Jan 9, 2009, 15:01 GMT
Sana'a/Amman - Demonstrators in their thousands took to streets in the Arab world following Friday prayers to show their support for the people of the Gaza Strip and denounce the nearly two- week Israeli military offensive there.
Demonstrators in Doha, Baghdad and Amman carried Palestinian flags and chanted slogans in support of Gaza. Others decried the Egyptian government, accusing it of indirectly supporting Israel by keeping its border to the salient closed.
The largest demonstrations took place in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, where witness accounts say about 200,000 demonstrators took to the streets, calling for 'Death to America and Israel' and saying that 'Islam would win.'
Protesters waved pictures of Hamas leaders at the gathering in Sabeen square after prayers at al-Saleh mosque. They also questioned Arab governments' 'silence' on the situation in Gaza.
In the southern port city of Aden, police had to fire warning shots and tear gas to disperse tens of thousands of protesters after they tried to access the diplomatic quarter.
In Amman, tens of thousands of demonstrators carried photos of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who expelled his country's Israeli ambassador.
Demonstrators gathered near the Israeli embassy, but were prevented by security forces from reaching the building. They demanded that the Israeli ambassador be kicked out of Amman.
Clashes later erupted and police had to use clubs, tear gas and water canons to disperse the crowd. Some protesters threw rocks at the police. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
The Friday demonstrations were called by prominent Egyptian-born, but Qatar-based, Islamic scholar Youssef al-Qaradawi.
He called for Friday to be a 'day of support for Gaza' and has urged imams around the Muslim world to deliver their Friday sermons on the Gaza situation.
Al-Qaradawi delivered the Friday prayer sermon in one of Doha's mosques in which he attacked US 'double standards' and Washington's 'involvement in the Zionist scheme.'
Demonstrators then came out of the mosque onto the streets carrying Qatari and Palestinian flags and wearing the traditional Palestinian keffiyeh, or scarf.
In Baghdad, thousands of demonstrators marched in Baghdad and chanted slogans like 'Where are the Arab leaders?' and carried placards reading 'Gaza martyrs, you are going to heaven' and 'The attack on Gaza is an attack on humanity.'
The demonstrators then gathered at the Muslim Youth Association, where speeches were delivered and songs sung in support of Gaza.
Police tried to stop protests by 100,000 people in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, but eventually decided to let the protest continue.
Protesters decried Egyptian policy. 'Gaza forgive us, the opening of Rafah crossing is not in our hands,' the crowds chanted.
In clashes in the Sinai peninsula city of El-Arish, eight demonstrators and a number of policemen were injured in clashes. About a dozen demonstrators were arrested.
Also, about 3,000 people protested in Ramallah in the West Bank at the urging of Hamas. Protesters chanted 'Hamas, Hamas,' but, unlike previous demonstrations, did not wave Hamas flags. The protest was dispersed by authorities after about half an hour.
Demonstrations also took place in Bahrain, with the largest attracting some 30,000 people in the Shiite village of Duraz north of the capital Manama.
Crowds chanted 'Death to America, death to Israel' and criticized the international community and Arab governments for failing to act against what they said was a 'Holocaust' in Gaza.
Protestors raised the Palestinian, Venezuelan and Hezbollah flags. Bahrain's highest-ranking Shiite religious leader Sheikh Isa Ahmed Qasim, in his Friday sermon, accused the US, Israel and Europe of wanting to control the Islamic and Arab world.
The head of the Roman Orthodox Church in Bahrain and Kuwait said Christians and Muslims alike opposed the attacks on Gaza.
'We all stand together to support our brothers in Palestine at such times and we pray that an end to this murder, destruction and aggression comes about,' he told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
Support marches were also organized in the United Arab Emirates.
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