Palestinians in Palestine and the Diaspora demonstrate in support of al-Aqsa

February 9, 2007

Occupied Jerusalem – Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians demonstrated after Friday prayers in various towns, villages and refugee camps in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, 1948 occupied Palestine, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

Tens of thousands marched in Gaza city to protest the Israeli excavations at the Magharba gate which constitutes part of the Aqsa Mosque compound. The green flags of Hamas flew along the yellow flags of Fatah and people chanted slogans hailing Palestinian unity and condemning Israeli desecration of the Aqsa Mosque.

Similar demonstrations took place in the West Bank. As well as those demonstrations in occupied Jerusalem, there were demonstrations in Ramallah, Nablus, al-Khalil, Tulkarem and Jenin.

Around 100 Bil’in villagers together with 30 international and Israeli supporters today welcomed the announcement of the Palestinian unity government and condemned the excavation work being done by the Occupation near the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem damaging the foundations of the Muslim holy site.

Palestinians living in the 1948 occupied areas also demonstrated in huge numbers in the northern Palestinian city of Nazareth where the demonstration was lead by Sheikh Raed Salah, head of the Islamic Movement in 1948 occupied Palestine.

Palestinians and Jordanians demonstrated in Amman in support of the Aqsa Mosque.

There were also demonstrations in the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus, which is the largest refugee camp in Syria.

In Lebanon too, the main refugee camps witnessed demonstrations in support of the Aqsa Mosque.

In all these demonstrations the protest at the Israeli aggressions were coupled with celebrating the landmark agreement between Hamas and Fatah to form a national unity government.