israel's attacks on Gaza and US support for the Jewish state, burning
American and Israeli flags, police said.
Some of the protestors entered the restaurant, overturning tables and
chairs and smashing the signboard, said an employee of the restaurant,
who declined to give his name.
The restaurant was closed after the attack and management had not
decided when to reopen, he said.
"I think they protested here because KFC is an American restaurant. But
it is owned by an Indonesian," he said.
No one was hurt in the incident, he said.
The KFC restaurant in Palu has been a target of anti-American protests
in the past.
Meanwhile, police in the Central Java provincial capital Semarang
stopped dozens of students who tried to enter a hotel to look for
foreigners during an anti-Israeli protest, the state Antara news agency
reported.
The students then staged a rally outside the hotel, shouting slogans
against Israel and the United States.
Indonesia has seen daily protests since Israel launched strikes on Gaza
earlier this month in what it says is a defensive move to halt rocket
attacks on its territory by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24888038-12335,00.html
Students storm KFC in Gaza protest
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From correspondents in Palu, Indonesia | January 08, 2009
Article from: Agence France-Presse
ANGRY Indonesian Muslim students stormed a KFC restaurant today in
protest against Israel's military strikes on the Gaza Strip.
About 300 protesters gathered outside the US fast food outlet in Palu,
Central Sulawesi, waving Palestinian flags, burning US and Israeli
emblems and carrying banners condemning Israel as a "terrorist and
criminal" state.
A handful of demonstrators then stormed the restaurant, overturning
tables and chairs.
"KFC's licence is from America, an important Israeli ally. In consuming
US products it means that we give financial contributions to Israel's
military strikes on the Palestinian people," protest coordinator Maful
Haruna said.
The restaurant, which was closed following the protest, was set to
reopen tomorrow, management said.
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, is a strong
supporter of the Palestinian cause and does not recognise Israel.
The Israeli offensive against Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in the
Gaza Strip, which began on December 27, has so far killed 702
Palestinians and wounded 3100, Gaza medics say.
http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2009/1/16/protesters-throw-rotten-eggs-at-western-fast-food-restaurant/
01/16/09 13:29
Protesters throw rotten eggs at Western fast-food restaurant
Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA News) - Some 60 members of the
Majelis Mujahiddin and Laskar Muhahiddin organizations threw rotten eggs
at a Western fast-food restaurant in an anti-Israeli rally here on Friday.
Darmawan, the rally`s coordinator, called for a boycott of US products,
arguing that the USA was funding the Israeli military aggression in
Palestine.
The protesters also demanded to meet the managements of two Western
fast-food restaurants in Mataram to ask them to replace their Western
food products with local NTB and Indonesian food.
Meanwhile, in Medan (North Sumatra), on Friday, Dr. Iskandar Zulkarnain,
an international media observer, urged the United Nations to investigate
the killing of Fadal Shana (23), a Reuters television journalist, by
Israeli troops in Gaza, Palestine, recently.
"The death of the pressman who was doing noble and humanitarian work,
must be investigated," he said.
Under international laws on warfare , medical personnel helping war
victims and journalists covering wars must be protected and not be shot,
he said.
He suspected that the Israeli troops had deliberately shot the Reuters
journalist.
If it was proven that Fadal Shana was killed by the Zionist soldiers
deliberately, the Israeli government must be held responsible for
violating the international law, he said. (*)
http://itn.co.uk/videos/3f7d5eed0f56c69aeb07b134cd63730e.html
Indonesian anti-Israel students protest and break into KFC - video
Updated 09.25 Fri Jan 09 2009
Indonesian anti-Israel student protesters break into a branch of the
American fast food chain KFC to show solidarity to the Palestinian cause. .
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/01/2009118102611687316.html
Lebanese protest targets US embassy
Protesters called for the expulsion of the US ambassador to Lebanon
[Reuters]
Several demonstrators have been injured in clashes between Lebanese
security forces and protested who rallied in front of the US embassy
near Beirut, Lebanon's capital.
More than 200 people carried Lebanese and Palestinian flags on Sunday to
show their solidarity with the Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Hanan Zbeeb, a protester, said: "We are here to protest against the
aggression on Gaza and against the 1,200 martyrs and 5,500 wounded."
Members of the rally broke through barbed wire near the embassy, and
security forces used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowd.
Some demonstrators regrouped and continued to protest, calling on the US
ambassador to be expelled from the country.
Demonstrators had also placed dolls representing babies killed during
Israeli's war on the barbed wire barricade outside the building.
The protest comes amid sporadic fire after Israel began a unilateral
cessation of hostilities early on Sunday morning in its 22-day war on
the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, which has so far killed more than 1,200
people since December 27.
http://news.indiainfo.com/2008/12/28/0812280159_lebanon.html
Hundreds in Lebanon protest Sunday, December 28, 2008 01:57 [IST]
Beirut: Hundreds of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon Saturday marched to
the Egyptian embassy here to protest against the Israeli raids on Gaza.
Riot police have thrown a security ring around the embassy in western
Beirut to prevent the protesters from entering into the premises,
Hezbollah Al-Nour radio reported.
Lebanese soldiers were also deployed to control the situation, it said.
The protesters were from the Palestinian refugee camp Bourj el-Barajneh
in the southern part of the city.
On Saturday morning, Israel launched massive air strikes against
Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, hitting more than 30 targets, mostly security
compounds of the Islamic Hamas movement.
According to Palestinian officials, at least 200 people were killed and
750 others wounded in the attacks.
Source : IANS
http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/getstory?openform&9FF33B8193A63BD9C22575350046C52B
Security Forces Clash With Anti-Israel Protesters Near U.S. Embassy
Lebanese security forces on Monday used water hoses to disperse
protesters rallying near the U.S. Embassy in Awkar against Israel's
ground offensive on Gaza.
Some 500-university students hurled sticks at police and tried to break
through the barbed wire fence outside the heavily fortified embassy.
Police opened water hoses in a bid to push the protesters back.
On Sunday, five civilians and one policeman were lightly injured when
police first used water hoses and later fired tear gas to push
demonstrators away from the embassy.
In Syria, about 5,000 people held another anti-Israel demonstration in
Damascus. The protesters burned effigies of the U.S. president and
Israeli foreign minister and called on Hizbullah to fire rockets on
Israel.(AP)
Beirut, 05 Jan 09, 15:00
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/international/middle-east/2009/01/05/190586/Lebanon-anti-riot.htm
Monday, January 5, 2009 10:01 am TWN, AFP
Lebanon anti-riot police teargas protesters near U.S. Embassy
BEIRUT -- Lebanon anti-riot police fired teargas and water cannons at
dozens of demonstrators who protested near the U.S. Embassy on Sunday
against Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip, an AFP photographer said.
The incident occurred when some 100 protesters, mainly partisans of the
communist party and other leftists groups, tried to overrun barbed wire
blocking access to the embassy compound in Awkar, just north of Beirut.
At least two protesters were hurt in the confrontation.
Meanwhile thousands of people demonstrated outside U.N. headquarters in
Beirut against the Israeli ground offensive launched late Saturday on
Gaza after eight days of deadly air and sea bombardments.
Protesters carried effigies of U.S. President George W. Bush and acting
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, both with shoes sticking out of
their mouths, as well as flags of the Islamist Hamas which rules Gaza.
Last month an Iraqi journalist threw shoes at Bush during his farewell
visit to Baghdad.
Overnight thousands of Palestinians held night vigils and protests in
several refugee camps in southern Lebanon, torching Israeli flags and
pictures of Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak, an AFP correspondent said.
http://es.quote.com/news/story.action?id=RTT901180704000007
Protestors' move to attack U.S. embassy in Beirut foiled
Sunday January 18, 2009 07:04:00 EST
(RTTNews) - Outrageous protests against Israel's attacks on the Gaza
Strip, held near the U.S. embassy in Lebanese capital Beirut, were dealt
with tear gas and water cannons on Sunday.
Lebanese security forces dispersed 200-strong demonstrators who tried to
cut through the barbed wire near the Embassy.
Reports said the demonstrators, carrying Lebanese and Palestinian flags,
were fend off while trying to cross the barricade to the mission
compound in Awkar, north of Beirut.
They demanded that the U.S. ambassador be expelled from Lebanon.
Injuries have been reported in the use of force.
The protests in Beirut has been the latest in a series of demonstrations
held over the past three weeks in many parts of the world against
Israel's Gaza attack.
http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/getstory?openform&B8FB6B3EC53DD18FC225752C0058BCAB
Protesters Demonstrate near Egypt Embassy after Israel Raids on Gaza
Hundreds of protesters against Israel's deadly raids on the Gaza Strip
demonstrated near the Egyptian embassy in Lebanon on Saturday amid a
greatly reinforced security presence, an AFP journalist said.
The embassy was transformed into a veritable fortress as dozens of
soldiers and other members of the security forces were deployed.
The protesters, mostly from Hizbullah stronghold in Beirut's southern
suburbs, were kept several hundred meters away from the building in the
Bir Hassan area, where other Arab embassies are also located.
Riot police prevented demonstrators and journalists from approaching the
embassy complex by blocking off nearby streets.
Some shots were also heard, but it was not known who fired them.
In Cairo on Thursday, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni vowed to
strike back at the Islamist Hamas rulers of Gaza after a sharp
escalation of violence in the Palestinian territory dashed hopes of a
new truce.
A six-month truce ended on December 19.
Hamas said Saturday's blitz killed at least 160 people and medics said
around 300 people were wounded, 120 of them seriously.
Earlier hundreds more Palestinians protested in south Lebanon.
Demonstrators in Ain el-Hilweh -- the largest of the country's 12
refugee camps with 45,000 residents -- burned tires and dustbins and
blocked the main road.(AFP)
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE4BT2SL20090101
Iran Gaza protesters, police scuffle at Jordan embassy
Thu Jan 1, 2009 10:55am EST
By Zahra Hosseinian
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian students scuffled with riot police near the
Jordanian embassy on Thursday after some hardline groups threatened to
seize the building in the latest protest linked to Israel's attacks in Gaza.
Demonstrators demanded the mission's closure and pushed back police who
had blocked the street leading to the embassy in Tehran, some of them
briefly breaking through the cordon before being chased back.
A few hurled shoes at police, who fought back with batons. One young man
with blood on his face was helped by a fellow student, a photograph made
available to Reuters showed.
The rally ended after a representative of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's
supreme leader, told the crowd of hundreds of people not to break into
embassies or clash with police.
Israel's military action has prompted days of protests in the Islamic
Republic, mainly by students who accuse Arab and Western leaders of not
doing enough to stop the Jewish state. On Tuesday, students broke into a
British diplomatic compound.
"You the Jordanian traitors -- shame, shame," protesters chanted at
Thursday's demonstration.
In another protest, thousands of students marched in downtown Tehran,
some wearing white funeral shrouds showing they were "ready for
martyrdom," Iranian media reported. A small rally also took place
outside the British embassy.
Khamenei, Iran's top authority, has urged Muslims to defend Palestinians
whatever way they can and a group of Iranian hardline clerics is signing
up volunteers to fight in Gaza.
Iranian officials have condemned what they say is international inaction
and bias toward Israel, Iran's arch-foe.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who often predicts Israel's demise, urged
Arab leaders on Wednesday to act quickly to end Israeli air strikes that
have killed at least 399 Palestinians.
An Iranian daily this week said hardline student groups had written
letters to the Jordanian ambassador and the head of the Egyptian mission
"giving them 48 hours to choose between clearly condemning Israel's
attack on Gaza or leaving Iran's soil."
Like Egypt, Jordan has a peace treaty with Israel.
If demands were not met by noon on Thursday students would "carry out
their revolutionary duty as happened on 13th Aban, 1358," the Iranian
date when students stormed the U.S. embassy in 1979, the Seda-ye Edalat
newspaper said.
Israel and the United States accuse Iran of seeking to develop nuclear
arm, a charge Tehran denies, and have not ruled out military action if
diplomacy fails to resolve the row.
(Additional reporting by Hashem Kalantari and Hossein Jaseb; Writing by
Fredrik Dahl; Editing by Katie Nguyen)
http://www.nowpublic.com/world/iran-protests-gaza-massacres-0
Iran Protests Gaza Massacres
uploaded by Rosie December 30, 2008 at 06:08 pm
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Press TV reported that in many cities of Iran stores were closed for the
rest of the day and many workers were sent home to show their support
for the Palestinians. Thousands poured to the streets of the Iranian
capital, Tehran, calling for an end to the massacre of Palestinians in
the Gaza Strip. Israel will not stop bombing Gaza to make a point in the
retaliation of Hamas strikes that have been occuring since the ceasefire
agreements ended over a week ago. Over 300 people have been killed.
Muslims and non-Muslims all over the world have staged protest rallies
against the war. Israel launched a series of deadly attacks on the Gaza
Strip on Saturday killing at over 300 Palestinians and injuring nearly
800. The strong arm of Israel against Hamas have triggered international
speculation and worry. This retaliation is now brutal and has shown the
strength of the Israel army. Hamas has got to stop sending rockets into
Israel if they want Israel to allow peace to begin. Israel is tired of
the Hamas firing rockets at will and has finally gotten tough and will
continue to bomb and kill Gaza residents if the Hamas does not end its
attacks on Israel.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/02/content_10594093.htm
Iranian protesters rally against Gaza raid
Iranian people hold a demonstration in Tehran, capital of Iran, on Jan.
2, 2009, to protest against Israel's continued air strikes on the Gaza
Strip. (Xinhua Photo)
TEHRAN, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian demonstrators started a rally
against Israel's Gaza raid after Friday prayers in the afternoon in Tehran.
Among the hundreds of the demonstrators, there were some high ranking
Iranian officials, including Vice President Parviz Davoodi, who made
their way to the Palestine Square in Tehran.
They were carrying the images of some Iranian leaders along with the
Lebanese Hezbollah leader.
people hold a demonstration in Tehran, capital of Iran, on Jan. 2, 2009,
to protest against Israel's continued air strikes on the Gaza Strip.
(Xinhua Photo)
The demonstrators were uninterruptedly chanting slogans to support the
Gaza resistance and condemn the silence of some Arab leaders, according
to Iranian Students news agency (ISNA).
"Shelling and bombing no more workable," "Zion knows nothing about Gaza
might," "Zion knows nothing about Lebanon's might," "Death with the
United States," and "Death with Israel" were among the protesters'
slogans, according to ISNA.
The statement released at the end of the rally called for the unity of
Muslim Ummah (community) against Israel and said that "the continuation
of the silence of some Arab leaders (concerning Gaza issue) is condemned."
people hold a demonstration in Tehran, capital of Iran, on Jan. 2, 2009,
to protest against Israel's continued air strikes on the Gaza Strip.
(Xinhua Photo)
Photo Gallery>>>
It also stressed that Iranians would be by the side of the resistance in
Gaza.
During the rally, donation boxes were set up to collect the monetary
donations of the participants.
Earlier on Sunday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei
issued a religious decree saying that "whoever fights for Gaza today and
killed is a martyr."
The Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip was under intensive Israeli air strikes for
the seventh successive day on Friday.
Since last Saturday, massive air raids on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip has
killed more than 400 Palestinians and injured near 2000 others.
Israel said the offensive was aimed at halting nearly daily cross-border
rocket attacks by the Palestinian militants.
Hamas is strongly backed by Iran which does not recognize Israel as a
state of the international community.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-12/30/content_10583175.htm
Students in Iran's Isfahan province protest Israeli raids
TEHRAN, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- University students of Iran's central
province of Isfahan on Tuesday protested about Israel's raids on the
Gaza Strip, the official IRNA news agency reported.
"Hundreds of students from universities of Isfahan province staged a
sit-in at Isfahan University of Technology on Tuesday to protest
Zionist's crimes in Gaza," the report said
They were chanting slogans such as "Death to Israel" and "Deathto the
U.S.", and strongly "criticized Arab states for keeping silence on the
inhuman crimes and genocide," according to IRNA.
On Monday, 7,000 university students from Iran's Isfahan city registered
to fight Israel.
"On the first day of registration to fight Zionist regime and to help
Palestinians, 7,000 students from the universities of Isfahan have
claimed readiness," Mohammad Zarifi, member of Iran's Students Islamic
Association, was quoted as saying by Iran's semi-official Fars news agency.
The registration came a day after Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei issued a religious decree saying whoever dies in fight with
Israel and in defense of Gaza would be a martyr.
The Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip was under intensive Israeli air strikes for
the fourth successive day on Tuesday.
About 380 Palestinians have so far been killed and 1,600 others wounded
in the powerful offensive which Israel said was in revenge for nearly
daily cross-border rocket attacks by Palestinian militants.
Hamas is strongly backed by Iran which does not recognize Israel as a
state of the international community.
http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2008/12/30/iranian-jews-protest-israeli-war-crimes-in-gaza/
12/30/08 19:42
Iranian Jews protest Israeli war crimes in Gaza
Tehran (ANTARA News/IRNA) - Different groups of Iran`s Jewish community
gathered in front of the United Nations office in Tehran Tuesday morning
protesting Israeli war crimes and slaughter of the innocent people in
Gaza Strip.
The protestors, accompanied by Representative of Jewish Community at
Majlis, Siamak Mara-Sedq, carried placards with anti-Israel slogans in
both Farsi and Hebrew.
Condemning Israel`s savage attacks on defenseless people of Gaza for
four days running, the protesters called for restoration of peace and
security to the region.
Also present in the rally was chairman of Iran`s Jews Association,
Rahmatollah Rafi, who said, "We are here to express our support and
sympathy with the Palestinian nation."
The final winners of this war are the people of Gaza, said the chairman
adding that the Islamic states could have become a big and strong power
against Israel, should they stay united and work together.
The Jewish official also criticized certain Arab governments for their
inaction and silence towards Israeli inhuman acts and war crimes in Gaza
and the entire Palestinian territories.
The Israeli warplanes stormed the besieged area since Saturday killing
around 400 Gazans mostly women and children and injuring more than 1,700
others.
Medical centers in Gaza announced on Monday that they could no longer
provide medical treatment to the victims due to their growing number.
The Israeli crimes against humanity in Gaza triggered waves of outrage
in different parts of the world both by Muslim and Non-Muslim nations.
Peoples express their anger and hatred by staging protest rallies
calling on international organizations and Western countries to help
stop slaughter of the innocent people by Israeli war criminals.
During the past four days various demonstrations were held in front of
the United Nations office in Tehran by different walks of life who have
called the international body to take due action to stop the Israeli
murderers.
The demonstrators also condemned the silence of international community
and that of certain Arab states vis-a-vis the ongoing atrocities against
innocent people in Gaza.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1230456535610
Dec 30, 2008 20:55 | Updated Dec 31, 2008 12:15
Iranian Jews protest Gaza 'slaughter'
By JPOST.COM STAFF
Different groups representing Iran's Jewish community on Tuesday
gathered in front of the United Nations office in Teheran in order to
protest "Israeli war crimes and the slaughter of the innocent people in
Gaza Strip," the Iranian IRNA news agency reported.
Iranian Jewish school girls and their Muslim teacher attend an
anti-Israel demonstration to condemn Israel over air attacks on the Gaza
Strip in front of the UN offices in Teheran, on Tuesday.
Photo: AP
The protesters, led by the Jewish representative in Parliament, Siamak
Mara-Sedq, carried placards with anti-Israel slogans in both Farsi and
Hebrew, the report said.
"We are here to express our support and sympathy with the Palestinian
nation," Rahmatollah Rafi, the chairman of Iran's Jewish community was
quoted as saying at the rally.
Hinting mainly at Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the report said that Rafi went
on to criticize "certain Arab governments for their inaction and silence
towards Israeli inhuman acts and war crimes in Gaza and the entire
Palestinian territories."
Separately, IRNA reported that in a Tuesday speech to the Iranian
parliament Mara-Sedq "expressed shock" over the "savage acts"
perpetrated by "the Tel Aviv regime."
The report said that the Jewish MP "expressed hope that all the
peace-loving nations and the true advocates of human rights would
thoroughly support the defenseless Palestinian people and make Israel
stop the genocide in the region by exerting pressure on Tel Aviv."
He also reportedly gave voice to the "hatred" the Iranian Jewish
Community harbors towards "the Israeli crimes."
According to the report, Mara-Sedq's remarks elicited a chorus of
anti-Israel and anti-US slogans from members of parliament.
Iranian Jewish leaders are often quoted as having given voice to extreme
anti-Israel views, but it is unclear whether these opinions are imposed
upon them by the regime.
Some 25,000 Jews live in Iran.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050663.html
28/12/2008
Suicide bomber kills 1, wounds 16 at protest against Gaza raids in Iraq
By The Associated Press Tags: israel news, gaza, hamas
A suicide bomber on a bicycle blew himself up Sunday amid a crowd of
demonstrators in northern Iraq who were protesting Israel's air strikes
on Gaza, killing one demonstrator and wounding 16 others, Iraqi police said.
The bomber rode his bicycle into the demonstration of about 1,300 people
in the center of the northern city of Mosul, said a police officer who
spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak
with news media.
The demonstration was organized by the Sunni Iraqi Islamic Party. The
party's Mosul spokesman, Yahiya Abid Mahjoub, complained that police and
the Iraqi army had not taken security precautions for the demonstration.
There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack, the officer said.
"The ones who targeted our brothers in Gaza are the same who targeted us
in Mosul today. They are agents of Israel," Mahjoub said.
U.S. and Iraqi forces continue to battle al-Qaida and other insurgents
in Mosul, Iraq's third largest city, where economic and political
problems persist. The issues are complicated by Kurdish-Arab tensions in
the city.
Also Sunday, police in Fallujah said a bomb exploded on the outskirts of
the city, killing two civilians and wounding four others.
A police officer said the bomb exploded in a parking lot where farmers
and other merchants gather to buy and sell goods. A U.S. military
spokesman, Army Capt. Charles Calio, confirmed the casualty toll but
added that the bomb targeted a police patrol.
Delivery trucks and other vehicles that do not have access permits for
Fallujah are not allowed to drive into the city, which is west of Baghdad.
The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not allowed to
release information to the news media.
Iraq's government also condemned Israel's airstrikes on Gaza, which
began Saturday.
In a statement, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Iraq is
demanding that Israel immediately halt attacks on Gaza and called on the
international community "to take the necessary steps to stop this attack."
Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, said
condemnation didn't go far enough.
"Expressing condemnation and denunciation for what is going on against
our brothers in Gaza and expressing solidarity with them by words only
doesn't mean anything in the face of the big tragedy they are facing,"
he said in a statement released by office in Najaf.
"Now more than at any other time, both Arab and Islamic nations are
required to take a practical stance for the sake of stopping this
repeated aggression and to break the unfair besieging of these brave
people," the statement said, without giving details of the proposed stance.
In Samarra, 60 miles (95 kilometers) north of Baghdad, hundreds of
protesters gathered to denounce the air strikes.
The demonstrators also condemned "the Arab silence and the humiliating
stance of Arab rulers," said Mahdi al-Aran, a local member of the Iraqi
Islamic Party.
About 100 people took to the streets in Baghdad's largest Palestinian
neighborhood, a complex of 16 apartment blocks surrounded by Shiite
areas in the Baladiyat district, to protest the attacks. Some carried
signs denouncing Israel and others carried flags.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?col=§ion=middleeast&xfile=data/middleeast/2008/December/middleeast_December558.xml
Iraq protestors demand Arab response to Gaza
(Reuters)
28 December 2008
BAGHDAD - Protestors burned Israeli flags and fired AK-47s into the air
in protests across Iraq on Sunday, demanding a stronger response from
Arab nations to the Israeli attack on Gaza.
A teenage boy was killed in one protest in the volatile northern city of
Mosul when a suicide bomber on a bicycle detonated explosives in a crowd
of around 300 protestors.
It was not clear why the bomber would have targeted an anti-Israeli
rally. Police said 17 people were wounded in the attack in Mosul, a last
stronghold for Sunni Islamist al Qaeda and other militants as violence
subsides across Iraq.
In Baladiyat, a Baghdad district that is home to many Palestinians given
refuge in Iraq under Saddam Hussein, men waved banners and condemned
Arab nations for not doing enough to support Palestinians.
‘We have been waiting for an action from Arab leaders for almost 60
years,’ Jaleel al-Qasus, the Palestinian envoy to Iraq, said during the
protest of several hundred people.
‘Our efforts have been in vain.’
Several thousand people protested in the city of Samarra, a Sunni Arab
city north of Baghdad and a few hundred took to the streets in Falluja
in the mainly Sunni province of Anbar.
‘Arab silence is behind the bombings,’ one banner read.
The protests took place as Israel launched more air strikes on Gaza on
Sunday following attacks on Saturday initiated in response to rocket and
mortar fire from Gaza militants.
The attacks, some of the worst in 60 years of Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, incensed many in Iraq.
Iraq hosted some 30,000 Palestinian refugees before the U.S.-led
invasion of Iraq in 2003. Many of them found themselves victim of
attacks or threats once the war began, partly because they were seen as
clients of the deposed leader Saddam.
Many have fled, and several thousand Palestinian refugees have been
stranded at camps near the Iraq-Syria border waiting to find a new home
abroad for more than two years.
The demonstrations in support of Palestinians, many of whom are Sunni
Muslims, in Mosul and Falluja were organized by the Iraq’s Sunni Arab
Islamic Party.
The office of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the reclusive cleric who
has peerless influence among Shi’ites in Iraq, issued a statement
condemning what he called a ‘savage’ operation.
‘The Arab and Muslim world demand, more than ever, a practical stance to
stop this never-ending offensive,’ it said.
Moqtada al-Sadr, the Shi’ite cleric who is a chief foe of the U.S.
presence in Iraq, criticised close U.S. ties to Israel.
He accused Israel of having little regard for civilians’ lives.
‘The massacre of innocents in Gaza is proof of what we are saying. All
this is happening with backing of the American government and colonial
states,’ he said in a statment.
http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/42521/refid/RSS-politics-01-01-2009
Sadrists Protest Gaza Attacks in Baghdad
Baghdad, 29 December 2008
The Sadrist Movement, or Iraqis loyal to Shiite Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr,
on Monday organized a demonstration at al-Mustansiriya Square, eastern
Baghdad
http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/43537/refid/RSS-latest-19-01-2009
Sadrists in Kut Protest Aggression on Gaza
Wassit, 17 January 2009
Hundreds of Sadrists, or Iraqis loyal to Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr,
on Friday staged a demonstration in protest of the Israeli attacks on Gaza
http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Iraq-News/1-26527-Palestinians-in-Baghdad-protest-against-Israeli-aggression.html
Palestinians in Baghdad protest against Israeli aggression
Saturday, January 10, 2009 08:20 GMT
In Iraq, tens of Palestinians demonstrated after Friday prayers in
Baghdad in protest to ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza Strip.
Protestors called on Islamic countries and the International Community
to interfere in order to halt the offensive.
http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/43474/refid/RSS-latest-16-01-2009
Oil Workers Stage Protests to Support Gaza
Basra, 16 January 2009
Hundreds of oil workers in Basra staged a demonstration on Thursday in
support of the Palestinians in Gaza and to condemn Israel.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200901090920.html
Garowe Online (Garowe)
Somalia: Thousands of People Protest Israel's Gaza Offensive
9 January 2009
Thousands of people took to the streets after Friday prayers in the
Muslim country of Somalia and neighboring Kenya, with protestors
chanting anti-Israel slogans, Radio Garowe reports.
The organized protests took place in Mogadishu, the national capital, as
well as in two provincial capitals under the rule of the Islamic Courts
Union (ICU).
Protestors in Mogadishu burned the Israeli flag and demanded that
Israeli troops pullback from Gaza, where a two-week military offensive
by Israeli Defense Forces has killed upwards of 700 people and wounded
3,000, mostly Palestinian civilians.
In Jowhar, the capital of Middle Shabelle region, an ICU-organized event
attracted hundreds of protestors after Friday prayers.
"It is our duty as Muslims to support the Muslims of Palestine," said
Sheikh Dahir Addow Alasow, the ICU governor of Middle Shabelle, calling
the Israeli military's offensive in Gaza a "genocide."
In the central regions, ICU leaders organized protests against the
Israeli government's use of force against civilian targets in Gaza, a
narrow strip of land that is home to 1.5 million people.
The protestors walked along major streets and finally gathered in front
of the main administration building in Beletwein, capital of Hiran
region, where protestors listened to speeches by local sheikhs and ICU
administrators.
"We must express solidarity with our Muslim brothers in Palestine," said
Sheikh Abdirahman Ibrahim Ma'ow, the ICU governor of Hiran.
Radio Garowe's correspondent in Beletwein commented that it was the
"largest protest in Hiran region."
In Kenya, protestors took to Nairobi city streets chanting and carrying
placards.
Most of the protestors were Somali and Kenyan Muslims, but the protest
also attracted people of other faiths who oppose Israel' s bloody
intervention in Gaza.
Kenyan security forces surrounded the Israeli embassy in Nairobi, where
some angry protestors had gathered in an intense stand-off that ended
peacefully.
The Israeli government contends that it sent its superior armed forces
to fight against Gaza's Hamas guerrillas after Hamas continued rocket
attacks against targets in southern Israel.
But the Israeli army's bloody intervention in Gaza has been widely
condemned.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/09/content_10632257.htm
Somalis protest against Israeli raids on Gaza
MOGADISHU, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of Somali demonstrators protested
after Friday prayers in Mogadishu and a number of other towns in the
war-torn Somalia against the Israeli raids on Gaza Strip in the Middle East.
People chanted slogans against the Israeli bombing in Gaza calling for
an immediate halt to the bombing which they say cause the death of
innocent children, women and the elderly.
Hundreds of people gathered outside the main Sheik Ali Sufi Mosque in
Mogadishu, as religious leaders spoke about "the suffering of the
Palestinian people," saying the current situation n Somalia will never
bar them from expressing their anger at what is happing in Gaza and
sharing the pain with the people of Palestine.
Sheik Ibrahim Suley, one of the most prominent Islamic scholar sin
Mogadishu, spoke with the protesters outside the main mosque.
"We are against the killing of innocent people and we share the pain and
suffering with the people of Gaza, because as Muslims we are as one body
-- if one part feels pains the whole body feels the pain," Suley told
the protesters who burned the Israeli flag.
In Beledweyne, the provincial capital of Hiran in central Somalia,
people also took to the streets and condemned the attack son Gaza
calling the international community to intervene.
Abdirahman Ibrahim Maow, senior local official in Beledweyne, spoke with
the protestors and urged "the people of Gaza be saved."
In Jawhar, hundreds of people gathered in the local stadium and chanted
anti-Israeli slogans and called for the immediate cessation of
hostilities in the Middle East.
Hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza were killed while nearly three thousand
others were wounded including women and children in raids by Israeli
fighter planes for nearly two weeks.
Israel says it wants to stop fighters of Hamas from firing rockets into
settlement posts close to the Gaza strip.
http://www.topnews.in/bangladeshis-protest-against-israeli-crimes-against-humanity-2111022
Bangladeshis protest against Israeli "crimes against humanity"
Submitted by Mohit Joshi on Fri, 01/16/2009 - 16:00.
Dhaka - Several Islamist parties in Muslim-dominated Bangladesh staged
demonstration Friday protesting the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip,
with rights groups calling for an end to Israel's "crime against humanity."
"We believe the atrocities in Gaza clearly constitute a crime against
humanity by the Israeli state," read a statement issued by Odhikar, a
Bangladeshi coalition of human rights groups. It expressed deep concern
over continued attacks by the Israeli military that have killed more
than 1,100 people, many of them civilian women and children.
The coalition called for the Bangladeshi government to apply diplomatic
pressure on Israel to force it to immediately agree to an unconditional
ceasefire and withdraw its forces from Palestine.
The group also requested United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki- Moon
to deploy a high-level commission to investigate what it calls gross
violations of human rights currently being perpetrated in Gaza.
Several hundred member of Islamist parties paraded through the streets
of Dhaka, chanting slogans against Israel and the United States,
charging them with attacking Muslims in the Middle East.
In separate rallies after the marches, Islamist leaders called upon
Muslims across the world to unite to protest atrocities on the Muslim
population.
Karamajibi Nari, a non-governmental organization of working women,
formed a human chain in the city, demanding an immediate end to the
killing of the innocent women and children in the Gaza Strip. They also
denounced the "imperialist" United States.
The Palestinian envoy to Dhaka, Shaher Mohammad, called upon the
Bangladeshi people to stand by the people of Palestine.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Thursday expressed deep concern over the
Gaza situation and asked Israel to stop the killing of innocent people.
(dpa)
http://www.voanews.com/bangla/archive/2009-01/2009-01-15-voa3.cfm?CFID=170957170&CFTOKEN=61061847&jsessionid=0030a3c39e1771a71b7f10353c1779245650
Dhaka University Students, Teachers Protest Against Israel’s Attacks
Against Gaza
By Matiur Rahman Chowdhury
Dhaka
15-January-2009
Dhaka university teachers and students, protesting against the Israeli
military operations in the Gaza Strip.
Students at Dhaka University in Bangladesh demonstrated on campus to
protest against Israeli attacks in Gaza.
The students and teachers of the University brought out a procession on
the campus and held a rally.
Professor Shirajul Islam Chowdhury said Israel is working against humanity.
Matiur Rahman Chowdhury has more on the story.
http://news.morningstar.com/newsnet/ViewNews.aspx?article=/DJ/200812310944DOWJONESDJONLINE000424_univ.xml
33 Protesters Arrested At Pro-Gaza Rally In Egypt's Cairo12-31-08 9:44
AM EST | E-mail Article | Print Article
CAIRO (AFP)--Egyptian police arrested 33 people at a demonstration of
around 3,000 people in central Cairo on Tuesday against Israel's
continuing assault on the Gaza Strip, a security official said.
The latest anti-Israeli protest was organized by Egyptian opposition
parties outside the Journalists' Union. People who tried to demonstrate
in neighboring streets were manhandled and arrested because "they risked
obstructing traffic."
Israel Wednesday rejected international calls for a truce.
http://www.thenational.ae/article/20081228/NATIONAL/500484909/1040/rss
Demonstrations in Abu Dhabi and Dubai
Rasha Abu Baker and Zoi Constantine
• Last Updated: December 28. 2008 11:42PM UAE / December 28. 2008 7:42PM GMT
ABU DHABI AND DUBAI // Hundreds of people staged demonstrations outside
Palestinian consulates in the UAE today to protest against the Israeli
airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.
More than a hundred people turned up to protest at a 5pm demonstration
outside the Palestinian embassy in Abu Dhabi.
In Dubai, the crowd, which included not only Palestinians and other
Arabs, but some westerners and children, converged on the consulate in
Bur Dubai shortly before noon.
Some of the protesters draped themselves in Palestinian flags, while
some also brandished placards bearing slogans such as “Get Israel Out”
and “Free Palestine”.
Palestinian community leaders addressed the crowd, which chanted
anti-Israeli slogans.
Samira Mahmoud, 27, from Gaza, said she had been closely following the
news since the bombings began on Saturday, and was anxious to return
home to call her sister who still lives in the strip there with her family.
"I called my sister immediately after hearing what happened. I wanted to
make sure that she and her children were OK. She told me her children
couldn't go to school and that they were very scared after hearing the
sounds of the bombs."
Mrs Mahmoud, who moved to Dubai with her husband and children two years
ago, said the situation in Gaza seemed out of control.
"The situation was bad before I left but now the situation has gone
beyond repair with the strongest attacks we have seen in a long time."
Faris Mansour, 40, from the US, said he wanted to show his solidarity
with the Palestinian people: "I heard the news yesterday and I was very
upset and disturbed. Gaza is a small area with nearly two million people
cramped in an area the size of a small neighbourhood.
“Dropping bombs indiscriminately near schools and residential areas was
inevitable. The hospitals are overcrowded and do not have the equipment
to cope with the numbers of injured."
http://arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=118170&d=15&m=1&y=2009&pix=world.jpg&category=World
15 January 2009 (18 Muharram 1430)
Solidarity Day with Gaza in UAE
Shadiah Abdullah | Arab News
STOP THE AGGRESSION: Thousands of Pakistanis protest against the Israeli
offensive on Gaza in Karachi on Wednesday. (Reuters)
DUBAI: The UAE yesterday organized a solidarity day to reach out to
Palestinian children in Gaza. Charities and government departments
organized lectures, exhibitions and fund-raising drives for the day.
On Friday the UAE held a nationwide telethon during which more than Dhs
300 million was raised. During yesterday’s event government departments
announced donations of millions of dirhams.
The General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Awqaf (GAIAA) donated AED6
million while Dubai Police donated AED2 million.
Shaikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and
Chairman of the UAE Red Crescent Authority (RCA) and Chairman of the
Foreign Aid Coordination Office, affirmed the UAE commitment to deliver
emergency aid to the distressed Palestinian people in Gaza in
coordination with regional and international aid agencies.
“The UAE has been at the forefront of countries working tirelessly to
ameliorate the suffering of the Palestinian people. This effort will
continue unabated as directed by UAE leaders,” Shaikh Hamdan said.
The Zayed Foundation for Charity and Humanitarian Works announced that
it had held a series of meetings with Philip Ward, deputy regional
director of the UN World Food Program for the Middle East and Peter
Ford, representative of the commissioner general of the United Nations
Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), for identifying needs of schools in Gaza.
Salim Al-Dhahiri, acting director general of the foundation, said
assistance would also be delivered to women and children who are
suffering the scourge of war.
He indicated that Sheikh Ahmed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, chairman of the
Board of Trustees of the Zayed Foundation for Charity and Humanitarian
Works, has directed the foundation to launch a massive initiative for
rebuilding and renovation of schools in Gaza.
“Works on building, renovating and rebuilding schools will immediately
commence once a cease-fire is enforced,” he said.
http://www.javno.com/en-world/video--saudi-police-break-up-pro-gaza-protest_219227
VIDEO: Saudi Police Break Up Pro-Gaza Protest
Residents said between 200 and 300 people took part in the march in
Saudi Arabia`s oil-producing Eastern Province.
Published: December 29, 2008 18:37h
Witnesses said Saudi police fired rubber bullets to break up a
pro-Palestinian protest on Monday, injuring up to eight people, but a
government official denied the report.
Residents said between 200 and 300 people took part in the march in
Saudi Arabia's oil-producing Eastern Province.
Many protesters held pictures of Palestinians wounded in Israel's
military offensive against the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than
300 Palestinians since it began on Saturday.
At least three witnesses said they saw riot police fire rubber bullets
after demonstrators clashed with security forces in the al-Qatif area.
However, Interior Ministry spokesman Mansour al-Turki said there had
been no protest.
"None of this is true. No rubber bullets have been fired, no clashes
occurred and no demonstration happened. That's what security sources in
Qatif told me," he said.
"As you know, protests in the kingdom are banned."
One witness said two demonstrators were injured by rubber bullets. Two
others said between six and eight were injured.
"We chanted slogans against Israel and America. We did not attack the
(Saudi) government or the Arab political system," said another witness,
who did not want to be named.
"The police charged at us with sticks and electric batons. Some of us
had to defend ourselves with shoes and rocks."
One resident said the police had dispersed the crowds and blocked the
main street in al-Qatif.
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE4BS3XU20081229
Saudi police break up pro-Gaza protest: residents
Mon Dec 29, 2008 12:15pm EST
RIYADH (Reuters) - Witnesses said Saudi police fired rubber bullets to
break up a pro-Palestinian protest on Monday, injuring up to eight
people, but a government official denied the report.
Residents said between 200 and 300 people took part in the march in
Saudi Arabia's oil-producing Eastern Province.
Many protesters held pictures of Palestinians wounded in Israel's
military offensive against the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than
300 Palestinians since it began on Saturday.
At least three witnesses said they saw riot police fire rubber bullets
after demonstrators clashed with security forces in the al-Qatif area.
However, Interior Ministry spokesman Mansour al-Turki said there had
been no protest.
"None of this is true. No rubber bullets have been fired, no clashes
occurred and no demonstration happened. That's what security sources in
Qatif told me," he said.
"As you know, protests in the kingdom are banned."
One witness said two demonstrators were injured by rubber bullets. Two
others said between six and eight were injured.
"We chanted slogans against Israel and America. We did not attack the
(Saudi) government or the Arab political system," said another witness,
who did not want to be named.
"The police charged at us with sticks and electric batons. Some of us
had to defend ourselves with shoes and rocks."
One resident said the police had dispersed the crowds and blocked the
main street in al-Qatif.
(Reporting by Souhail Karam; Editing by Katie Nguyen)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gyE1wbZD9TkcePk4zgOu4-4FoWdQ
Saudis arrest two over Riyadh pro-Gaza protest: report
Jan 1, 2009
RIYADH (AFP) — Two activists who attempted to stage a demonstration
against the Israeli raids on the Gaza Strip were arrested in the Saudi
capital on Thursday, a Saudi rights groups said.
Human Rights First Society said that the two activists, Khalid al-Omeir
and Mohammed al-Otaibi, were arrested by police as they arrived at the
site of the planned protest in south Riyadh.
The arrests came a day after the interior ministry denied organisers
permission to hold the rally on the grounds that demonstrations are
banned in Saudi Arabia.
A member of the group also told AFP that a prominent Saudi cleric who
called for attacks on Israelis had also been arrested on Tuesday in the
southern city of Abha.
Sheikh Awad al-Qarni had on Sunday issued a religious edict encouraging
attacks on Israelis everywhere in retaliation for the ongoing Israeli
onslaught on the Gaza Strip.
"All (Israeli) interests, and anything else related to Israel, are a
permitted target for Muslims everywhere," Qarni said in the fatwa.
On Monday police fired rubber bullets to break up rare protests
involving hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Qatif and Safwa
in the eastern part of the country.
According to Human Rights First, 10 people were arrested in the Qatif
protest.
Saudi Arabia has strongly criticised Israel for its six-day-old bombing
campaign on the Gaza Strip, which has left more than 400 people dead.
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/716481/sudanese-protest-israels-gaza-invasion/?rss=yes
Sudanese protest Israel's Gaza invasion
09:54 AEST Fri Jan 9 2009
97 days 10 hours 11 minutes ago
Thousands of Sudanese have marched through the capital to denounce
Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Tens of thousands of Sudanese have marched peacefully through Khartoum
denouncing Israel's invasion of Gaza and the international community for
alleged "complicity with the Zionist regime".
The miles-long march on Thursday started with fiery speeches and
chanting of Islamic slogans in support of Gaza's Hamas rulers.
When a speaker said the name of the US president, the crowd waved their
shoes - a gesture evoking an Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at
George W Bush during a recent Baghdad visit.
The protesters also denounced Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak as a
"hireling and cowardly" and handed in a protest note at the UN offices.
Some carried green metal models of Hamas' Qassam rockets used in attacks
on Israel.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L7286289.htm
Sudan protesters call for attacks on Westerners-US
07 Jan 2009 20:58:11 GMT
Source: Reuters
(Adds UK Embassy advice and UN warning of Thursday protest)
By Andrew Heavens
KHARTOUM, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Sudanese protesters have called for attacks
on Americans and other foreigners living in Khartoum during rallies
against the Gaza offensive, U.S. officials said on Wednesday.
Students and religious groups have held small-scale protests almost
every day since Israel started the attack on Gaza it says is in response
to Islamist militants firing rockets into Israel.
The U.S. embassy in Khartoum said some protesters "have made threats
against U.S. and other Western citizens in Sudan".
At least one speaker at a rally outside the embassy on Monday read out a
list of places and neighbourhoods where Westerners are known to gather,
the embassy said.
The list included Khartoum's Afra shopping centre, Amwaj, a Middle
Eastern restaurant, and O-Zone, an open air cafe popular with Westerners
and rich Sudanese.
The threats come against the backdrop of an expected ruling from the
International Criminal Court on whether to issue an arrest warrant
against Sudan's president over suspected war crimes in Darfur.
A senior official from Sudan's Foreign Ministry told Reuters on Monday
an arrest warrant would fuel anti-Western sentiments already heightened
by Gaza and promised to give diplomats advance warning if they were in
danger.
GENOCIDE ACCUSATION
Sudanese officials have said the global court's case is part of a
Western conspiracy against Khartoum, led by the United States, Britain
and France.
The U.N. in Khartoum put out a statement saying it had heard unions and
other organisations were planning a large scale Gaza protest in the
capital on Thursday, under the title "Grand Fury".
The British Embassy in Khartoum said it was monitoring the rallies and
advised its citizens to "maintain vigilance" and avoid crowds.
The United States advised its staff to stay away from the O-Zone cafe in
October, saying it had evidence a group called "Al Qaeda in the Land of
the Two Niles" had threatened U.S. citizens.
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court asked judges in
July to issue an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir,
accusing him of orchestrating genocide in Sudan's western Darfur region.
The judges are widely expected to decide on his request in coming weeks.
International experts say 200,000 have died since mostly non-Arab rebels
in Darfur took up arms against the government in 2003, accusing Khartoum
of neglecting the region. (Editing by Ralph Boulton)
http://www.breitbart.com/image.php?id=iafp081230163303.fcxh92ivp2&show_article=1
Sudanese protestors burn an Israeli flag in Khartoum
Sudanese protestors set an Israeli flag on fire during a demonstration
outside the United Nations offices in Khartoum. World powers are
struggling to find ways to press Israel and Hamas to end their conflict
despite widespread anger over the mounting toll.
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/01/05/afghanistan.gaza/index.html?eref=rss_world
January 5, 2009 -- Updated 0203 GMT (1003 HKT)
Hundreds in Afghanistan protest Gaza incursion
• Story Highlights
• About 700 protesters in Kandahar called for an end to the hostilities
in Gaza
• Israel began air attacks on Gaza in a bid to stop rocket strikes by
Hamas militants
• Violence also continues to plague Afghanistan's volatile Kandahar province
• Two explosions at a Kandahar bazaar last week killed two people
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Hundreds of people in southern Afghanistan
have burned Israeli flags and shouted anti-Israel and anti-American
slogans to protest Israel's military action in Gaza, according to
eyewitness accounts from a CNN stringer.
People in southern Afghanistan on Monday protest Israel's military
action in Gaza.
Council leaders in the provincial capital of Kandahar bellowed over
loudspeakers on Monday to an angry crowd of about 700 protesters,
calling for an end to the ongoing hostilities in Gaza.
Israel launched air attacks on Gaza nearly two weeks ago in an effort to
stop months of rocket strikes on southern Israel by Hamas militants. It
sent in ground forces late Saturday, resulting in mounting casualties in
Gaza, where more than 500 Palestinians have been killed over the past
week, according to Palestinian medical sources.
Four Israeli civilians and one Israeli soldier have been killed in
recent fighting, according to Israeli Defense Forces. Another three
Israeli soldiers died late Monday in a "friendly fire" incident in
northern Gaza, the country's military said Tuesday. Watch a report on
the continued fighting
Meanwhile, violence also continues to plague Afghanistan's volatile
Kandahar province.
Three Canadian soldiers were killed in mid-December after an improvised
explosive device blew up near their armored vehicle during a patrol in
central Kandahar, the Canadian Defense Ministry said
Last week, two improvised explosive devices detonated at a bazaar in the
province, killing two civilians, including a child.
Twenty civilians and an Afghan border police officer were wounded in the
attack in the town of Spin Boldak.
The violence was the latest blamed on the resurgent Taliban movement
that once ruled Afghanistan.
The Taliban regime harbored the al Qaeda terror network before it was
ousted from power in a U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan after the 2001
attacks on the United States.
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/01/05/afghanistan.gaza/index.html
January 5, 2009 -- Updated 0203 GMT (1003 HKT)
Hundreds in Afghanistan protest Gaza incursion
• Story Highlights
• About 700 protesters in Kandahar called for an end to the hostilities
in Gaza
• Israel began air attacks on Gaza in a bid to stop rocket strikes by
Hamas militants
• Violence also continues to plague Afghanistan's volatile Kandahar province
• Two explosions at a Kandahar bazaar last week killed two people
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Hundreds of people in southern Afghanistan
have burned Israeli flags and shouted anti-Israel and anti-American
slogans to protest Israel's military action in Gaza, according to
eyewitness accounts from a CNN stringer.
People in southern Afghanistan on Monday protest Israel's military
action in Gaza.
Council leaders in the provincial capital of Kandahar bellowed over
loudspeakers on Monday to an angry crowd of about 700 protesters,
calling for an end to the ongoing hostilities in Gaza.
Israel launched air attacks on Gaza nearly two weeks ago in an effort to
stop months of rocket strikes on southern Israel by Hamas militants. It
sent in ground forces late Saturday, resulting in mounting casualties in
Gaza, where more than 500 Palestinians have been killed over the past
week, according to Palestinian medical sources.
Four Israeli civilians and one Israeli soldier have been killed in
recent fighting, according to Israeli Defense Forces. Another three
Israeli soldiers died late Monday in a "friendly fire" incident in
northern Gaza, the country's military said Tuesday. Watch a report on
the continued fighting
Meanwhile, violence also continues to plague Afghanistan's volatile
Kandahar province.
Three Canadian soldiers were killed in mid-December after an improvised
explosive device blew up near their armored vehicle during a patrol in
central Kandahar, the Canadian Defense Ministry said
Last week, two improvised explosive devices detonated at a bazaar in the
province, killing two civilians, including a child.
Twenty civilians and an Afghan border police officer were wounded in the
attack in the town of Spin Boldak.
The violence was the latest blamed on the resurgent Taliban movement
that once ruled Afghanistan.
The Taliban regime harbored the al Qaeda terror network before it was
ousted from power in a U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan after the 2001
attacks on the United States.
http://www.leaderpost.com/news/story.html?id=1143152
Afghans condemn NATO troops during anti-Israel protests
By Darah Hansen, Canwest News ServiceJanuary 5, 2009
Afghan protesters shout slogans during a march against Israel's air
offensive in Gaza, in Kabul Jan. 3.
Photograph by: Omar Sobhani/Reuters, Reuters
KANDAHAR CITY, Afghanistan - Carrying banners reading "Death upon
Israel" and shouting against "the enemies of Muslims," hundreds of
Afghans converged on the Kandahar’s city centre Monday to angrily
denounce Israeli attacks on Gaza.
"We are requesting Muslim countries to stop this barbaric attack, and we
further condemn all non-Muslim countries, especially United States, for
supporting the attack," said one protester, Mulave Khuja Muhammad, a
member of a religious council, or shura, in Kandahar.
About 500 Palestinians, including a growing number of civilians, have
been killed in the ongoing offensive by Israelis in Gaza, now in its
ninth day.
In Kandahar, about 800 protesters chanted slogans against Israel and its
supporters as the Israeli flag was set on fire. They also shouted “glory
to Allah and glory Islam and Muslims.”
The crowd turned its anger against coalition forces in the province,
demanding the immediate withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan,
which includes about 2,700 Canadians.
"We do not want help from non-Muslims countries. They have proved in
Afghanistan that they are unable to help Muslim countries," said
Muhammadullah, another protester, according to an interpreter.
"We blame NATO for killing Afghan civilians as well," he said.
Protesters said international human-rights organizations have been too
slow to get involved in the conflict, and condemn the growing civilian
death toll.
"This is not fair that non-Muslims are attacking Muslims and killing
their children and women," said Jamil Ahmad. "Where is human rights?
Where is (the) world community? Why they are silent?"
Bismillah Afghanmal, a member of Kandahar’s provincial council, spoke
out at the protest against the bombing “whether it takes place in
Afghanistan” or elsewhere.
“I am telling the world community especially to work on the Palestinian
issue and end this kind of bombardment. I am totally against human loss,
especially innocent people," he said.
The protest has stirred up increased fear among residents of Kandahar
City. Many worry the anti-Western rhetoric could translate into an
increase in the number of suicide bombings and insurgent attacks across
the region.
Military officials at Task Force Kandahar had no immediate comment
regarding the protest.
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=1143459
Afghan protesters condemn Israel, NATO troops
Darah Hansen, Canwest News Service Published: Monday, January 05, 2009
KANDAHAR CITY, Afghanistan -- Carrying banners reading "Death upon
Israel" and shouting against "the enemies of Muslims," hundreds of
Afghans converged on the Kandahar's city centre Monday to angrily
denounce Israeli attacks on Gaza.
"We are requesting Muslim countries to stop this barbaric attack, and we
further condemn all non-Muslim countries, especially United States, for
supporting the attack," said one protester, Mulave Khuja Muhammad, a
member of a religious council, or shura, in Kandahar.
About 500 Palestinians, including a growing number of civilians, have
been killed in the ongoing offensive by Israelis in Gaza, now in its
ninth day.
In Kandahar, about 800 protesters chanted slogans against Israel and its
supporters as the Israeli flag was set on fire. They also shouted "glory
to Allah and glory Islam and Muslims."
The crowd turned its anger against coalition forces in the province,
demanding the immediate withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan,
which includes about 2,700 Canadians.
"We do not want help from non-Muslims countries. They have proved in
Afghanistan that they are unable to help Muslim countries," said
Muhammadullah, another protester, according to an interpreter.
"We blame NATO for killing Afghan civilians as well," he said.
Protesters said international human-rights organizations have been too
slow to get involved in the conflict, and condemn the growing civilian
death toll.
"This is not fair that non-Muslims are attacking Muslims and killing
their children and women," said Jamil Ahmad. "Where is human rights?
Where is [the] world community? Why they are silent?"
Bismillah Afghanmal, a member of Kandahar's provincial council, spoke
out at the protest against the bombing "whether it takes place in
Afghanistan" or elsewhere.
"I am telling the world community especially to work on the Palestinian
issue and end this kind of bombardment. I am totally against human loss,
especially innocent people," he said.
The protest has stirred up increased fear among residents of Kandahar
City. Many worry the anti-Western rhetoric could translate into an
increase in the number of suicide bombings and insurgent attacks across
the region.
Military officials at Task Force Kandahar had no immediate comment
regarding the protest.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1231167318634
Jan 8, 2009 15:28 | Updated Jan 8, 2009 15:38
Hundreds of thousands rally in Syria to protest Gaza attack
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
DAMASCUS, Syria
Hundreds of thousands of Syrians swarmed downtown Damascus Thursday in a
government-orchestrated rally to protest Israel's military offensive
against the Gaza Strip.
A Syrian protester, burns a symbolic Israeli flag during a demonstration
against Israeli attacks on Gaza Strip, in Damascus, Syria, on Thursday.
Photo: AP
SLIDESHOW: Israel & Region | World
It was the biggest protest ever in the Syrian capital since Israel
launched an air and ground offensive on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip Dec.
27. The protest was called by Syria's labor unions.
Syria's official news agency SANA and the state-run Syrian Television
estimated the number of protesters in downtown Damascus at roughly one
million. But independent estimates put it at hundreds of thousands.
Demonstrators in downtown Damascus carried pictures of Syria's president
and the leader of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah, both of whom support Hamas.
The crowd, waving Syrian and Palestinian flags, also yelled protests
against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak for refusing to open the Rafah
border crossing with Gaza. Many in the Arab world have criticized Egypt
for this, perceiving it as abetting Israel.
"Oh Mubarak, listen, listen, the Arab people will not kneel down," the
protesters shouted.
Before the huge demonstration dispersed, an estimated few hundred of the
protesters, marched to the Egyptian Embassy. The protesters, standing
about 110 yards (100 meters) from the embassy, were prevented by Syrian
riot police, carrying batons and protective shields, from reaching the
building.
The protesters in downtown Damascus also trampled on an Israeli flag
before burning it.
Some of the banners they carried read, "The Gazans' blood will not be
shed in vain," and "Your blood is pure, Oh Gaza's people ... and the
blood of Arab leaders stinks."
Mayadah Nashawati, a 50-year-old housewife, who was at the protest said:
"Israel is committing a genocide at a time when the entire world is
regretfully watching."
She said the Rafah crossing, which connects the Gaza Strip's 1.4 million
residents with Egypt, must reopen to "salvage the Gazans from the
holocaust."
Ahmed al-Hamid, a 17-year-old student, also urged Mubarak to open the
Rafah crossing. "The Arabs must break their silence on the injustice
that has befallen the Palestinian people," he said.
Israel has said that it started its campaign in order to stop Hamas
rocket fire. More than 700 Palestinians have been killed since the
offensive began.
Meanwhile, an Egyptian foreign ministry official lashed out Thursday at
Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the militant group Hezbollah, for
remarks Nasrallah made against Egypt in his latest speech. The official,
who did not want to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue,
said so far the militant leader has given "nothing to Gaza but some
ringing speeches."
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=ac67dbe304214205788727bf808f2104
Damascus Erupts in Protests for Gaza
New America Media, Gallery, Shane Bauer, Posted: Dec 30, 2008
Editor's Note: The day after Israel began pummeling Gaza with bombs,
Damascus erupted in rage. Some called it the bloodiest day in Gaza since
the occupation began--some 300 were killed and 700 injured in just two
days. Anti-Israeli groups based in Damascus came out of the woodwork,
gathering with some 5,000 people at Yusif al-Azmeh square. The horizon
was cluttered with the flags and banners of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Hezbollah, and the Iraqi
Sadrists.
The demonstration seemed to be government orchestrated—people were
bussed in and official TV channels were at the scene two hours in
advance—but the anger was clearly genuine. A truck stacked with masked
men in white wearing fake suicide belts screamed calls for "jihad"
against Israel and led crowds of people in fist-pumping chants calling
for "struggle in the name of God." In other parts of the square,
Palestinian groups denounced Israel as well as Islamism.
"I came here to stand alongside my brothers in Gaza and against the
aggression and rape of Gaza," said Ismael Balaan, a 45-year-old
telecommunications worker. "Israel doesn't want peace." Syrian
government spokespersons have since backed away from the possibility of
Israel-Syria peace negotiations. NAM contributor Shane Bauer has this
photo essay.
http://english.sina.com/world/2008/1228/207770.html
Syrians stage mass demonstration to protest against Israeli raids on Gaza
2008-12-28 17:50:32 GMT2008-12-29 01:50:32 (Beijing Time) Xinhua English
DAMASCUS, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Syrians staged a mass
demonstration Sunday in the capital of Damascus to protest the
continuing Israeli raids on the Gaza Strip which have killed at least at
least 285 people.
The demonstrators, coming from various political, economic, social and
religious ranks, carried banners and chanted slogans affirming support
to the Palestinian people in their resistance against the Israeli
terrorism, the official SANA news agency reported.
They expressed condemnation and anger of "the brutal U.S.-backed
aggression" by the Israeli forces, burning American and Israeli national
flags.
The protestors urged those Arab countries which have diplomatic
relations with Israel to sever such ties and dismiss Israeli
ambassadors, stressing the need to bolster Palestinian national unity.
They also called on the international community to force Israel to end
the bloodshed and lift the unjust siege imposed on the Gaza Strip.
Israel has been carrying out unprecedented intensive air strikes on
Hamas movement targets in Gaza since Saturday, killing around 300
Palestinians and wounding over 900 people.
Most of Hamas security installations were destroyed as well as roads,
buildings, mosques and metal workshops used to manufacture homemade rockets.
http://www.sana.sy/eng/21/2009/01/04/207258.htm
General Union of Arab Students Calls for Continuing Protests against
Israeli Aggression on Gaza
Jan 04, 2009
Damascus, (SANA) – The Damascus-based General Union of Arab Students
called all Arab students and youth organizations to protest on Wednesday
at universities, schools, capitals and cities in support of the
Palestinian resistance in Gaza.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Union called for continuing
demonstrations, staging sit-ins and public activities denouncing the
Israeli aggression on Gaza Strip and the Arab silence and international
collusion.
It also stressed the need for mobilizing all possible resources to
support the people of Gaza.
H. Sabbagh / Ahmad Fathi ZAHRA
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/248007,lebanese-protest-at-un-building-in-beirut-in-solidarity-with-gaza.html
Lebanese protest at UN building in Beirut in solidarity with Gaza
Posted : Sun, 28 Dec 2008 09:45:20 GMT
Author : DPA
Category : Middle East (World)
Beirut - Hundreds converged at the United Nations building in Beirut on
Sunday to protest Israel's deadly raids on the Gaza Strip and show
solidarity with the Palestinian people. Dozens of soldiers and other
members of the security forces were deployed to the UN headquarters in
downtown Beirut. The protesters, mostly from the Sunni groupings in
Lebanon and Hamas were kept several hundred metres (yards) away from the
building.
Men riding motorbikes and carrying black flags, wearing the traditional
Palestinian headdress and chanting "God help our people in Gaza," were
among the protesters.
One of the protesters told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa, "We are here to
show our solidarity with the oppressed people of Gaza and ask the world
community to intervene to stop the bloodshed."
"Where the Arab leaders?" a placard carried by the protestors read.
The UN Security Council early Sunday called for an immediate end to all
military actions in the Gaza Strip.
On Saturday, followers of Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah Movement held a
rally in Beirut's southern suburbs in support of the Gaza population
following Israeli airstrikes.
Similar protests were held in several Palestinian refugee camps in
Lebanon. Some 367,000 Palestinian refugees live in 12 camps across the
country.
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=World_News&subsection=Gulf%2C+Middle+East+%26+Africa&month=December2008&file=World_News2008123001312.xml
Egypt slams Nasrallah over protest calls
Web posted at: 12/30/2008 0:13:12
Source ::: . AFP
ANKARA: Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit yesterday harshly
criticised Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah for calling for mass
demonstrations in Egypt to force the government to open the country’s
border with Gaza.
“Someone yesterday called on the Egyptian people to take to the streets
and create an atmosphere of anarchy. In other words, they want an
atmosphere of anarchy similar to the one they created in their own
country,” Gheit told a press conference here, without naming Nasrallah.
“This person also called on the Egyptian armed forces, but he is not
aware of the situation,” Gheit said after talks with his Turkish
counterpart Ali Babacan.
“If you do not know, let me tell you that the Egyptian armed forces are
tasked with defending Egypt. If need be, they will also protect Egypt
against people like you,” he added. Gheit also underlined that the Rafah
crossing point between Egypt and Gaza was open for dispatching
humanitarian supplies and receiving wounded Palestinians.
In a televised address on Sunday, Nasrallah urged Egyptians to take to
the streets “in millions” to force the government to open the Rafah
crossing to Gaza, arguing that security forces could not take actions
against such a large turnout.
“I am not calling for a coup in Egypt... but if you (the Egyptian
leadership) do not open the Rafah crossing, if you do not help the
Palestinian people, you will be considered accomplices in the massacre
and the blockade,” added Nasrallah.
On Sunday, dozens of Palestinians tried to break through the border into
Egypt, only to be stopped by Egyptian police firing into the air
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1050980.html
29/12/2008
Hezbollah: Defending Gaza means offering blood of martyrs By Jonathan
Lis, Haaretz Correspondent and News Agencies Tags: israel news, Gaza,
israel
Tens of thousands of Lebanese Shi'ite protesters, chanting "Death to
America, Death to Israel," massed in Beirut on Monday, calling for an
end to Israeli strikes on Gaza that have killed 320 Palestinians.
In the Jordanian capital, Amman, about 20,000 people staged a
demonstration organized by the mainstream Muslim Brotherhood, while in
Cairo about 1,000 people rallied to show solidarity with Gaza Palestinians.
"In Gaza today we face, as a nation, a battle against the fate of
Palestine and not the fate of the Hamas government," Hezbollah leader
Hassan Nasrallah declared to a throng of demonstrators in Beirut's
southern suburbs.
Advertisement
"I join my voice to the voices of other Palestinian leaderships that
have called for a third intifada (uprising) in Palestine and other
intifidas in both the Arab and Islamic worlds," he said.
"I believe that defending Gaza and the people of Gaza means that the
nation should offer the blood of martyrs," Nasrallah said.
His comments echoed those of Hamas political leader Khaled Meshal, who
on Saturday said the time for a third intifada had come.
In the Amman rally, protesters urged Hamas to resume a campaign of
suicide bombings and intensify rocket attacks.
"Oh Hamas we are your soldiers ... hit them with al-Qassam rockets ...
bring the suicide bombers to Tel Aviv," they chanted, waving the green
flags of the Muslim Brotherhood who are ideological allies of Hamas and
the leftist opposition.
Many Jordanians, whose families originally came from towns and cities in
what is now Israel, support Hamas.
The demonstrators lambasted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and urged
his country, which has been cooperating with Israel for months in the
blockade of Gaza, to allow freedom of movement for Palestinians.
In the Cairo protest outside the Journalists Union building, the crowd,
which included Islamists, leftists and Arab nationalists, shouted
slogans in support of Gaza Palestinians and condemning Arab governments,
including Egypt's.
Similar protests took place in a string of Arab countries on Sunday.
Many governments in the Arab world are seen as collaborators with the
United States or Israel by popular Islamist movements.
They called on the Egyptian government to open the Rafah crossing and
stop collaborating with Israel in the blockade of the impoverished
coastal strip and 1.5 million inhabitants.
About the same number of riot police, armed with batons and shields,
penned the protesters into a narrow area on the steps of the union and
along the nearby pavement.
6 demonstrators protesting Israeli Gaza op arrested in Tel Aviv
Six protesters were arrested Monday at an unauthorized demonstration
against Israel's aerial campaign in the Gaza Strip, held outside the
Egyptian Embassy in Tel Aviv.
The protesters, suspected of disturbing the peace, waved Palestinian
Liberation Organization flags as they condemned Israel. Police forces
that arrived asked the protesters to lower the flags and clear the area.
Upon their refusal, police dispersed the protesters forcefully and
arrested six of them.
One of the protesters said "Police took advantage of the lack of public
support and attacked the protesters with clubs. Two other protesters and
I were trying to calm the soldiers and were kicked at. Within minutes I
found myself being dragged by my head and shoulders across the sidewalk
and into the patrol car." The protester indicated that once the police
understood she is Jewish she was released. "The two Arab protesters were
of course forced into the vehicle," she added.
Some 200 Palestinians who had entered Israel ilegally and 140 Israeli
Arab protesters have been arrested on charges of disturbing the peace
since Israel first launched the assault on Gaza, most of whom are from
Jerusalem and Northern communities. 31 policemen have been injured.
Israeli Police have launched an operation called "Daylight" aimed at
keeping all roads clear. Some 2,400 volunteers have been recruited to
reinforce police forces. Some 12,000 officers and 200 patrol vehicles
have deployed since the launch of the operation.
Police emphasized that its forces were following riot guidelines decided
upon in advance. Authorized protests are permitted but any lawbreaking,
including any use of force, is not tolerated.
Police forces are in contact with the Arab leadership in an attempt to
keep protests calm and restrained.
http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/Lebanon/902A06D6C05D7194C225754000221FB6?OpenDocument
Anti-Suleiman Slogans at Awkar Protest for 1st Time since He Became
President
Anti-Israeli protesters shouted slogans against President Michel
Suleiman during a pro-Gaza protest at Awkar raising fears that the
implications of the Gaza war have moved to Lebanon.
The daily An Nahar on Friday said the protesters, that included
opposition and leftist parties spearheaded by Hizbullah, called on
Suleiman not to "abandon the (Palestinian) cause."
It said the demonstration took place at Awkar shortly before Suleiman
headed for Doha Thursday evening to participate in the emergency summit
on Gaza if it was convened.
Otherwise, Suleiman would hold consultations in the capital of Qatar.
Beirut, 16 Jan 09, 08:05
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/0,5143,705278435,00.html
Protesters in Lebanon criticize U.N. approach to Gaza conflict
Associated Press
Published: Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009 9:12 p.m. MST
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BEIRUT, Lebanon — Lebanese protesters vented their anger Saturday over
the Gaza offensive against the visiting United Nations chief, saying he
did not do enough early in the campaign to prevent hundreds of
Palestinians from dying.
"Ban Ki-moon, Ban Ki-moon, pack your things and leave!" hundreds shouted
as the secretary-general spoke to Lebanon's parliament nearby. A
Hezbollah legislator, Ali Ammar, displayed a bloody doll representing a
wounded Palestinian child as he listened to Ban's speech.
In the hours before Israel announced a unilateral cease-fire Saturday
night, anger over the offensive echoed around Europe and the Arab world:
Crowds of thousands marched in Paris, Rome, Germany and Tunisia.
Hundreds of others gathered in Madrid and Athens, Greece. In London,
protesters from a rally in Trafalgar Square smashed the windows of a
nearby Starbucks.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri criticized the U.N. for its alleged
paralysis on the Gaza issue and said implementing U.N. resolutions on
the Arab-Israeli conflict, including calling for Israeli withdrawal from
Palestinian territory, would restore respect to the organization.
The U.N. leader is on a trip through the Middle East designed to help
end the conflict in the Gaza Strip, home to 1.4 million people.
Story continues below
Ban said Hamas must stop rocket attacks on Israel, and the Jewish state
must end its offensive and withdraw its troops from Gaza.
Ban met separately with the Lebanese president and prime minister
earlier Saturday.
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=29693
First Published 2009-01-10
Anger at Israel and some Arab regimes
63 injured in Algiers protest over Israeli Gaza raids
Tens of thousands protest against Israel’s Gaza offensive despite
eight-year-old ban on demonstrations.
ALGIERS - ]'s interior minister blamed "trouble-makers" for clashes at a
protest against Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip that left 63 injured
in the capital, including 23 police officers.
"In Algiers, the marches have been infiltrated by troublemakers, who
committed acts of violence notably by throwing stones causing injuries
to 23 police officers and 40 other people, including two journalists,"
said a statement.
Shops were sacked, cars damaged and windows broken during the unrest
causing panic, said the ministry statement, quoted by the APS agency.
The security forces arrested those responsible, it said.
The ministry statement said that marches in the capital continue to be
banned but added that several demonstrations organised the same day in
other towns protesting Israel's Gaza offensive passed off peacefully.
Several thousand people took part in protest marches in Algiers, in the
western city of Oran and in other towns in Algeria.
Arabic-language daily newspaper Ennahar said on its website Friday that
one of its journalists had been seriously injured during the Algiers
demonstration.
Knocked unconscious he was taken to hospital where he underwent an
operation for a head injury.
The anger was directed not only at Israel, but at Arab dictators deemed
to be complicit in the ongoing Israeli blockade of Gaza that has stopped
refugees from getting out and humanitarian aid from getting in, and at
the unsympathetic tone of some of those dictatorships towards Hamas, the
only democratically elected government in the Arab World.
http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/getstory?openform&A662D9C0E5C86390C225753A002C10A0
Scores Injured in Algiers after Police Clash with Anti-Israel Protestors
Algeria's interior minister blamed "trouble-makers" for clashes at a
protest against Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip that left 63 injured
in the capital, including 23 police officers.
"In Algiers, the marches have been infiltrated by troublemakers, who
committed acts of violence notably by throwing stones causing injuries
to 23 police officers and 40 other people, including two journalists,"
said a statement.
Shops were sacked, cars damaged and windows broken during the unrest
causing panic, said the ministry statement, quoted by the APS agency.
The security forces arrested those responsible, it said.
The ministry statement said that marches in the capital continue to be
banned but added that several demonstrations organized the same day in
other towns protesting Israel's Gaza offensive passed off peacefully.
Several thousand people took part in protest marches in Algiers, in the
western city of Oran and in other towns in Algeria.
Arabic-language daily newspaper Ennahar said on its website Friday that
one of its journalists had been seriously injured during the Algiers
demonstration.
Knocked unconscious he was taken to hospital where he underwent an
operation for a head injury.(AFP)
http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/getstory?openform&A662D9C0E5C86390C225753A002C10A0
Scores Injured in Algiers after Police Clash with Anti-Israel Protestors
Algeria's interior minister blamed "trouble-makers" for clashes at a
protest against Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip that left 63 injured
in the capital, including 23 police officers.
"In Algiers, the marches have been infiltrated by troublemakers, who
committed acts of violence notably by throwing stones causing injuries
to 23 police officers and 40 other people, including two journalists,"
said a statement.
Shops were sacked, cars damaged and windows broken during the unrest
causing panic, said the ministry statement, quoted by the APS agency.
The security forces arrested those responsible, it said.
The ministry statement said that marches in the capital continue to be
banned but added that several demonstrations organized the same day in
other towns protesting Israel's Gaza offensive passed off peacefully.
Several thousand people took part in protest marches in Algiers, in the
western city of Oran and in other towns in Algeria.
Arabic-language daily newspaper Ennahar said on its website Friday that
one of its journalists had been seriously injured during the Algiers
demonstration.
Knocked unconscious he was taken to hospital where he underwent an
operation for a head injury.(AFP)
Beirut, 10 Jan 09, 10:09
http://www.naharnet.com/domino/tn/NewsDesk.nsf/getstory?openform&715C23B44C6DEFFEC2257533004EA3C9
Kuwaitis Stage Anti-Israel Protest Over Gaza
More than 2,000 Kuwaitis and Arab residents demonstrated on Saturday
against Israel's deadly strikes on Gaza Strip, calling on Arab regimes
to help Palestinians.
Protesters chanted "Death to Israel" and "Death to America," and carried
banners in support of the Islamist Hamas movement, criticizing what they
called "Arab silence towards the Israeli massacre."
A number of lawmakers and political activists took part in the protest,
the second this week, organized by the Kuwait Students Union. Many women
also participated.
The protesters marched to the parliament building where a number of MPs
delivered speeches condemning the Israeli attacks and expressing support
to Gaza.
Demonstrators called on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to open the
only border crossing point with the Gaza Strip in order to allow aid to
pass to around 1.5 million Palestinians living in Gaza.
The student union called for the protest after authorities in the Gulf
state on Wednesday prevented students from marching on the Egyptian
embassy to urge Cairo to open the Rafah border crossing.
Since then, security measures have been tightened around the embassy
building in Kuwait City.
The Kuwaiti government has strongly condemned the Israeli onslaught and
the emirate's Red Crescent society has dispatched medical aid to Gaza.(AFP)
http://www.breitbart.com/image.php?id=iafp081229220357.u0lupr8wp2&show_article=1
Protestors torch an Israeli flag in Kuwait City
http://english.bna.bh/?ID=75233
AUTHORIZED DEMONSTRATION DISPERSED AFTER RESOTING TO VIOLENCE
date: 19 12, 2008
MANAMA, DEC. 19 (BNA) AROUND 3000 PEOPLE STAGED A LARGE DEMONSTRATION,
GIVEN GREEN LIGHT BY THE POLICE DIRECTORATE OF THE CAPITAL GOVERNORATE
IN ADVANCE, TO EXPRESS SOLIDARITY WITH THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE BUT
UNFORTUNATELY SOME OF THE PROTESTERS DEVIATED FROM THE MAIN TARGET,
INTERIOR MINISTER LT GEN.
SHAIKH RASHID BIN ABDULLA AL KHALIFA SAID. FURTHERMORE, THEY ASSAULTED
THE SECURITY MEN WHO WERE THEIR TO TELL THE ORGANIZERS TO REMAIN
COMMITTED TO THE MAIN OBJECTIVE AND INJURED A POLICE OFFICER AND A
MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY POLICE, NECESSITATING, THEN, THE INTERVENTION OF
SECURITY FORCES TO RE-ESTABLISH ORDER, SHAIKH RASHID EXPLAINED. THE
MINISTRY GIVES ITS CONSENT TO PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATIONS AND GATHERINGS
WITHIN THE FRAME OF LAW AND IN SUPPORT OF LIBERTIES AND FREEDOM OF
EXPRESSION AS GUARANTEED BY THE NATIONAL CONSTITUTION AND INTERNATIONAL
CONVENTIONS AS WELL AS IN PROSPECT OF CONSOLIDATING SOCIETAL
PARTNERSHIP, SHAIKH RASHID SAID. SIMILARLY, THE MINISTRY SECURITY FORCES
INTERFERE TO DISPERSE AUTHORIZED DEMONSTRATIONS OR GATHERINGS ONCE THEY
DEVIATE FROM THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK, ABUSE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION OR COMMIT
PUNISHABLE CRIMES, HE ADDED. THE MINISTER ALSO DREW THE ATTENTION OF THE
ORGANIZERS THAT ITS THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO MONITOR AUTHORIZED
DEMONSTRATIONS OR GATHERINGS AND PREVENT, EVEN WITH POLICE HELP, ANY
ILLEGAL ACT THAT INSTIGATES VIOLENCE, SHAKES ORDER OR TRANSGRESSES
REGULATIONS, ORELSE THEY ASSUME THEIR RESPONSIBILITY IF HELD INVOLVED IN
INSTIGATING OR PARTICIPATING IN THESE ACTS. THE MINISTER ALSO UNVEILED
THAT HE WOULD PRESENT A PROPOSAL FOR THE AMENDMENT OF THE LAW GOVERNING
DEMONSTRATIONS AND GATHERINGS TO FURTHER TIGHTEN SECURITY AND SPECIFY
LEGAL LIABILITY AND COMPENSATION FOR ANY HARM OR DAMAGE RESULTING FROM
ILLEGAL ACTS. HE ALSO AFFIRMED THAT IN LIGHT OF SUCH ABUSE OF LAWS, THE
MINISTRY OF INTERIOR WOULD NOT HESITATE IN THE FUTURE TO EXERCISE ITS
LEGAL PREROGATIVES TO AVERT DAMAGE OF PUBLIC PROPERTY AND PROTECT ORDER.
EFFECTIVELY, THE MINISTER SAID, LEGAL ACTION WAS TAKEN AGAINST THE
ARSONISTS AND SABOTEURS IN TODAYS DEMONSTRATION. MTQ 20-DEC-2008 00:12
http://www.topnews.in/bahrainis-angry-protest-over-gaza-2111053
Bahrainis in angry protest over Gaza
Submitted by Sahil Nagpal on Fri, 01/16/2009 - 17:46.
Muharraq, Bahrain - US and Arab leaders came under heavy criticism from
hundreds of protesters during a rally in Muharraq, north of the Bahraini
capital Manama on Friday, amidst continuing violence in the Gaza Strip.
The protesters stabbed pictures of US President George W Bush, Israeli
caretaker Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak,
and Palestinian National Authority (PNA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas with
knives, for their alleged role in supporting the offensive against the
Gaza Strip.
The protestors also set US and Israeli flags on fire and carried coffins
for what they described as the fate of the state of Israel and its soldiers.
Placards thanking Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez for expelling the
Israeli ambassador from Caracas in response to the Israeli offensive
were waved during the protest, which also described him as "manlier"
than Arab leaders. dpa
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3650494,00.html
Tens of thousands of Moroccans march in solidarity with Gaza
Published: 01.04.09, 23:53 / Israel News
A demonstration against the Israeli offensive in Gaza has drawn tens of
thousands of people to the streets of the Moroccan capital.
Police have put the number of demonstrators at 50,000, according to the
official MAP news agency. But organizers say even more turned out for
the peaceful march in this Muslim kingdom on the Atlantic coast.
Protesters emphasized their solidarity with the Palestinians in general
and with Gaza residents in particular during Sunday's four-hour march,
which coincided with large demonstrations in Turkey and Lebanon. (Reuters)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iEW4GLcLDc9ZT6f7XMh_7rrSqKgg
Thousands protest in Rabat against Israeli strikes on Gaza
Dec 27, 2008
RABAT (AFP) — Thousands of people marched in the Moroccan capital
Saturday to protest Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip and called for
revenge for the more than 200 Palestinians killed.
A crowd estimated at 3,000 carried signs denouncing the "Israeli
aggressors" and chanted that "with our soul, with our blood, we will
sacrifice for you, Gaza!"
Several Islamist organisations and political parties took part in the
protest, including the opposition Justice and Development party (PJD).
PJD party chief Abdelillah Benkirane criticised in particular the
reticence of Arab states.
"Where are they? Will they let people go to support the Palestinians?"
he said to AFP.
The Moroccan government Saturday condemned the Israeli strikes and
called for "an immediate end to hostilities" and for talks between the
two sides, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Israel said it launched air strikes in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip
on Saturday, in retaliation for rockets fired at the Jewish state by
Palestinian militants.
http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=13608
Jordanians stage 600 pro-Gaza protests
By Khetam Malkawi
AMMAN - More than 600 protests and demonstrations were organised in
Jordan during the Israeli offensive on Gaza, "without shooting a bullet,
despite some provocations", Minister of Interior Eid Fayez said on Sunday.
"Public Security and Gendarmerie forces have their limits of endurance,
still they exhibited so much tolerance. Some of them were hospitalised
during demonstrations, but we did not publicise that... in order not to
be misunderstood," Fayez said at a Lower House meeting yesterday.
"Peaceful expression of sentiments and demonstrations are citizens'
rights and considered as the highest level of democracy... His Majesty
King Abdullah said peaceful expression is allowed for all segments of
Jordanian society," Fayez added in his reply to a number of MPs who
cited complaints by citizens accusing the government of "shirking its
duty towards the people of Palestine, and that some demonstrations went
out of control".
He added in his reply to a lawmaker who said that there was an absence
of the Kingdom's political role during the Israeli attack on Gaza,
"Jordan has and will always have a key role at the pan-Arab level, but
it does not boast about that seeking gains".
During yesterday's part of the meeting designated for unscheduled
issues, Deputy Mamdouh Abbadi (Amman, 3rd District) said: "Since the
offensive started, Jordan represented by its government and people and
led by His Majesty the King were unified in their support... still we
were looking for a clear political role for Jordan."
"I noticed a real absence of Jordan's political role during the 20-day
massacre," Abbadi said.
During yesterday's three-hour meeting, Islamist MP Hamzah Mansour
(Amman, 2nd District) called on the government to sever ties with Israel
immediately.
"Otherwise, with the support of my brothers at the Islamic Action Front
bloc at the House, we will call for a vote of no confidence," Mansour said.
Other legislators called on the government to sue the "Zionist enemy" at
the International Criminal Court.
A memorandum was also signed by 22 MPs, proposing the House form a
parliamentary delegation to visit the Gaza Strip.
In the question and answer session, lawmakers discussed the government's
reply to 42 of their queries.
19 January 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-12/30/content_10577653.htm
Thousands in Jordan protest Israel's raids against Gaza
AMMAN, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of people on Monday took to the
streets in Jordan's capital of Amman to protest Israel's raids against
the Gaza Strip.
The protestors, led by trade union and syndicate leaders, called on the
Jordanian government to cease the peace treaty with Israel in protest
against the Jewish state's "heinous and savage aggression" on Gaza.
They also urged Egypt to open the Rafah border crossing with Gaza to
make Palestinians have access to medical treatment.
Israeli air raids have pounded Gaza for a third straight day, killing so
far more than 300 and wounding over 900 people.
Jordan's King Abdullah II has ordered the government to take all
necessary and possible steps to support Palestinians in Gaza and provide
humanitarian and medical aids to them.
Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, becoming the second
Arab country after Egypt to normalize relations with Israel.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/03/content_10595564.htm
Jordan's police use tear gas to disperse protesters
AMMAN, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Jordan's police on Friday used batons and tear
gas to stop protestors approaching Israeli embassy, a security official
said.
Police had to fire tear gas to disperse demonstrators as they threw
stones when trying to march towards the embassy, said the official.
This is the first clash between police and demonstrators since Israel
launched intensive onslaught against Gaza, which has killed so far 432
Palestinians and wounded a further 2,200.
In another rally at a sports stadium in Amman, thousands of protestors
torched Israeli flags, pledging strong solidarity with Gazans.
Participants also urged the government to sever ties with Israel and
annul the peace accord with the Jewish state.
Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, becoming the second
Arab country after Egypt to normalize relations with Israel.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/158229
Envoy to Jordan Returns to Israel Amid Violent Protests
Reported: 07:16 AM - Dec/29/08
(IsraelNN.com) Yaakov Rosen, the Israeli ambassador to Jorndain, was
ordered to return home Sunday amid growing anti-Israeli protests in
Amman and elsewhere in Jordan, which has a peace treaty with Israel.
Thirty Jordanian legislators demanded that Rosen be expelled from the
country.
Lawmaker Bassam Haddain told the French news agency AFP, "Thirty
deputies signed a memorandum on Saturday condemning the Israeli
aggression on Gaza and demanding that the government expel the Israeli
ambassador to Jordan. The political atmosphere in Jordan is against
Israel's arrogant polices and it is growing. We expect more MPs to sign
the memo."
Legislator Khalil Atiyeh stepped on an Israeli flag and burned it.
http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=13125
Protests enter third day as citizens demand end to attacks
Protesters demonstrate against ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza Monday.
Demonstrations were held across the Kingdom for the third day in a row
(Petra photo)
By Mohammad Ben Hussein and agencies
AMMAN - Thousands demonstrated on Monday in front of the Prime Ministry,
calling on the government to expel the Israeli ambassador from the
Kingdom in light of continued Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Leaders from the National Coalition for Political Parties as well as
representatives of various professional associations took part in the
demonstration, which started from the Professional Associations Complex
in Shmeisani.
As many as 25,000 people chanted anti-Israeli slogans, expressing anger
over the deadly carnage in the coastal strip in one of the largest
demonstrations in three days across the Kingdom.
Demonstrators burnt American and Israeli flags, while some beat a poster
depicting American President George W. Bush with shoes. Parliamentarians
were also present at the protest, including MP Khalil Atiyyeh who
stomped on the American flag as demonstrators marched towards the Prime
Ministry.
Many shouted remarks condemning the actions of Hosni Mubarak and
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, accusing both of being “Israeli
agents”.
They also expressed support for Hamas and vowed revenge for the attacks.
In a letter delivered to officials at the Prime Ministry, the National
Coalition for Political Parties as well as Jordan's professional
associations called on the government to terminate the Wadi Araba peace
treaty with Israel.
They also presented a list of demands, including holding an Arab summit
and action leading to the immediate end to the attack on Gaza.
The letter also called on the government to allow demonstrations to take
place and facilitate civil society efforts to collect donations for Gaza.
Police forces amassed in front of the Prime Ministry as the gathering
ended peacefully and without incident.
Jordan has been witnessing a series of protests ever since the attack on
Gaza began earlier this week with thousands taking to the streets in
various parts of the Kingdom yesterday.
In western Amman, the Social Left movement organised a sit-in following
the afternoon prayer in front of Kalouti Mosque, during which hundreds
of participants expressed their condemnation of the Israeli "massacres"
in Gaza, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported yesterday.
Also yesterday, political parties and professional associations, in
addition to several civil society organisations, gathered in Madaba for
a demonstration following the afternoon prayer. Almost 1,500
participants spoke out against ongoing Israeli military operations on
unarmed Palestinians in Gaza, according to Petra.
Meanwhile, residents in Ramtha near the JordanianSyrian border organised
a sit-in at Al Omari Mosque to express their outrage over Israeli
aggression against the Palestinians, calling for the closure of Israeli
embassies in all Arab countries.
In Tafileh Governorate, 150km to the south, the Islamic Action Front and
the Muslim Brotherhood organised a march with the participation of
hundreds while in the northern Governorate of Mafraq, members of the
Shurafat tribe in Northeastern Badia District gathered in a march that
toured most parts of the governorate and ended in the city of Mafraq.
During the march, participants held banners and shouted slogans
condemning the Israeli military operation in Gaza, Petra reported.
Activists also launched a blood drive at Mafraq Public Hospital.
Demonstrations also took place on Monday in Karameh in Northern Shouneh
District, Wihdat refugee camp in east Amman and in Ajloun, according to
Petra.
30 December 2008
http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=13572
Protesters urge action, boycott of US and Israeli goods
Demonstrators burn US and Israeli products in front of the Professional
Associations Complex in Shmeisani on Saturday (AFP photo)
AMMAN (JT) - Public condemnation of the ongoing attacks on Gaza
continued on Saturday, with activists burning Israeli and the US
products at the Professional Associations Complex in Shmeisani.
According to Maysara Malas, a member of the Jordan Engineers Association
freedoms committee, the burning is a symbolic gesture of “Jordan’s
rejection of Israel and the US”.
"We will be following up with a boycott campaign across the Kingdom,"
Malas told The Jordan Times.
Meanwhile, a Muslim Brotherhood-sponsored conference on Saturday
launched a petition calling for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to
be refused entry into the Kingdom “in light of his stance on the Israeli
military offensive in Gaza”.
Around 2,000 people took part in yesterday’s gathering, organised by the
Islamist movement to galvanise support for Palestinians in the besieged
coastal strip, with Islamist activists and tribal leaders expressing
their anger over Palestinian Authority officials’ inaction.
Several speakers condemned Abbas for not attending Friday’s Doha summit,
accusing him of being "an Israeli agent", and called for a national
survey to gauge public opinion of the 1994 Wadi Araba Jordanian-Israeli
peace treaty.
Speakers included Hammam Said, overall leader of the Muslim Brotherhood
movement, Islamist MPs, former army general Sami Majali and dignitaries
from Karak, Maan, Irbid and Zarqa.
"Although we appreciate the government’s efforts to support us, we call
for cancelling the Wadi Araba agreement and ending all forms of
normalisation with the Zionist enemy, including political and economic
ties," said Said.
Muslim Brotherhood spokesperson Jamil Abu Baker told The Jordan Times on
the sidelines of the conference that the event is a part of a series of
initiatives to support Palestinians living in the besieged enclave.
"We will be adopting a number of projects to help our brothers in Gaza,
including reconstruction of Gaza city and twinning projects to help ease
the impact of war on Gazans," he said.
Friday’s protests
On Friday, protests took a violent turn, as demonstrators clashed with
police near the Israeli embassy in Rabia after some 200 young men tried
to approach the embassy.
Protesters threw rocks at anti-riot police, who in turn used force to
disperse the demonstrators and at least two people were injured in the
clashes, according to eye witnesses.
PSD Spokesperson Major Mohammad Khatib confirmed to The Jordan Times
that at least two protesters received slight injuries, in addition to a
high-ranking Gendarmerie officer.
Also on Friday, activists marched to the European Commission office in
Amman to protest against the EU stance on the ongoing Israeli military
offensive and delivered a letter to Patrick Renauld, head of the
European Commission Delegation in Amman.
In a speech at the demonstration, attended by some 2,000 protesters,
Islamic Action Front Secretary General Zaki Bani Rsheid blasted the EU
and some Arab countries for “allowing Israel to kill children”.
In a statement released on Friday, Renauld said it was “unacceptable
that the life of children and women are not respected and protected”,
highlighting the support provided by EU citizens and institutions to the
Palestinians in Gaza and “the urgency to reach a ceasefire".
Renauld added that he would like Arab and EU countries to focus on the
future and find ways “to rebuild houses and destroy walls, and put an
end to the hatred between the two parties,” according to the statement.
18 January 2009
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/247968,leadall-over-200-killed--israeli-gaza-attacks-prompt-global-protest.html
LEADALL: Over 200 killed - Israeli Gaza attacks prompt global protest
Posted : Sat, 27 Dec 2008 16:21:05 GMT
Hundreds of Jordanian trade unionists and opposition party members
protested the Israeli airstrike. In Lebanon, supporters gathered to show
support for Hamas. Calls were renewed for both sides to attend a peace
conference, such as one planned in Moscow in the new year.
http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=13150
Nationwide demonstrations continue as protesters urge action
Demonstrators express outrage over Gaza attacks in Amman on Tuesday (AFP
photo)
By Mohammad Ben Hussein
AMMAN - Nationwide demonstrations against ongoing Israeli air strikes on
the Gaza Strip continued for the fourth day, with activists vowing to
press ahead with protests until the attacks are stopped.
In the upscale Amman neighbourhood of Abdoun, the Islamist movement, in
association with the National Coalition of Political Parties, held a
rally and prayers early yesterday evening for those who died in the attacks.
Prominent leaders from the Islamist movement including overall leader of
the Muslim Brotherhood Hamam Said, head of the Islamic Action Front
(IAF) bloc in Parliament Hamzah Mansour and Jordan Bar Association
President Saleh Armouti spoke in front of a crowd of nearly 1,500 people.
Under the pouring rain, speakers took turns condemning the attack,
expressing anger and frustration over the inaction of Arab regimes
regarding the “massacre of Gaza”.
“Shame on the Arab governments, who are busy trying to decide the date
of a summit while the children of Gaza are dying,” said Said.
Armouti was equally critical of Arab leaders, accusing governments of
conspiring against the Palestinian people, while Mansour said Arab
citizens must continue expressing their outrage to force their countries
to act.
“The Arab regimes are frozen. People must continue protesting in the
streets until governments are forced to live up to their historic
responsibility by ending the attack on Gaza, opening the borders and
throwing the Israelis out of all Arab capitals,” Mansour told The Jordan
Times on the sidelines of yesterday’s gathering.
Scores of activists chanted slogans condemning Egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, accusing both of
collaborating with Israel.
Earlier in the day, around 500 UNRWA workers protested in front of UN
Headquarters in Shmeisani, holding up pictures of Gazan children and
urging the UN to act and stop the “massacre of Gaza”.
Meanwhile, the Jordanian Artists Union held a sit-in at its headquarters
in Jabal Weibdeh in which a number of actors spoke out on the situation
in Gaza.
They also lit candles and urged Jordan and Egypt to end their diplomatic
ties with Israel.
Other activities to support Gaza yesterday included ongoing blood drives
in various cities, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra, as the
professional associations also held a blood drive and a sit-in at its
Shmeisani headquarters.
Activists have said that demonstrations will continue until the attacks
on Gaza stop.
Protesters at Al Hussein University in Maan also condemned the attacks
and shouted anti-Israeli slogans, according to Petra.
In addition, the Greater Amman Municipality said in a statement
yesterday it will be receiving donations for Palestinians in the
besieged coastal enclave in association with the Jordan River Foundation
and the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation.
31 December 2008
http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=64593
Nationwide protest against Israeli aggression Updated at: 2105 PST,
Friday, January 09, 2009 KARACHI: The protest demonstrations were held
in various cities of Pakistan on Friday against Israel’s ongoing
aggression in Gaza.
A protest rally was taken out by Sunni Tehrik in Mirpurkhas against
Israeli onslaught on Palestinians. While second major demonstration was
organized by Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) in Lahore. JI central leader Liaquat
Baloch led the rally, which paraded through various routes of the
metropolis and ended at the Lahore Press Club.
Liaquat Baloch, Asadullah Bhutto, Abdul Wahid Qureshi and other speakers
addressed the participants of the protest. The speakers slammed the
Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) for its inability and silence
on the issue.
Thousands of people demonstrated in Multan against the killing of
innocent Gazans by Israeli troops. The largest rally was taken out by
Imamia Student Organization (ISO) at Delhi Gate.
On this occasion, the protestors chanted anti-Israel slogans and called
for Muslim Ummah to take action to restore peace in Palestine. Some
student organizations protested Israeli strikes in Gaza.
Similarly, protest demonstrations were held in other cities of the
country also.
http://www.geo.tv/1-11-2009/32441.htm
Police use tear gas on Gaza protesters in Karachi Updated at: 1836 PST,
Sunday, January 11, 2009
KARACHI: Police Sunday used tear gas and batons to disperse hundreds of
angry protesters rallying against Israel's military offensive in the
Gaza Strip.
About 2,000 people had answered the call of religious leaders to protest
the Jewish state's campaign in the Palestinian territory, torching
Israeli and US flags, but mainly marching peacefully.
But the protest briefly turned violent when several hundred protesters
deviated from the planned route and started heading toward the US
consulate in the southern port city.
When police tried to stop the demonstrators, they were pelted with
stones. Some protesters even started fistfights with officers, prompting
police to fire tear gas shells and baton-charge the crowd, the AFP
reporter witnessed.
Leaders used loudspeakers to urge the protesters to disperse without
further incident and the situation was quickly brought under control.
"We have not arrested anyone," said city police chief Wasim Ahmed.
All roads leading to the US consulate were nevertheless sealed off as a
security precaution.
Demonstrations to express solidarity and support for the Palestinians
were staged in several major cities in Pakistan on Sunday, with about
2,000 turning out in the capital Islamabad and several hundred more in
eastern Lahore.
Several small demonstrations took place in Lahore, with more than 400
people taking part in the main procession along central Mall Road,
chanting anti-Israel and anti-US slogans before dispersing peacefully.
"Muslim rulers must take serious note of the double standards of the
West," the secretary general of Jamaat-i-Islami party, Munawwar Hussain,
told protesters.
"The US, Britain and some other European countries raised a hue and cry
over the Mumbai attacks but surprisingly the world is watching the
killings of innocent women and children in Gaza as silent spectators."
Pakistan has condemned Israel's 16-day-old offensive in the Gaza Strip,
which has killed more than 875 people, saying it violates the UN charter.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=65524
Protest demos held against Israeli massacre Updated at: 1905 PST,
Sunday, January 18, 2009 KARACHI: Various political and social parties
protested Sunday against Israeli atrocities on Palestinian people in Gaza.
Imamia Student Organization (ISO) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) took out a
joint rally in Rahimyar Khan to condemn the Israeli onslaught. The
protestors demanded of Muslim nations to take immediate steps to stop
the Israeli massacre.
JI staged rallies in Jacobabad and Hyderabad also where thousands of
protestors slammed Israel for the killings of innocent Palestinian
children, women and men. Children and women took out rallies in Larkana
and other cities of Sindh against Israeli aggression.
ISO and JI stated a joint rally in the provincial capital of Balochistan
against Israeli terrorism in Gaza.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\01\03\story_3-1-2009_pg12_4
Protest day observed against Gaza attacks
Staff Report
KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) and Jamiat
Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP) observed a protest day on Friday, in an
expression of solidarity with Palestinians and protesting against the
bombardment of Gaza.
The three religious organizations passed resolutions against Israel
during the Friday prayers at various mosques and held protests in
various areas of the city. A protest was held at the Jacob Lines Jamah
Mosque by JI. JUI held a demonstration outside the Karachi Press Club
and JUP held protests outside various mosques in the city.
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE50H1QA20090118
Thousands of Pakistanis protest against killings in Gaza
Sun Jan 18, 2009 2:50pm EST
KARACHI (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Pakistani Islamists took to the
streets Sunday to protest against Israel's offensive in Gaza, calling
for jihad (holy struggle) against the Jewish state.
Chanting slogans "Down with Israel" and "Down with America," protesters
marched in the city of Karachi to denounce the 22-day offensive that
killed more than 1,300 Palestinians, including 700 civilians, Gaza
medical officials said.
Israel said hundreds of gunmen were among the dead. Ten Israeli soldiers
were killed as well as three Israeli civilians hit by rockets fired by
Hamas.
Pakistani protesters burned effigies of U.S. President George W. Bush
and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert during the rally described as the
biggest anti-Israel protest in the mainly Muslim nation.
"It's shame that U.N. and Muslim countries have always been ineffective
to protect Muslims from brutalities," Qazi Hussain Ahmed, chief of
Jamaat-e-Islami party said. "We should not rely on the U.S. slaves and
stand up against these brutalities," he said, referring to rulers of the
Muslim countries.
Israel called off its offensive in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, saying
Hamas was "badly beaten."
Hamas announced an immediate ceasefire by its fighters and allied groups
Sunday, adding that the Islamists gave Israel a week to pull out its troops.
People in different cities of Pakistan have been protesting against
Israeli actions in Gaza in recent weeks and Pakistan's National Assembly
last week passed a unanimous resolution condemning Israel's military action.
(Reporting by Imitaz Shah; writing by Aftab Borka; editing by Kamran
Haider and Dominic Evans)
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=154240
JI to protest Gaza killings today Sunday, December 28, 2008
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Qazi Hussain Ahmad strongly condemned the
latest Israeli attack on Gaza killing 200 Palestinians, and said
innocent Muslims were being slaughtered all over the world only because
of the coward Muslim rulers.
Qazi Hussain Ahmad announced that the JI would stage protests on Sunday
in all the district headquarters to condemn the Israeli aggression
against innocent Palestinians. He appealed to the countrymen for
wholehearted participation in the protests.
Qazi said the USA, Israel and India were the terrorists of the world
whereas all Muslims of the world were victims of terrorism of this
troika. He lamented that Muslim civilians were being butchered
mercilessly but the UNO and other so-called world bodies of human rights
were displaying a criminal silence over it. He said the UNSC and other
global organisations were the guardians of Zionist and US interests,
advising Muslims not to expect justice from them.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=154360
JI protests Gaza massacre Monday, December 29, 2008
By our correspondent
LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Pakistan on Sunday observed a protest day
countrywide to condemn the Israeli attacks on Gaza and the massacre of
innocent Palestinians in missile raids.
The demonstrations were held in various cities of Pakistan. The JI
leaders condemned the aggression of Israel, India and the US against the
Muslim world. In Lahore, the demonstration was held on Multan Road
outside Mansoora, the JI Headquarters. JI Naib Ameer Liaqut Baloch led
the protest while Dr Farid Ahmed Paracha and Hafiz Idress were also present.
Addressing the participants, Liaqut Baloch said the US was patronising
all kinds of terrorism in Pakistan. He said peace in the country could
only be restored if the dual standards of the US came to an end. He said
that in order to expand its borders and legalise its existence, Israel
had carried out missile attacks on innocent Palestinians and the killing
of nearly 300 Muslims in the attacks was a condemnable act.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=154666
Anti-Israel protests across Pakistan Wednesday, December 31, 2008
ISLAMABAD: Hundreds of people marched through the streets in the capital
on Tuesday under the banner of the World Minorities Alliance (WMA),
denouncing the Israeli air strikes on the people of Palestine.
The rally, led by former minister J Salik, convener of the WMA, started
from the Aabpara Chowk and terminated in front of the local press club.
The protesters carried placards inscribed with slogans demanding an end
to the Israeli atrocities and establishment of peace in Palestine.
The rally urged world leaders to play their role for peace. The marchers
held pictures of US President-elect Barack Obama, UN Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon and leaders of France, China, Britain, Germany and Middle
Eastern countries.
Addressing the rally, J Salik called upon Pope Benedict and Imam-e-Kaaba
to help bring about peace in the troubled land. J Salik demanded of the
United Nations and the world leaders to get the attacks against the
Palestinians stopped.
Mumtaz Alvi adds from Islamabad: The Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) on
Tuesday condemned the latest round of the Israeli aggression against the
Palestinians, calling on the leadership of the Muslim world to move
beyond rhetoric in countering the aggression.
The PTI’s foreign policy spokesperson Dr Shireen Mazari, while reacting
to the latest massacre of Palestinians in Gaza, noted that the silence
of leaders of the Muslim countries on the siege of Gaza had allowed Tel
Aviv to become more violent and up the ante by using military force.
“Unless the international community asserts itself against this latest
effort by Israel to defy all norms of international law, it would carry
out genocide of the Palestinian people,” she cautioned.
http://www.dawn.com/2009/01/10/local25.htm
PESHAWAR: Protesters demand end to Israeli aggression
Bureau Report
PESHAWAR, Jan 9: Various political parties on Friday took out protest
processions and staged demonstrations in different parts of the city
against the killing of innocent Palestinians by the Israeli forces.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP-Sherpao) activists led by party’s
provincial president MPA Sikandar Sherpao staged a protest demonstration
outside the Peshawar Press Club and chanted slogans against the
atrocities being committed by the Israeli forces against the Palestinian
civilians.
The protesters were holding banners and placards inscribed with slogans
against the Israeli forces.
Speaking on the occasion, Sikandar Khan Sherpao said that United States
was taking up human rights issues in other countries whenever it wished,
but it had turned a blind eye towards the genocide of Palestinians at
the hands of Israelis.
“Our rulers are also least bothered about raising their voice for the
rights of the innocent Palestinian citizens and are following the
policies of the US,” he said.
The demonstrators demanded an immediate end to the bombing of the
civilian population.
JI RALLY: The workers of Jamaat-i-Islami took out a protest procession
from Masjid Mahabat Khan and held a rally at Chowk Yadgar. The
procession was led by NWFP JI Amir Sirajul Haq and other local leaders.
The protestors were holding banners and placards inscribed with slogans
against Israel, United States of America and its allies. The
demonstrators raised anti-Israel and anti-US slogans.
Sirajul Haq said it was time that Muslims should take a unified stand
against their enemies.
He said that the military operations in the tribal areas, Swat and other
regions had been launched on the behest of the United States.
The JI leader said it was very shameful that our government was
providing logistic support to the American and Nato forces in
Afghanistan who were ruthlessly killing our Muslim brothers.
He also criticized the role of the Organisation of Islamic Conference
(OIC) in the Gaza crisis. The JI leader demanded of the OIC and the
United Nations to use their influence and help stop the Israeli aggression.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=157802
Students stage protest against Isreal ‘terrorism’ Sunday, January 18, 2009
Saadia Khalid
Islamabad
Dozens of students Saturday protested against the escalated attacks on
Gaza by Israel, which has claimed lives of thousands of innocent people
till now.
The protestors expressed their solidarity with the Palestinians and said
that Israel must be made to stop the carnage especially by the leaders
of the Muslim world.
The protestors said that suffering in Gaza was beyond catastrophic while
Israel was ignoring the worldwide clamour for it to stop now and is
escalating its attacks.
Holding the placards inscribed with the massages of peace, the
protestors raised slogans against Israel, America and other supporting
nations.
They said that it was not the Hamas, which was terrorist but the Israeli
forces that were playing havoc with the lives of peaceful Palestinians.
They demanded of Israel to end Gaza massacre on immediate basis and also
urged the leaders of Muslim world to take firm stand on the issue
instead of silence on it.
Talking to ‘The News’ President Pakistan Youth Initiative (PYI) Salman
Zaidi said that their organisation comprised of students from different
academic institutions and they strongly condemn the barbaric murder of
thousands of Palestinians by cruel Israeli forces.
“We are astonished over the weak stance of the world leaders on the
issue and it seems that they haven’t seen the footage of dead and
bloodied bodies of young children on television screens,” he said.
He said that the purpose of this protest demonstration was to press
Israel to stop the genocide and adopt the way of negotiations.
Peoples Right Movement (PRM) President Asim Sajjad on the occasion said
that it was necessary to make the leaders of the world realize
consequences of bloodshed in Gaza.
“The leaders of the world seemingly reluctant to take strong stance on
the issue as they are supporting America for their vested interests,”
said Sajjad.
He also condemned the religious circles of the country who were trying
to give this war a colour of religious discrimination despite the fact
that the people from all across the country including Jews and
Christians were protesting against Israel.
“People from across the world protesting against Gaza massacre as it is
a war against humanity and not against religion,” he said adding
religious parties should avoid giving wrong dimension to the war as it
could cause more tension.
The protestors later on marched towards Parliament House and dispersed
peacefully after protest against the Israeli attacks of Gaza strip.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=154347
Protesters condemn Israeli attacks on Gaza Monday, December 29, 2008
by Muhammad Anis
Rawalpindi
Jamaat-e-Islami Rawalpindi Sunday staged a protest demonstration on
Benazir Bhutto Road to express its anger against the killing of over 225
Palestinians in Israeli air strikes in Gaza, Palestine.
The demonstration was held in response to a protest call given by JI
Ameer Qazi Hussain Ahmed to observe Sunday as protest day.
JI leaders including Raja Abdul Waheed, Shamsur Rehman Swati and others
strongly condemned air strikes calling upon the Muslim world to
pressurise Israel and US to stop brutalities on Palestinians.
They also asked OIC and heads of 58 Muslim countries to play their due
role at this critical juncture of the history and raise their voice
against Israeli barbarianism.
Online Adds from Islamabad: Jamaat-e-Islami and Imamiya Students
Organisations held a joint protest demonstration in order to strongly
condemn the latest Israeli incursion on Ghazi in which more than 225
people had lost their lives.
Addressing the protest demonstration held in front of the Rawalpindi
Islamabad Press Club Camp Office, JI leader and former MNA, Mian Aslam
said that Israel has not only violated UN Charter, but it has also
committed human rights violations by killing hundreds of innocent people.
Mian Aslam said that silence of Muslim Ummah on such heinous incident
was beyond his comprehension, as they had shown their utmost senseless
attitude.
JI Ameer Syed Bilal told that Israel alone was supervising terrorism
across the globe. “While there is also hand of Israel in recent Mumbai
attacks,” he said and added that peace in the world would remain a dream
unless deprived and oppressed people not given their rights.
Allama Abid Bahisti of Imamiya Students Organisation stressed the need
of evolving out an effective and comprehensive policy against the
Israeli incursion.
He said that Muslim must immediately summon the OIC meeting to strongly
condemn the incident.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=1969017&Language=en
Protests against Israeli aggression continue in Pakistan Politics
1/17/2009 3:52:00 PM
ISLAMABAD, Jan 17 (KUNA) -- Protests against Israeli aggression
continued in Pakistan on Saturday as Israel continued bombardment in
Palestinian territories despite the UNs resolution to immediately stop it.
The protest rallies, organized by Jamait-e-Islami (JI), were held in
several cities including Lahore, Quetta, Gujranwala and other cities of
the country. The protestors were carrying placards and chanting
anti-Israel and anti-US slogans.
They also burnt effigy of the Israeli president and also Israels flag.
Also, the JI has set up camps in several cities to collect funds to help
Palestinian victims. (end) amn.ajs KUNA 171552 Jan 09NNNN
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=157687
Students protest against Gaza massacre in Islamabad Sunday, January 18, 2009
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: A large number of students on Saturday protested against the
escalated attacks on Gaza by Israel, which has claimed lives of
thousands of innocent people till now.
The protestors expressed their solidarity with the Palestinians and said
that Israel must be made to stop the carnage, especially by the leaders
of the Muslim world.
The protestors said that suffering in Gaza was beyond catastrophic while
Israel was ignoring the worldwide clamour for it to stop now and is
escalating its attacks.
Holding the placards inscribed with the massages of peace, the
protestors raised slogans against Israel, America and other supporting
nations.
They said that it was not the Hamas, which was terrorist but the Israeli
forces that were playing havoc with the lives of peaceful Palestinians.
They demanded of Israel to end Gaza massacre on immediate basis and also
urged the leaders of Muslim world to take firm stand on the issue
instead of silence on it.
Talking to ‘The News’ President Pakistan Youth Initiative (PYI) Salman
Zaidi said that their organisation comprised of students from different
academic institutions and they strongly condemn the barbaric murder of
thousands of Palestinians by cruel Israeli forces.
“We are astonished over the weak stance of the world leaders on the
issue and it seems that they haven’t seen the footage of dead and
bloodied bodies of young children on television screens,” he said.
He said that the purpose of this protest demonstration was to press
Israel to stop the genocide and adopt the way of negotiations.
Peoples Right Movement (PRM) President Asim Sajjad on the occasion said
that it was necessary to make the leaders of the world realize
consequences of bloodshed in Gaza.
“The leaders of the world seemingly reluctant to take strong stance on
the issue as they are supporting America for their vested interests,”
said Sajjad.
He also condemned the religious circles of the country who were trying
to give this war a colour of religious discrimination despite the fact
that the people from all across the country including Jews and
Christians were protesting against Israel.
“People from across the world protesting against Gaza massacre as it is
a war against humanity and not against religion,” he said adding
religious parties should avoid giving wrong dimension to the war as it
could cause more tension.
The protestors later on marched towards Parliament House and dispersed
peacefully after protest against the Israeli attacks of Gaza strip.
Our Quetta correspondent adds: Activists of the Pukhtoon-khwa Milli
Awami Party (PkMAP) brought out a rally against the killing of innocent
Palestinians in Gaza here on Saturday.
A rally, led by provincial president of PkMAP Muhammad Usman Khan Kakar
and others, marched on various roads and streets of the city while
carrying placards and banners inscribed with slogans against the Israeli
brutalities.
The protesters chanted full-throated slogans against the Israeli forces
and in favour of the Palestinians.
The rally turned into a public meeting at the Meezan Chowk, where the
protesters denounced the Israeli aggression against Palestinians,
demanding of the UN and the Muslim world to take cognizance of the
situation.
Addressing the meeting, the PkMAP leaders criticised the inadequate
response of the international community to the Israeli barbarism.
They expressed shock at the attitude of the United Nations Security
Council in brokering a ceasefire. They said the crisis in Gaza was
aggravated by the two-year-long blockade of the territory by the Israeli
forces and appealed to the people to help the Palestinians through the
provision of humanitarian aid.
They condemned the Israel’s aggression against Palestinians and said
women and children were being killed in the aerial and ground attacks.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/1/9/nation/20090109181548&sec=nation
January 9, 2009 MYT 8:20:23 PM
MCA Youth on nationwide signature drive to protest Gaza attack
KUALA LUMPUR: MCA Youth has joined those protesting the Gaza attacks by
launching a nationwide signature campaign in hopes of ending the
bloodshed of innocent Palestinians.
“We are very saddened to see media reports on the killing of women and
children in Gaza. It is very shocking that this group was targeted by
the Israeli army,” said the movement’s chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong.
“We may not be an Islamic body but we condone peace and that is why we
are against the Israeli regime’s aggression,” he told reporters at the
launching of the campaign titled “Say No To War In GAZA” at Wisma MCA on
Friday.
Dr Wee hoped the petition would receive support from everyone regardless
of race and religion as the loss of innocent lives was “universal”.
“Although we are initiating the campaign at the MCA headquarters here,
party branches in other states are encouraged to follow suit,” he said.
Dr Wee also hoped the special Parliament session on Monday to discuss
the attacks would reach a resolution leading to immediate action from
the United Nations (UN) to impose economic sanctions on Israel.
“We urge all political parties from both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan
Rakyat to come together during that meeting as a one firm voice to speak
out against the violence demonstrated by the Israeli regime,” he said,
adding that political differences should be set aside to achieve the
dream of an end to the war.
Dr Wee said the signatures collected from the campaign would be given
directly to the UN or Malaysia’s permanent representative to the UN
Datuk Hamidon Ali.
Asked the number of signatures the movement was aiming to collect, Dr
Wee said: “We do not have a target. Do you think the Israeli army sets a
target of how many people they want to kill everyday?”
Those who want to sign the petition may obtain the form from the MCA
Youth office at Wisma MCA or visit www.petitiononline.com/no2war09.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/1/9/nation/20090109145054&sec=nation
January 9, 2009 MYT 8:20:23 PM
2,000 march to US embassy to protest Israel aggression
KUALA LUMPUR: More than 2,000 people are marching to the United States
embassy holding placards protesting Israel’s brutal 13-day assault in Gaza.
The crowd which started on the march at 2.20pm chanted ‘long live
Palestine’ and ‘destruction to the zionists’ to protest the oppression
of Palestinians.
Police is controlling the crowd and the road leading to the US embassy
is closed.
It is learnt that there are two other groups who came after Friday
prayers from Masjid KLCC and Masjid Negara.
These two groups are combined with a group at Tabung Haji and the crowd
could swell to 3,000.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/1/3/nation/2937508&sec=nation
January 3, 2009
Protest against Gaza attacks
KUALA LUMPUR: Hundreds of people gathered at separate locations
nationwide to protest against the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip that
have killed more than 400 Palestinians.
Barisan Nasional Youth representatives, led by its deputy chairman
Khairy Jamaluddin, turned up in full force at the Palestinian Embassy
here yesterday with other non-governmental and youth organisations to
denounce the attacks.
Making a stand: A group of protesters gathering at George Town’s Kapitan
Keling Mosque.
They were part of the Coalition Against Israeli Aggression, which
submitted a memorandum of support to Palestinian Ambassador Abd ElAziz
Abu Ghoush.
“The brutal massacre of the Palestinians, including women and children,
by the Israeli military has reminded the world of the urgency to bring a
just solution for the Palestinian people, guaranteeing their
sovereignty, security and well-being,” the memorandum stated.
Khairy said a special Palestinian fund had been set up to help those
affected by the humanitarian crisis and handed over a mock cheque for
RM100,000 to Abd ElAziz to kick-start the fund.
“This is a humanitarian issue which transcends religion. This is about
the dignity and freedom
of the Palestinian people,” said Khairy.
Representatives from the MCA, MIC, Gerakan and PPP were also at the
embassy, as was a group of Palestinians who carried several banners
calling for an end to the killing.
Earlier, there was a commotion when Abd ElAziz called on several
non-Malaysian Palestinian supporters to stop holding up pictures of
leaders of different Palestinian factions during the protest.
“It is time to unite as one Palestine, across political lines and
factions. The killings are affecting all Pales-tinians and does not
distinguish between Hamas or Fatah or other factions,” he added.
Khairy (right) leads the Barisan Nasional Youth members at a protest at
the Palestinian Embassy .
MCA national youth international affairs bureau chairman Dr Toh Kian Kok
said they supported the protest as “we are against any form of violence,
and discord should be solved in an amicable manner.”
Meanwhile, Pakatan Rakyat urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi to initiate an emergency seating of Parliament to table a motion
condemning the Israel attack.
PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, representing the coalition,
said the Prime Minister, who is the former Organisation of the Islamic
Conference chairman, should take pro-active action in the wake of the
Israel aggression.
“We are also disappointed with United Nations Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon for not taking strong action against Israel, “ he said at a
ga¬¬thering at the National Mosque yesterday.
In George Town, more than 200 people staged a peaceful gathering in
front of the Kapitan Keling Mosque to condemn the attack.
Similar gatherings were also held at mosques in Kampung Jawa, Sungai
Gelugor and Dato Kramat.
In Johor Baru, some 100 protesters gathered at the Sultan Abu Bakar
Mosque to condemn the aggres-sion.
In Kota Kinabalu, more than a hundred people staged a brief
demonstration within the grounds of the city mosque to protest against
the attacks.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2009/01/11/2003433444
Malaysians protest Gaza attacks
QUICK RESPONSE: The Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia boycotted
goods produced by Colgate-Palmolive Co, Coca-Cola and Starbucks to
protest US inaction
AGENCIES , KUALA LUMPUR
Sunday, Jan 11, 2009, Page 5
More than 3,000 Malaysians protested on Friday against Israel’s invasion
of Gaza, burning Israeli flags and effigies of US President George W. Bush.
The mainly Muslim protesters, waving Palestinian flags and chanting
anti-Israel slogans, marched to the US Embassy in downtown Kuala Lumpur
from a nearby mosque after Friday prayers.
They called on the US to use its influence to stop Israel’s military
offensive on Gaza, which has left more than 750 people dead — at least
half of them civilians, according to Gaza health officials. Thirteen
Israelis have died.
Israel has defended its two-week operation, saying it wants to stop
rocket attacks from Hamas-controlled Gaza into Israeli territory.
“The killing continues ... We are urging the American government to
demand that Israel withdraw from Gaza,” said Adnan Mohamad Tahir, an
activist.
The protesters, who burned two Israeli flags and effigies of Bush and
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, dispersed after an hour.
The US abstained from a UN Security Council resolution passed on
Thursday that called for a cease-fire.
Malaysia’s government, which has no diplomatic ties with Israel, has
condemned Israel’s ground offensive as a “an act of total war.” On
Thursday, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi called for international
sanctions on Israel.
In Hong Kong, several hundred people outside a mosque chanted slogans
and held placards reading, “Stop the Israeli Attacks on Gaza” and “Stop
Killing Children and Innocent.”
Meanwhile, a Malaysian Muslim group began a boycott of top US products
on Friday as protesters demanded a halt to the Gaza conflict.
The Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia said Muslims in the
Southeast Asian country would not buy goods produced by US toothpaste
manufacturer Colgate-Palmolive Co, soft drink maker Coca-Cola and coffee
chain Starbucks to protest US inaction against the attacks.
“We urge Muslim consumers internationally to unite so that we can teach
a lesson to Israel and its allies,” Ma’amor Osman, an official with the
association, told reporters in the compound of the national mosque after
Friday Muslim prayers.
“This is to object to the arrogance and cruelty of Israel and its allies
towards the Palestinians.”
He urged the Malaysian government to end all its contracts with US-owned
firms.
The US is among Malaysia’s single largest export markets, absorbing more
than a tenth of its total shipments.
More than 750 have been killed in the Gaza clashes and Israel pushed
ahead with its offensive on Friday, ignoring a UN Security Council
resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire to the conflict.
The attacks have sparked angry demonstrations in countries with large
Muslim populations such as Indonesia, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan and Egypt.
Former premier Mahathir Mohamad urged Muslims worldwide to to stop using
the US dollar.
“If enough of us do this, then the value [of the US dollar] will fall,
just like what they did to us in 1997,” Mahathir said, referring to the
1997 Asian economic crisis that he blamed on currency speculators.
Mahathir urged the UN to set up a war crimes tribunal to try Israeli
leaders involved in the attacks against the Palestinians.
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/95585
500 protest Israeli air strikes at US embassy Tarani Palani | Dec 30, 08
1:20pm About 500 people today protested outside the US embassy in Kuala
Lumpur against the deadly Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip that
have killed close to 400 people in the Palestinian territory.
No action taken by 80-odd police
Demonstration ended an hour later
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/1/2/nation/20090102204833&sec=nation
Friday January 2, 2009 MYT 8:49:00 PM
Hundreds protest Gaza carnage
By FLORENCE A.SAMY, WINNIE YEOH, RUBEN SARIO and BEH YUEN HUI
KUALA LUMPUR: Hundreds of people gathered in separate locations
throughout the nation to protest the Gaza Strip carnage that has killed
more than 400 Palestinians.
Barisan Nasional Youth representatives led by their deputy chairman
Khairy Jamaluddin turned up in full force at the Palestinian embassy
here on Friday, together with other non-governmental and youth
organisations, to denounce the Israeli strikes.
They were part of the Coalition Against Israeli Aggression which
submitted a memorandum of support to Palestinian ambassador Abdel Aziz
Abu Ghoush.
Khairy said a special Palestinian fund had been set up to help those
affected by the humanitarian crisis and handed over a RM100,000 mock
cheque to Abdel Aziz to kickstart the fund.
Representatives from MCA, MIC, Gerakan and PPP were also at the embassy
together with a group of Palestinians who carried various banners
calling for an end to the killings.
“The brutal massacre of Palestinians including women and children by the
Israeli military has reminded the world of the urgency it must have to
bring a just solution for the Palestinian people guaranteeing their
sovereignty, security and well-being,” the memorandum stated.
The coalition also condemned economic sanctions and travel restrictions
on the Gaza strip and West Bank, called for an immediate ceasefire and
proposed a peace summit under United Nations to create an independent
Palestine.
“This is a humanitarian issue which transcends religion. This is about
the dignity and freedom of the Palestinian people,” said Khairy, who is
also Umno Youth deputy head.
Earlier there was a bit of commotion when Abdel Aziz called on several
non-Malaysian Palestinian supporters to stop holding up pictures of
leaders of different Palestinian factions during the protest.
“It is time to unite together as one Palestine across political lines
and factions. The killings are affecting all Palestinians and does not
distinguish between Hamas or Fatah or other factions,” he added.
MCA national youth international affairs bureau chairman Dr Toh Kian Kok
said they supported the protest as “we are against any form of violence
as discord should be solved in an amicable manner.”
In GEORGE TOWN, more than 200 people staged a peaceful gathering in
front of Kapitan Keling Mosque condemning the attacks.
Chanting anti-Zionist and anti-American slogans and carrying banners,
the crowd staged the protest for about 45 minutes after performing their
Friday prayers.
Policemen and patrol cars were seen patrolling the area to avoid any
untoward incident.
PKR state executive councillor Abdul Malik Abul Kassim, who attended the
gathering, said he wanted to show his support for the Palestinians who
had been oppressed for years.
“The people there do not deserve this kind of treatment. The Hamas
Government was properly elected by the people and no other state or
authority has the right to interfere,” he said.
State PAS Youth chief Mohd Hafiz Nordin said the gathering was jointly
organised by 13 non-governmental organisations like state PAS youth
council, Ulama Association of Malaysia (PUM), Jemaah Islah Malaysia
(JIM) and Malaysian Higher Learning Institutions’ Alumni (Haluan Malaysia).
“The inhumane and barbaric attacks by Israel have to cease. About 400
people have been killed since the attack started on Dec 27,” he said.
Mohd Hafiz said similar gatherings were also held at mosques in Kampung
Jawa, Sungai Gelugor and Dato Kramat.
In JOHOR BARU, where some 100 people held a peaceful gathering, Johor
PAS commissioner Datuk Dr Mahfodz Muhamed said, “We sympathise with the
innocent people in Palestine, especially the children and women, who
were killed in the attacks.”
The group dispersed peacefully after about 30 minutes.
In KOTA KINABALU, more than a hundred people staged a brief
demonstration near the downtown area at a mosque soon after the Friday
prayers.
Chanting “Save Palestine,” some of the protesters then burned a replica
of the Star of David, the national symbol of Israel.
The group’s spokesman Lahirul Latigu said they had decided to stage the
demonstration as a show of solidarity for the besieged Palestinians.
“Relevant international bodies such as the OIC must take immediate
action to help people in the Gaza Strip and pressure Israel to stop its
assault,” said Lahirul, the Sabah PAS Youth deputy chairman.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/1/6/nation/2947260&sec=nation
Tuesday January 6, 2009
Cries of protest grow louder
KUALA LUMPUR: Various groups continued to protest against the invasion
of Gaza by Israel.
Some 40 members from the Gerakan Belia 4B Malaysia marched to the United
States Embassy yesterday and submitted a memorandum of protest against
the attacks.
The movement’s Federal Territory branch chairman Mohd Azhari Naharuddin
said they were appealing to the US Government to intervene and use its
powers to stop Israel from attacking Palestine.
“We are very concerned about the strikes in Gaza which have led to over
500 deaths including Palestinian children.
“We hope this war would stop so that others would have a chance to
live,” he said at the embassy.
An embassy representative accepted the memorandum on behalf of the US
Government from him.
The group marched from Bangunan Tabung Haji but was stopped by members
of the light strike force unit and police. Mohd Azhari was allowed to
hand over the memorandum.
The Council For Ex-Members of Parliament and State Assemblies, Federal
Territory president Aziz Yassin called for the boycott of Israeli and
Israeli-related goods and services to protest against the military assault.
He said it was the least Malaysians of all races could do to register
their sympathy towards the Palestinians who had been suffering at the
hands of the Zionists for the past 50 years.
Pakatan Rakyat MPs urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
to call for an emergency meeting in the Dewan Rakyat to discuss the matter.
“It is very important that the people of this country make a stand to
join the international community in voicing their objection against
Israel’s violence and throw their moral support behind the
Palestinians,” the statement said.
DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang said in a statement that United Nations
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon should spearhead world condemnation of the
invasion.
He also said US president-elect Barack Obama should pledge to end the
country’s carte blanche support to Israeli aggression under his
administration.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/1/17/nation/3048724&sec=nation
Saturday January 17, 2009
300 in protest at US embassy
KUALA LUMPUR: More than 300 people handed over two memorandums to the
United States Embassy during a gathering, protesting the attacks on
Palestine by Israel.
The gathering organised by the Organisation of Islamic Missionaries and
Welfare Malaysia (Pekida) and Malaysia-Palestine Friendship and
Solidarity Association (PSPMP) handed over the memorandums to an embassy
official at 2.45pm yesterday.
However, the embassy refused to accept 10 boxes containing documents
with signatures of 1.2mil Malaysians, obtained during the One Million
Signatures campaign, condemning the brutality of Israel towards Palestine.
In the memoranda, the groups demanded that the US instruct Israel to end
the attacks in Gaza City.
The protesters, including several Palestinian nationals, marched about
200m to the embassy carrying banners, posters and placards. They torched
several Israel flags condemning the attacks by Israeli troops. Cheras
OCPD Asst Comm Ahmad Amir Mohd Hashim said the one-hour gathering was
peaceful and the crowd dispersed without any untoward incident.
Unhappy: Protesters in front of the US Embassy yesterday.
In Butterworth, more than 200 people made up of Umno members and
supporters from the Kepala Batas division staged a peaceful protest
against Israel’s attack on Gaza.
The 75-minute protest in Bertam, which began at 9.45pm, was organised by
the Kepala Batas Umno division.
State Opposition Leader Datuk Azhar Ibrahim in his speech said although
the crowd was small, the voice of the people was strong.
Azhar, who is also the Penaga assemblyman and State Umno secretary,
called on Malaysians to boycott products from the United States and
Israel to express their protest.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/09/content_10632287.htm
Demonstrators protest against U.S. support for Israel
Demonstrators march to the United States Embassy to Malaysia to hold a
protest against the US support for Israel's continued military attacks
on the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Kuala Lumpur, Jan. 9, 2009.
(Xinhua/Chong Voon Chung)
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/401577/1/.html
Malaysian police arrest activists protesting against Israeli strikes
Posted: 11 January 2009 0017 hrs
Malaysian police arrest demonstrators protesting against Israeli action
in Gaza in Kuala Lumpur
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia police arrested 21 people including two
opposition MPs for protesting against Israeli military strikes in the
Gaza Strip, an activist said Saturday.
"We were holding a candle light vigil to demand the end to the killing
of innocent lives in Gaza," said E. Parameswari, 30, an activist with
Jerit a group championing the rights of marginalised people in the country.
"Police used force to break up the gathering and arrested 21 people
including opposition lawmakers Charles Santiago, Abdullah Sani and a
local state assemblyman Nasir Hashim," she told AFP.
Parameswari said they were arrested at the popular Independence Square
in the capital Kuala Lumpur late Saturday and taken to a local police
station.
"Police said our gathering was illegal," she told AFP.
Parameswari condemned the police action, adding that the demonstrators
did not provoke the police. "The police action is an abuse of power."
S. Arutchelvan, secretary general of the Socialist Party of Malaysia
told AFP they were being held in a police lockup.
"Our arrest makes a mockery of the position taken by Malaysia to condemn
Israel.
"The way the police acted against us is no difference from the way the
Israelis are treating the Palestinian people," he said from the police
station.
The UN Security Council called Friday for an immediate ceasefire to halt
the two-week-old war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist
movement Hamas which has killed almost 800 Palestinians, many of them
civilians.
A council resolution also called for the "unimpeded" provision of
humanitarian aid to Gaza.
- AFP /ls
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/1/7/nation/20090107143005&sec=nation
Wednesday January 7, 2009 MYT 4:28:05 PM
Penang protest against Israeli attacks on Friday
By MANJIT KAUR
GEORGE TOWN: Penang-based Citizens International will hold a
demonstration on Friday at Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling to protest the
Israeli attacks on Palestine.
Its chairman S.M. Mohamed Idris said the protest would be carried out
after Friday prayers at about 2pm, and that they expected people from
all religions and races to participate.
He said the brutal massacre of the Palestinians by the Israeli military
was a humanitarian issue which transcends religion.
“We also urge the people and the Government to boycott American-made
goods and services.
“Each ringgit used to buy the American goods eventually becomes bullets
to be fired at the hearts of the people in Palestine,’’ he told a press
conference at the office of the Consumer Association of Penang here on
Wednesday.
Mohamed Idris also urged the Egyptian government to immediately open the
Rafah Crossing (between Egypt and Gaza Strip) to enable food, medicine
and humanitarian aid workers to enter the Gaza Strip and provide relief
to the victims.
He said due to the closure of the crossing, urgently needed food and
medicine were being held up.
Mohamed Idris also applauded the initiative taken by the Malaysian
Government to request for an emergency special session of the United
Nations General Assembly to discuss and take action on Israel’s attack
on Gaza.
“We therefore urge the Government to take immediate and urgent action to
get the majority of the members’ to consent to ... the session,” he added.
http://www.nst.com.my/Friday/Frontpage/2447834/Article/index_html
2009/01/09
Gaza Under Siege: Ministry plans huge protest by schoolkids
By : Regina Lee
PUTRAJAYA: Nearly all schoolchildren in the country will be mobilised to
protest against the Gaza offensive by Israeli forces.
Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said about five
million pupils and 360,765 teachers from more than 10,000 schools would
be involved.
"This is to create a wave of pressure for the Israelis to stop their
violence and oppression of Palestinian civilians."
He said the ministry would be working with the Information, Foreign, and
Youth and Sports Ministries, as well as Peace Malaysia, to expand the
campaign to a mega scale.
"When we protested against the US invasion in Iraq, we managed to get
200,000 people into Putra Stadium, Bukit Jalil.
"We are confident that youth leaders from political parties, including
those in Pakatan Rakyat will join us in this fight against the Zionist
regime," he said after his ministry's New Year gathering at Putrajaya
International Convention Centre here yesterday.
Hishammuddin said the directive was passed in the cabinet meeting on
Wednesday.
Asked on the danger of exposing children to such atrocities, the
minister said: "When they grow up, they will have to face global issue
like peace, environment and the economic crisis."
He said he would be using the Unesco platform, of which he is an
executive board member, to voice out Malaysia's concern over the Gaza
crisis.
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/palestine/?id=29873
First Published 2009-01-20, Last Updated 2009-01-20 08:46:22
‘Hamas are the only winners’
Thousands protest in Tunisia against siege of Gaza
Tunisian demonstrators express support for Palestinians, call for end of
Israeli blockade of Gaza.
TUNIS – Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Tunisia's
capital Monday calling for an end to Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The march in the centre of Tunis came two days after Israel declared a
unilateral ceasefire against the democratically elected government of
Hamas in Gaza.
Hamas and other resistance groups kept to a week-long truce on condition
that Israel would withdraw its troops from Gaza by then.
Statistics released by the Palestinian bureau of statistics showed some
4,100 homes in Gaza were totally destroyed and 17,000 others damaged in
the three-week war.
Tunisian demonstrators protested against Israel's military offensive
that began on December 27 and resulted in the deaths of at least 1,300
Palestinians, most of them civilians and a third of them children.
"The Islamists and Hamas are the only winners. We do not share their
ideas but we support the Palestinian people," said Khadija Cherif, a
feminist demonstrator from a secular opposition group.
Israel, which wants to crush any Palestinian liberation movement,
responded to Hamas's win in the elections with sanctions, and almost
completely blockaded the impoverished coastal strip after Hamas seized
power in 2007, although a ‘lighter’ siege had already existed before.
Human rights groups, both international and Israeli, slammed Israel’s
siege of Gaza, branding it “collective punishment.”
A group of international lawyers and human rights activists had also
accused Israel of committing “genocide” through its crippling blockade
of the Strip.
Gaza is still considered under Israeli occupation as Israel controls
air, sea and land access to the Strip.
The Rafah crossing with Egypt, Gaza's sole border crossing that bypasses
Israel, rarely opens as Egypt is under immense US and Israeli pressure
to keep the crossing shut.
Fatah has little administrative say in the Israeli-occupied West Bank,
and has no power in Arab east Jerusalem, both of which were illegally
occupied by Israel in 1967.
Israel also currently occupies the Lebanese Shabaa Farms and the Syrian
Golan Heights.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/01/03/protesters-out-force-lambast-israel-us.html
Protesters out in force to lambast Israel, U.S.
The Jakarta Post, , Jakarta, Bandung, Malang, Medan | Sat, 01/03/2009
10:32 AM | Headlines
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of cities across the
country on Friday to denounce Israeli air strikes on Gaza that have
killed 425 people in the past six days.
The protesters accused the United States of supporting the attacks,
raising strong and renewed anti-American sentiment among Indonesian Muslims.
Muslim scholars and observers have warned of a rise in radicalism and
retaliation against Western targets over the air strikes, after the
United States and its Western allies failed to condemn them.
The protesters stopped short of slamming Hamas, which Israel and some
Western countries accuse of having provoked the attacks.
In the capital, about 100,000 protesters hit the streets in downtown
Jakarta.
The demonstrators, mobilized by the Islamic-based Prosperous Justice
Party (PKS), marched on the U.S. Embassy on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan,
Central Jakarta, from the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle.
"As of today, every Islamic element in the country and the world must
stand together to fight Israel and their American allies," PKS president
Tifatul Sembiring told the applauding crowd gathered outside the embassy
compound.
"I also demand that U.S. president-elect Barack Obama fulfill his
slogan, *Change We Can Believe In'. Obama must not support Israel as the
Bush administration does."
The protesters, carrying anti-Israeli and U.S. banners and yelling
"Allahu Akbar" (God is great), came from Jakarta and PKS branches in
Bandung, Depok, Bekasi, Bogor and Banten.
Fadli Amirulah, 27, came from Bandung, bringing with him some 1,000
protesters to show their support for peace in Gaza and for the
Palestinians' struggle against Israel.
He and fellow protesters urged young people to start boycotting U.S. and
Western products.
"We have data that shows some of the profits made by companies such as
McDonald's and Coca-Cola are allocated to the Zionists. We must stop
using their products to cut their funding," he said.
In Bandung, hundreds of members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) and
United Islam (Persis) staged an anti-Israeli rally in the city center,
condemning the attacks and burning pictures of Israeli Prime Minister
Ehud Olmert and U.S. President George W. Bush.
Twenty-two Muslims, including four women, have registered with the FPI
to fight against Israel in Gaza.
"I saw on TV how cruel Israel was. I couldn't stand to watch children
being killed. So I joined as a jihadi to prepare to die," said Herlina,
43, a mother of one.
A similar rally was also held in Malang, East Java, involving thousands
of members of the PKS, the National Mandate Party (PAN), Muhammadiyah,
Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) and the Indonesian Islamic Youth.
In Medan, North Sumatra, 95 people have volunteered to be sent to Gaza
to fight Israel.
"We plan to send 100 people to Gaza in the first stage. Now we only need
five more people to begin sending people there," said Indra Suheri, the
FPI's North Sumatra FPI secretary.
Large protests also took place in Ternate, North Maluku, and Banda Aceh,
Aceh province. (hdt)
Yuli Tri Suwarni, Wahyoe Boediwardhana and Rizal Harahap contributed to
this story from Bandung, Malang and Medan, respectively.
---------------------------------------------------
Hundreds of students in Banten stage protest
against Israel
Jakarta Post - December 29, 2008
Jakarta -- About 200 students and members of Muslim
organizations staged a rally in front of the Sultan
Ageng Tirtayasa University in Serang, Banten, on
Monday to protest Israel's recent air strikes in
Gaza.
"We're deeply concerned. Israel has launched an
inhumane act at a time when others are supposed to
be celebrating the new year," said Sjaeful Akbar,
the rally coordinator adding the event was held
partly to prepare for further rallies in Jakarta.
"We're planning on joining fellow protesters in
Jakarta," the college student said, as quoted by
tempointeraktif.com.
Akbar said he planned to coordinate the Banten
student rallies with efforts by other students in
Jakarta, Bekasi, Bogor and Tangerang. After
rallying in Banten, the group of protesters will be
heading to Jakarta.
Sjaeful said the government should immediately step
up measures to assist the Palestinians. "They need
to start sending medicine and medics there." (amr)
---------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------
Muslims in Bali demand US stop Israeli aggression
Jakarta Post - January 2, 2009
Hundreds of people in Bali staged a rally in front
of the US Consulate in Denpasar on Friday demanding
that country exercise its influence to stop Israeli
attacks on Palestinians.
State news agency Antara reported those joining the
rally were mostly Muslims living on the
predominantly Hindu island and also sympathizers of
the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).
The rally began at the governor's offices then set
off on a 1-kilometer march to the consulate. During
the march protesters sang an Indonesian national
song, "Maju Tak Gentar" (Press on bravely), while
carrying banners bearing slogans such as "Free
Palestine", "Stop Israeli Predators" and "Boycott
Israeli Zionists".
The protestors also asked for donations from rally
onlookers. They said the money would be used to
fund humanitarian aid in Gaza. The rally went
peacefully, but there was no response from the
consulate siunce officials were still on their New
Year's holiday. (and)
---------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
PKS rally snarls Central Jakarta
Jakarta Post - January 2, 2009
Jakarta -- Thousand of Prosperous and Justice Party
(PKS) members from across Greater Jakarta staged a
rally at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in
Central Jakarta on Friday, causing traffic tie-ups
around the area.
Kompas.com has reported the rally has held up
busses and cars coming into the major intersection
from the south.
Central Jakarta Police have deployed 500 officers
to keep the peace and regulate traffic. They have
already confiscated three containers containing
sound systems and have both a water cannon and a
paddy wagon in case rioting occurs.
During the rally, demonstrators set out blue
donation boxes so passers-by could contribute.
PKS chair Tifatul Sembiring said the party
condemned Israel's air raid attacks on Hamas in the
Gaza Strip and urged all Muslims to join the fight
against Israel. "We have to unite. If we don't, we
will have failed," he said during the rally. (ewd)
---------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
Protesters out in force to lambast Israel, US
Jakarta Post - January 3, 2009
Jakarta, Bandung, Malang, Medan -- Tens of
thousands of people took to the streets of cities
across the country on Friday to denounce Israeli
air strikes on Gaza that have killed 425 people in
the past six days.
The protesters accused the United States of
supporting the attacks, raising strong and renewed
anti-American sentiment among Indonesian Muslims.
Muslim scholars and observers have warned of a rise
in radicalism and retaliation against Western
targets over the air strikes, after the United
States and its Western allies failed to condemn
them.
The protesters stopped short of slamming Hamas,
which Israel and some Western countries accuse of
having provoked the attacks.
In the capital, about 100,000 protesters hit the
streets in downtown Jakarta. The demonstrators,
mobilized by the Islamic-based Prosperous Justice
Party (PKS), marched on the US Embassy on Jl. Medan
Merdeka Selatan, Central Jakarta, from the Hotel
Indonesia traffic circle.
"As of today, every Islamic element in the country
and the world must stand together to fight Israel
and their American allies," PKS president Tifatul
Sembiring told the applauding crowd gathered
outside the embassy compound.
"I also demand that US president-elect Barack Obama
fulfill his slogan, 'Change We Can Believe In'.
Obama must not support Israel as the Bush
administration does."
The protesters, carrying anti-Israeli and US
banners and yelling "Allahu Akbar" (God is great),
came from Jakarta and PKS branches in Bandung,
Depok, Bekasi, Bogor and Banten.
Fadli Amirulah, 27, came from Bandung, bringing
with him some 1,000 protesters to show their
support for peace in Gaza and for the Palestinians'
struggle against Israel.
He and fellow protesters urged young people to
start boycotting US and Western products. "We have
data that shows some of the profits made by
companies such as McDonald's and Coca-Cola are
allocated to the Zionists. We must stop using their
products to cut their funding," he said.
In Bandung, hundreds of members of the Islam
Defenders Front (FPI) and United Islam (Persis)
staged an anti-Israeli rally in the city center,
condemning the attacks and burning pictures of
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and US President
George W. Bush.
Twenty-two Muslims, including four women, have
registered with the FPI to fight against Israel in
Gaza. "I saw on TV how cruel Israel was. I couldn't
stand to watch children being killed. So I joined
as a jihadi to prepare to die," said Herlina, 43, a
mother of one.
A similar rally was also held in Malang, East Java,
involving thousands of members of the PKS, the
National Mandate Party (PAN), Muhammadiyah, Hizbut
Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) and the Indonesian Islamic
Youth.
In Medan, North Sumatra, 95 people have volunteered
to be sent to Gaza to fight Israel. "We plan to
send 100 people to Gaza in the first stage. Now we
only need five more people to begin sending people
there," said Indra Suheri, the FPI's North Sumatra
FPI secretary.
Large protests also took place in Ternate, North
Maluku, and Banda Aceh, Aceh province. (hdt)
[Yuli Tri Suwarni, Wahyoe Boediwardhana and Rizal
Harahap contributed to this story from Bandung,
Malang and Medan, respectively.]
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------
Protesters seal off synagogue amid pro-Palestinian
protests
Adnkronos International - January 9, 2009
Jakarta -- As Israel's two-week offensive in Gaza
continues, massive anti-Israel and anti-US rallies
have been taking place across Indonesia. Muslim
protesters also sealed off a Jewish synagogue in
Surabaya, East Java and have threatened to boycott
American products in the province.
On Thursday, a crowd of 500 protesters gathered
outside the US Consulate in Jakarta to express
their solidarity for the Palestinian people and
condemn the Israeli attacks, which have killed an
estimated 770 Palestinians, including many
children. Fourteen Israelis have died since Israel
began its offensive to end Hamas rocket attacks
against it from Gaza.
Brandishing anti-Israel and anti-US banners through
the main streets in front of the governor's office
and crowded shopping centres, protesters in
Surabaya moved on the nearby synagogue.
They held a forum there that later ended with the
burning of Israeli and American flags and the
sealing off of the synagogue.
Rally coordinator Abdusshomad Buchori said the
group would organise a massive movement against US
citizens, Jews and American products such as
Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonald's fast food
outlets in the city until the attacks in Gaza were
halted.
"If Israel doesn't stop its attacks on the
Palestinian people immediately, we will conduct
raids on sympathisers, supporters and Israeli
agents in the province," he said.
The rally continued peacefully as more than 300
riot police were deployed to the area.
Following the synagogue closure, the demonstrators
then moved on KFC and McDonald's outlets at the
nearby Plaza Surabaya, calling for a boycott of the
American products.
The demonstrators also demanded the government
intensify diplomatic efforts with the UN and the
international community to "stop the bloodshed" and
get humanitarian relief to the Palestinian people.
The United Nations Security Council late on
Thursday passed a resolution calling for an
immediate and durable ceasefire in Gaza followed by
a complete withdrawal of Israel forces from the
aid-dependent territory. The United States
abstained from the 14-0 vote, weakening its impact
of the resolution.
---------------------------------------------------
Indonesian women protest against Israeli strikes
Agence France Presse - January 9, 2009
Jakarta -- About 200 Indonesian women protested
against Israeli military strikes in the Gaza Strip
outside the Egyptian embassy in Jakarta on Friday.
Carrying posters showing wounded and dead
Palestinian children, they urged Egypt to open its
border with Gaza for the delivery of humanitarian
aid.
"As Palestine's closest neighbour, we hope Egypt
will open roads so relief supplies can be sent to
the victims," said Nani Handayani, of women's
welfare group Salimah or Muslim Sisterhood.
"As mothers, we feel sad for the women who lost
their children in Palestine... they are in our
prayers."
The UN Security Council called Friday for an
immediate ceasefire to halt the two-week-old war
between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist
movement Hamas which has killed almost 800
Palestinians, many of them civilians.
A council resolution also called for the
"unimpeded" provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Egypt has partially opened its border for
deliveries of foreign aid and for the evacuation of
wounded Palestinians, and has asked the
International Committee of the Red Cross to open a
humanitarian corridor.
Israel announced a plan for a humanitarian corridor
for Gaza's aid-dependent population of 1.5 million
on Wednesday.
---------------------------------------------------
250,000-strong solidarity forum for Palestine in
Jakarta
Jakarta Post - January 11, 2009
Jakarta -- Around 250,000 supporters from the
Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) joined religious
leaders in a solidarity forum at the National
Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta on Sunday
morning to condemn Israel's attacks on Palestine.
Among the leaders attending the forum were
representatives from Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and
Konghucu sects, kompas.com reported Sunday.
During the rally some figures -- including the
chair of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)
Hidayat Nur Wahid and Azazah, chair of the Jakarta
Forum Majelis Taklim, an Islamic study group --
made speeches and expressed their opposition to the
conflict.
"We urge an immediate halt to the military
incursion. We oppose any kind of violence because
we love peace," said Edi Kuswara from Suara
Tionghoa (Chinese Voice) during his address.
During the peaceful action, participants collected
donations for victims by distributing boxes so the
public could contribute. After the forum, they are
set to march to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle.
(ewd)
---------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gaza war fuels anti-Israeli anger in Indonesia
Associated Press - January 16, 2009
Anthony Deutsch, Jakarta -- Indonesia Islamic hard-
liners enraged by Israel's assault on the Gaza
Strip marched to the synagogue's gates chanting,
"Go to hell Israel!"
The only Jewish religious site in the world's most
populous Muslim state -- which has no rabbi and
only a few followers -- then closed its doors.
Across Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan, sentiments
are running high about the conflict, fueled by
disturbing TV footage of Palestinian casualties.
"This is the way to show our solidarity for the
Palestinian people and to condemn the Israeli
attacks," said Abdusshomad Buchori, a local leader
of the Ulema Council, which is pushing for the
permanent closure of Beth Hashem synagogue in
Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city.
"If Israel refuses to stop its attacks and
oppression of the Palestinian people, we don't need
to defend (the synagogue's) presence here," said
Buchori, who led about 100 hard-liners to the
synagogue, where they burned an Israeli flag.
The woman who has run the synagogue since the 1970s
went underground after the Jan. 7 incident, in
which Buchori also threatened to drive any
remaining Jews out of town.
The incident was not unique: An outlet of the
American fried chicken chain KFC was shut on
Sulawesi island after protesters upset with
Washington's Middle East policies hurled chairs and
overturned tables. And thousands have rallied in
the capital, Jakarta, waving Palestinian flags and
shouting insults outside the US Embassy.
"The Israeli attacks against Palestine and Lebanon
have resulted in increased anti-Semitism," said
Hendardi, chairman of the Setara Institute for
Democracy and Peace, a human rights group. Like
many Indonesians, he uses a single name.
The government of President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono, which is seeking re-election in April,
donated millions of dollars in aid, sent doctors
and humanitarian workers to Gaza and offered
peacekeepers -- moves that could win votes.
Smaller radical groups seeking to create an
Indonesian Muslim state staged publicity stunts
where they claimed to be signing up martyrs for a
jihad, or holy war, to combat Israeli troops.
Despite the calls for volunteers and a message from
Osama bin Laden urging Muslims to fight in Gaza,
there are no known cases of Indonesians leaving to
defend the Palestinians.
Emotions have nonetheless been stirred by the media
coverage. One Indonesian broadcaster, tvOne, has
been running ads showing footage of Palestinian
parents weeping over dead children under the
heading, "Tears for Palestine."
The vast majority of Indonesia's Muslims practice a
moderate form of the faith and do not advocate
violence against Israelis, but they support the
creation of a Palestinian state. Jakarta hosts a
Palestinian embassy but has no political links with
Israel.
Other major Muslim countries in Asia have also seen
an outpouring of support for Palestinians since
Israel began its Gaza offensive Dec. 27.
Malaysian leaders called for a boycott of iconic
American brands like McDonald's and Coca-Cola, and
pro-Palestinian charities and newspapers have
collected millions of dollars in aid.
Lawmakers sharply criticized Israel's use of force
in a six-hour-long debate and tens of thousands of
people held prayer sessions for Palestinians. The
conflict is a topic of heated discussion across
Malaysia.
"We are Muslims. We are very angry," said Zaiton, a
50-year-old Malaysian teacher who declined to give
her full name while attending a protest with her
four daughters and grandson. "You see the
(Palestinian) children. Looking at the newspaper,
it's enough to break your heart."
In Pakistan, there are near-daily protests from the
southern city of Karachi to towns on the border
with Afghanistan.
Protesters have burned US and Israeli flags and
effigies of Israeli leaders. Some of the protests
have been dominated by women or children. However,
most have been limited in size and marshaled mainly
by an Islamist political party.
"All the Muslims of the world should stand united
against Israel," said Qari Shafiq, a principal at
an Islamic seminary. "But unfortunately we are
divided into countries and sects." Associated Press
writers Ashraf Khan in Karachi, Sean Yoong in Kuala
Lumpur, Niniek Karmini in Jakarta contributed to
this report.
---------------------------------------------------
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20090104-181337/Send-troops-to-Gaza--Indon-protesters
Send troops to Gaza--Indon protesters
Agence France-Presse
First Posted 14:49:00 01/04/2009
Filed Under: Protest, Unrest and Conflicts and War, Gaza conflict
JAKARTA--Thousands of Indonesian Islamists rallied across the country
Sunday to condemn Israel's military strikes on the Gaza Strip and called
on the government to send troops to fight Israeli forces.
Around 3,000 members of the Islamist Hizbut Tahrir movement took over
the streets of central Jakarta to condemn Israel's strikes and ground
offensive, which have killed hundreds of Palestinians.
Dressed head-to-toe in black and white, the women in headscarves, the
crowd marched peacefully, waving Indonesian and Palestinian flags and
carrying banners denouncing the Jewish state as a "terrorist" force.
"Indonesia's military must go to war against Israel, not just as
peacekeepers. We ask the government to send troops there, not just
medicine," Farid Wadjdi, the movement's local head, was quoted as saying
by news website Detikcom.
Thousands of members of the group, which calls for the establishment of
a worldwide Islamic Caliphate, also marched in other cities including
the second-largest city, Surabaya, where more than a hundred police
stood guard outside the United States consulate, local media reported.
Protesters marched over an Israeli flag painted onto the ground in
Makassar city in South Sulawesi province, rubbing their feet into the
image as a sign of disrespect, television station MetroTV said.
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, is a strong
supporter of the Palestinian cause, and does not recognize Israel.
It has condemned the massive Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip and
has sent aid workers, who are currently in Jordan.
The offensive, launched more than a week ago in response to a wave of
rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, has killed over 463 people so far.
Rockets fired from Gaza have killed four Israelis.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1451437.php/Indonesian_Muslims_stage_more_anti-Israeli_protest_rally_
Indonesian Muslims stage more anti-Israeli protest rally
Asia-Pacific News
Jan 4, 2009, 6:13 GMT
Jakarta - Thousands of Indonesian Muslims on Sunday protested Israel's
military offensive against the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 400
people.
In the capital Jakarta, more than 2,000 Muslim followers from Hizbut
Tahrir hardline group, rallied at the National Monument near the US
embassy.
In the adjacent Depok district, more than 3,000 Muslim activists from
the Islamic-based Prosperous Justice Party, marched through the city's
main street, condemning Israeli's brutal airstrikes, witnesses said.
Protestor leader Farid Wadjdi urged the government to sent troops to
Gaza to help defend the Palestinian people against the onslaught.
Similar anti-Israeli rallies were also held in several other cities,
including in Bandung of West Java, Surabaya and Bojonegoro in East Java
province, Purwokerto, Solo and Kendal in Central Java, Banjarmasin in
south Kalimantan, and Makassar in south Sulawesi, local media reported.
Indonesia, the world's most-populous Muslim country, is a staunch
supporter of the Palestinian struggle for nationhood and has no
diplomatic relations with Israel.
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/international/middle-east/2009/01/03/190368/Thousands-of.htm
January 3, 2009 9:53 am TWN, AP
Thousands of Indonesians protest Israeli strikes
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- More than 10,000 Muslims marched through
Indonesia's capital on Friday to protest the ongoing bombing raids in
Gaza, aiming fake missiles labeled “Target: Tel Aviv, Israel” at the
U.S. Embassy.
Several thousand Afghans held a similar demonstration in Kabul, burning
Israeli flags and chanting anti-American slogans. A smaller protest was
also held in the Philippines against Israel's assault, which has killed
more than 400 people.
Men, women and children attending the Indonesian rally organized by the
Islamic-based Justice and Prosperity Party waved Indonesian and
Palestinian flags and shouted “Allahu akbar,” Arabic for “God is great.”
Many wore traditional white robes and held banners that read: “Save
Palestine from Israel, the terrorist.” They marched to the U.S. Embassy,
which was guarded by hundreds of police.
“President-elect (Barack) Obama, we're watching you,” party leader
Tifatul Sembiring told the crowd. “If you want peace in the world,
change the U.S. attitude toward Israel, don't support Israel.”
Police estimated that at least 10,000 people were at the demonstration
in Jakarta, but Associated Press reporters at the scene said the numbers
were much higher.
Protests were also held after Friday prayers in other Indonesian cities,
in what was the largest turnout since Israel began the operation last
Saturday, intended to end weeks of intensifying rocket fire from Gaza.
The vast majority of Indonesian Muslims practice a moderate form of
Islam. Although they support the creation of a Palestinian state, most
oppose violence against Israel.
In the Afghan capital, about 3,000 people gathered outside a prominent
mosque after Friday prayers, according to police estimates. Men in the
crowd threw stones and shoes at an effigy of President George W. Bush.
Kabul Police Chief Ayoub Salangi said no violence was reported. A cleric
who spoke to the crowd condemned America's support of Israel and led the
crowd in chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.”
In the Philippines, dozens of demonstrators gathered in Manila, carrying
placards saying Israel is a “butcher of children” and accusing it of war
crimes.
Organizer Reihana Melencio accused Israel of genocide.
“This is one of the strongest militaries on earth and attacking a people
who can only shoot back some old rockets, sticks and stones,” she said.
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