TEL AVIV: Tens of thousands of protesters rallied across West Asia and beyond on Friday in support of Palestinians and condemnation of Israel as it intensified its strikes on Gaza in retaliation for Hamas assaults. Similar protests were seen by Israel’s supporters in Paris( France), Warsaw (Poland) and elsewhere who blamed Hamas for initiating the war.
France and Germany banned pro-Palestinian demonstrations and several western countries said they had stepped up security at synagogues and Jewish schools fearing that protests could lead to acts of violence.
Iraqis gathered in central Tahrir Square, Baghdad, waving Palestinian flags. Iran saw state-organised rallies against Israel. In Lebanon, Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem expressed solidarity with Palestinians at a rally. In Indonesia, Islamic cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, the suspected mastermind of the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, joined protesters in Solo.
Anti-Israel protests were also seen in Bangladesh, mainly Dhaka, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Egypt and several European cities.
Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin was in Tel Aviv where he said the Pentagon was ready to deploy more military aid to Israel. He said munitions, air defence capabilities and other equipment and resources were “rapidly flowing” to Washington’s closest West Asian ally, which has vowed to crush Hamas that rules Gaza.
“The USS Gerald R. Ford strike group is now in the region led by the largest aircraft carrier in the world,” Austin said. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Doha where he discussed with Qatar’s PM preventing any state or non-state actor from widening the conflict between Israel and Hamas. “Israel is not retaliating, but defending its people,” he said.
US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is headed to Israel this weekend to discuss what resources his country can provide for its war against Hamas.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called for an end to the bloodshed and cautioned Israel that a ground offensive in Gaza would lead to an “absolutely unacceptable” number of civilian casualties. “A ground attack would lead to serious consequences for all sides,” he said. Putin compared Israel’s Gaza blockade to World War Two siege of Leningrad
Turkey’s foreign ministry too said Israel’s call for Gazans to move south was completely unacceptable.
Israel also struck a Lebanese army observation post at the border, sources said. It came after Israeli military warned of a suspected armed infiltration that it said it was responding to with artillery fire.
At the same time, Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem said the group would not be swayed by calls for it to stay on the sidelines of the ongoing conflict, saying the party was “fully ready” to contribute to the fighting.