- Title: SYRIA: Palestinians condemn Israel's actions during the annual Land Day
- Date: 31st March 2012
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) KHALED ABDUL MAJEED, SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE NATIONAL PALESTINIAN CONFERENCE, SAYING "Their (Israeli) gunfire, pursuit of foreign activists and the sons of the Palestinian nation in Jerusalem or the West Bank - all of this shows ugly racist face of global Zionism." VARIOUS OF DEMONSTRATORS DEMONSTRATOR HOLDING MAP OF PALESTINE
- Embargoed: 15th April 2012 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Syrian Arab Republic
- Country: Syria
- Topics: International Relations,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA69ADMYV73SYGCN2O95MXX1PKU
- Story Text: Hundreds of Palestinians, living in Syria, condemned on Friday (March 30) the Israel's actions against protests organised to mark the Land Day.
The protesters gathered at a main square of the capital Damascus under a huge portrait of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, cheering pro-Assad slogans. Protesters condemned events in Israel where Israeli security forces fired rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades to break up groups of Palestinian stone-throwers on Friday as annual Land Day rallies turned violent.
"Their (Israeli) gunfire, pursuit of foreign activists and the sons of the Palestinian nation in Jerusalem or the West Bank - all of this shows ugly racist face of global Zionism," said Khaled Abdul Majeed, Secretary General of the National Palestinian Conference who took part in the protest in the Syrian capital.
There are about 500,000 Palestinians living in Syria.
Land Day is an annual day, commemorating the killing by security forces of six Arabs in 1976 during protests against government plans to confiscate land in northern Israel's Galilee region.
Previous remembrances have mostly passed quietly, but Israel decided to reinforce its defences following deadly clashes along the Lebanese and Syrian borders in May that appeared to catch the military off guard.
Medics in the Gaza Strip said the Israelis also used live fire to prevent protesters from nearing the frontier wall, seriously wounding one man.
Violence also flared at checkpoints in the occupied West Bank to the north and south of Jerusalem. Witnesses also reported disturbances at gates leading into the Old City, with police limiting access to the Muslims' revered al-Aqsa Mosque.
Flag-waving crowds neared the Qalandiya crossing out of Ramallah, some of them hurling stones at the security forces, but were forced back when border police sprayed them with foul smelling liquid from a water cannon.
There were also confrontations in Bethlehem, where Palestinians hurled petrol bombs at an Israeli watchtower. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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