Rally Staged in Syria to Support PalestiniansLarge numbers of Palestinian refugees and Syrians staged a rally Wednesday, Novemer 29, to show solidarity with the Palestinians who have lost over 280 lives in the ongoing clashes with Israeli forces.The demonstration was organized on the occasion of the 53rd anniversary of Palestine Partition and involved members of different Palestinian forces and Syrian non-government organizations and trade unions. The protesters chanted slogans against the Partition Resolution adopted by the United Nations on November 29, 1947, which gave 57 percent of Palestine's territory to the Jews. They raised Palestinian and Syrian national flags and placards of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Al Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam. Israeli right-winger Ariel Sharon's visit to the mosque on September 28 sparked the current Palestinian-Israeli clashes and the Palestinians called their defiance against Israeli forces "Al Aqsa Intifada (uprising)." The demonstrators also carried banners voicing their adherence to their legitimate rights and their support for the "valiant uprising." Some of the banners said "No Peace without Return of Palestinian Refugees to Their Homes" and "Israeli War Criminals Must Be Tried." At the Martyr Cemetery, the protesters burnt Israeli and US flags and an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. They also paid tribute to the Palestinian martyrs. Chairman of Syrian Trade Union Federation Ahmed Ido addressed the rally, condemning Israel's atrocities against the Palestinian unarmed people. Ido urged the U.N. Security Council and other international organizations to pressure Israel to stop its aggression against the Palestinian people. |
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