Arab, Islamic countries filled with protests in solidarity with Gaza
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Mass demonstrations take place in several Arab and Islamic countries as the people seek to denounce the Israeli occupation and stand in solidarity with Gaza.
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A screen grab from a video posted on social media depicting a pro-Palestine protest in Amman, Jordan (Social Media)
Numerous Arab and Islamic countries had their streets filled with protests on Friday in light of the Israeli occupation's aggression on Gaza as the people sought to denounce the Israeli occupation's ongoing genocide against the people of Palestine while also voicing their solidarity with the latter.
People took to the streets in the Jordanian capital of Amman in an anti-US protest wherein they underlined the need for the government to reassess its deals with the Israeli occupation, starting with the existing gas trade agreements all the way to the Wadi Araba Treaty, the normalization deal signed between Jordan and the Israeli occupation.
Jordanians protest in support of Palestine and Gaza. #عمان pic.twitter.com/0S3LunzqK4
— Al-Ahed News (@English_AlAhed) November 17, 2023
A statement issued by the National Forum, the body behind the protest that took place in Jordan's capital, welcomed Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi's assertions about the country not signing any treaties about trading energy for water with the Israeli occupation.
"Not signing the trade agreement of exchanging water for electricity is a positive development in terms of the official stance, as it shows that [the state] is refraining from moving forward with further normalization steps that must ultimately be canceled altogether," the statement said.
🔴Amman Jordan today marching in support of Palestine 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/RzzsPbK2aT
— Suribelle 🚩 (@Syribelle) November 17, 2023
The strongly-worded international statements must be translated into action on the ground in a manner that "respects the popular stance, especially after the cancellation of the demonstration that was called for by numerous renowned Jordanian figures with no legal basis, which violates the right [to freedom of expression] enshrined in the constitution."
Furthermore, the statement underlined that the Israeli occupation's aggression on the hospitals of the Gaza Strip is implicitly aimed at voiding the north of its people "though a message written in blood, which reads: 'Nowhere is safe.' The occupier has no regard for any humanitarian organization."
Despite the ongoing Israeli warnings for Palestinians to "evacuate" the northern region of the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics confirmed that 807,000 Palestinians continue to reside in the Gaza Governorate, including its northern area.
Palestinians have not left their homes in the northern Gaza Strip, remaining steadfast and showing their willingness to die proudly in their ancestral lands, especially amid Israeli propaganda claiming that "many" Palestinians have left their homes there.
According to the bureau, the population residing in Gaza and North Gaza governorates until November 11 amounted to 807,000 individuals, representing about 152,000 families out of the 1.2 million Palestinians who initially lived in those regions before the Israeli aggression.
Finally, the statement addressed the situation in the West Bank, saying "Israel" would follow the same practices in the West Bank, "which jeopardizes Jordan's security and constitutes an existential threat to it. This threat necessitates looking toward the Resistance as it defends Jordan as it defends Palestine, and it also necessitates considering cooperation, coordination, and support of the Resistance."
Ramallah, Palestine, and Saida, Lebanon, also saw massive rallies taking place in solidarity with the people of Gaza as the masses condemned the Israeli aggression that has been taking place for over 40 days.
"العدو يستند إلى الإدارة الأميركية في هذا العدوان وأبطال المقاومة يسّطرون البطولات، لذلك نحملها المسؤولية الكاملة عن الجرائم في قطاع غزة."
— الميادين لبنان (@mayadeenlebanon) November 17, 2023
ممثل حركة حماس في لبنان علي بركة من مدينة صيدا #لبنان #الميادين_لبنان pic.twitter.com/XbdTVZOoHv
Demonstrations were held in Tehran, Iran, too, wherein the people voiced their solidarity with occupied Palestine and condemned the Israeli occupation's aggression on Gaza.
The Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini voiced his disapproval last month of the international community's apparent abandonment of Gaza.
The international community “seems to have turned its back on Gaza," he said.
"People in Gaza are dying; they are not only dying from bombs and strikes: soon many more will die from the consequences of (the) siege imposed on the Gaza Strip," he said.
Lazzarini further mentioned that there is a severe shortage of fuel in Gaza, with a daily requirement of approximately 160,000 liters (or 42,200 gallons) to support hospitals and bakeries.
