Region | Palestinian Territories
Region boils in anger
Arabs erupt in fury but fail to draw strong response as toll from Israeli barbarism in Gaza mounts to 300.
- Gulf News Report
- Published: 23:53 December 28, 2008
- Image Credit: AP
- Firefighters battle a fire after an Israeli missile strike in the Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, on Sunday.
Dubai Protesters burned Israeli and American flags on Sunday in several Arab countries and demanded a stronger response from their leaders to Israel's attacks on Gaza.
The death toll in Gaza, meanwhile, increased to nearly 300 as Israel continued its aerial attacks and massed tanks at the Gaza border.
Dozens of tanks and personnel carriers idled at several points near the border after Israel warned it could launch a ground offensive in addition to its massive air aggression.
Hamas responded to the ongoing bombardment by firing rockets the farthest yet into Israel, with one striking not far from Ashdod, Israel's second-largest port, some 30km north of Gaza. It caused no casualties.
Speaking to Gulf News, Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzouk said the organisation, which rules Gaza, will not bow to the Israeli aggression. "We will challenge it," he said. He said Hamas was not invited to attend the emergency Arab summit, to be held in Doha on Friday.
The announcement of the summit however failed to calm the spreading popular anger to what is described as "impotence of the Arab official regime" in the face of the Gaza massacres.
Related Links
- Israeli tanks mass near Gaza
- Diary of a Gaza resident
- Arab protesters demand response
- Eye-witness: Morgues overflow with bodies
- Arab world in shock after attacks
- Hamas seeks region's support for Gaza
- US: Avoid civilian casualties in Gaza
- New Year massacre in Gaza
- Arabs play the fiddle while Gaza burns
"Arab silence is behind the bombings," read a banner held by one of several thousand people who turned out in the Iraqi city of Samarra.
"America and the Zionists are the leaders of world terrorism," read a placard held by protesters at the UN headquarters in the Lebanese capital Beirut. Similar protests were held in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, Yemen, Cairo and Damascus.
"Until when will the Arab silence continue?" read a placard carried by on of the thousands of Syrian protesters. In line with the protests, Syria decided to suspend its indirect peace talks with Israel because of the attacks on Gaza, a Syrian official said.
"Israel's aggression closes all the doors to any move toward a settlement in the region," he said.
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi accused fellow Arab leaders of adopting a "cowardly" response to the Israeli attacks.
- With additional inputs from Jumana Al Tamimi, Associate Editor, and agencies
More from Palestinian Territories
More from Region
News Editor's choice
-
Kuwait condemns Houla massacre
Arab League urged to put end to oppression of Syrian people
-
Road crashes main cause of child death in UAE
Death rate among children in car accidents in the UAE is three times higher than global average
-
Last minute ID rush is on
Expatriates in Dubai have thronged typing centres and Emirates ID registration offices to meet the May 31 registration deadline
