RAMALLAH - VIDEO - About 1,500 Palestinians demonstrated in Ramallah Tuesday against ongoing IDF operations in Lebanon and particularly what protesters characterized as the "second Qana massacre."
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| Anti-Israel protests (Video: Reuters) |
A similar rally was held in the West Bank town of Nablus.
Palestinians burn Israeli, American flags (Photo: AP)
Participants in the rally also criticized the United States and urged the continuation of armed resistance to the Americans in Iraq. During the protest, both the Israeli and American flags were set ablaze.
The rally was organized by all Palestinian organizations in Ramallah, headed by Fatah, which is particularly powerful in the city. Senior Fatah member and former Interior Minister Hani al-Hassan surprised those in attendance by announcing that the group ordered its fighters to be on high alert "ahead of the possibility of escalation of the conflict in Lebanon, which could manifest itself in an escalation of Israeli actions in the Territories."
"I know what I'm talking about and I know what I'm referring to," al-Hassan told the crowd.
Tuesday's protest was relatively small compared to earlier ones in Ramallah and particularly the one held during US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to
the region. Rally organizers noted that the Palestinians, just like other Arabs, were disappointed by the international apathy in the face of the ongoing killings.
However, the organizers admitted that the paucity of Hizbullah accomplishments put a damper on the masses' enthusiasm.
'Neighbors celebrated missile attack on Afula'
A Jenin journalist who works in Ramallah said that support for Nasrallah
and Hizbullah
was overwhelming and encompassed the whole of Palestinian society. No official or senior figure in the Palestinian Authority would dare publicly criticize the Lebanese group, he said, but noted that privately some Palestinians are unimpressed with Nasrallah's group. The journalist added that his neighbors in Jenin were celebrating over news that a Hizbullah rocket hit the town of Afula, the deepest point hit by Hizbullah thus far.
Meanwhile, one Fatah activist said that the protest was proof that the entire organization is united in its support of Hizbullah. According to the activist, identified only as Ravia, talk inIsrael about
moderate Palestinians fearing a Hizbullah victory are a "media spin."
"There may be one or two opportunists who are expressing their dissatisfaction with Hizbullah's activity, but a document distributed by Hani al-Hassan attests to the importance of the victory for the Palestinian question."
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