Arab countries mark Land Day – Jordanian news sites have reported Friday afternoon that some 20,000 people are participating in a mass procession in Jordan. The protesters gathered at Jesus's baptism site, and are planning to march towards the border with Israel. Increased security presence was reported in the area.
According to reports, participants were yelling "where is the Arab League on Jerusalem?" and waving Jordanian and Palestinian flags alongside signs with anti-Israeli slogans.
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Four rabbis from the extremist anti-Zionist Neturei Karta sect were also taking part in the march and carried signs reading: "Judaism demands the liberation of Jerusalem and all of Palestine."
Neturei Karta members in Lebanon rally (Photo: Reuters)
One of the movement leaders told Amman media outlets that they came to support the Palestinians and demonstrate that Judaism is different than Zionism. "We are against Zionism and in favor of the rights of Palestinians," he said.
"We are here to say that the occupation of Jerusalem and Palestine is unjust," said Rabbi David Feldman, who attended the rally. "This isn't Judaism, this isn't the voice of the Jews.
"This is a catastrophe for the Palestinian people," he claimed. "We cannot let it go on. This is an embarrassment to all of us that we have let it persist for so long."
A fellow rabbi, Aharon Cohen, added: "We are here to mark Land Day and tell the world not to blame the Jewish people for the crimes of Zionism. Judaism and Zionism are two separate ideas."
Several rally participants expressed anger over the presence of Neturei Karta members, and a verbal altercation erupted between the two groups.
Thousands march in Lebanon (Photo: Reuters)
Meanwhile, Lebanese newspaper As-Safir reported that hundreds of buses transported Lebanese and foreign protesters from Palestinian refugee camps to Beaufort Post.
An Al Alam journalist reporting from the Beaufort Post said that several Palestinian refugees tried to cross the Litani River and approach the border with Israel, but Lebanese security forces held them back.
'Judaism doesn't accept Israel'
According to the report, the protesters were all taking part in the main Land Day rally at the Beaufort Post together with some 3,000 demonstrators. Three Neturei Karta members also participated in the rally.
"We want the world to know that Judaism does not in any way accept the existence of the State of Israel, the occupation and the oppression of the Palestinian people," said Rabbi David Weiss, who rallied in southern Lebanon alongside three other Neturei Karta rabbis.
"It's goes against the Torah, against Jewish education, it goes against the stance of Jews who are loyal to the Torah worldwide," he added.
An al Manar report said that protesters were waving Iranian, Turkish, Indonesian and Malaysian flags, alongside Palestinian flags.
Speaking at the rally, Senior Hezbollah figure Sheikh Nabil Kauk said: "The nation's right to the whole of Palestine is not dead. Palestine is not waiting for the Arab summit or international decisions. The Palestinian nation relies on the guns of fighters in Gaza, in Ramallah and in Bint Jbeil."
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