21-10-2023 (CAIRO) Demonstrators from Jakarta to Tunis took to the streets on Friday (Oct 20) to demand an immediate halt to Israel’s relentless bombardment of Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of approximately 4,100 people over the past two weeks.
As Israel prepares for a potential ground invasion of the densely populated Palestinian enclave with the aim of eradicating Hamas, the militant Islamist group responsible for incursions into Israeli towns on Oct 7, tensions escalate between Western governments offering support for Israel’s military campaign and numerous Muslim states calling for an immediate ceasefire. Many people in Muslim countries express anger over the dire conditions in Gaza and stand in solidarity with the Palestinians.
Protests erupted across the region late on Tuesday after Gaza authorities reported a massive explosion at a hospital that claimed the lives of hundreds of people. Hamas attributed the incident to an Israeli airstrike, while Israel blamed a failed rocket launch by a Palestinian group.
In Jordan, where a peace agreement was reached with Israel in 1994 but with a population that largely identifies with Palestinians, over 6,000 protesters marched through the capital, and thousands more gathered near the Israeli embassy. The demonstrators expressed support for Hamas, urging the group to retaliate against Israel with rocket strikes and suicide bombings, chanting, “We are your army.”
Similar demonstrations took place in Turkey and Egypt, both countries with longstanding diplomatic relations with Israel. In Istanbul, approximately 2,000 people gathered in front of Beyazit Mosque, burning an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and waving Palestinian flags. Protesters held placards demanding an end to the genocide and branding Israel as a terrorist state.
In Egypt, thousands of demonstrators congregated at the historic al-Azhar mosque, while others assembled in central Tahrir Square. Some called for military action against Israel, while others advocated for alternative methods to halt the bombing of Gaza. Despite sharing a border with Gaza, Egypt has been unable to negotiate the opening of its crossing to allow humanitarian aid to reach the region.
“Palestine is the only country that unites our voices. If the Gulf countries do not send aid, they should at least cease the export of oil and gas. That is the least they can do,” expressed protester Mohammed Gomaa in Cairo.
Protests also emerged in Morocco, which agreed to normalize ties with Israel in 2020 in exchange for US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara. Islamists and leftists in Morocco announced plans for a sit-in later in the day. In Tunis, hundreds of people demonstrated, albeit in smaller numbers than recent protests against Israel’s Gaza campaign. Additional protests occurred in front of the US embassy.
“The real terrorism comes from Israel and America, which supports it,” declared Souhail Ben Nasser, a protester in Tunis.
In Southeast Asia, hundreds of individuals gathered near the US embassies in Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur, burning Israeli flags and defacing pictures of Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden.
“Today, we stand here united in condemning the criminal acts of Israel,” stated Qilla Marisa, a protester in Kuala Lumpur.
Muslims in India staged smaller protests in Jaipur and Mumbai, holding up placards demanding the liberation of Palestine.
Iran, Israel’s major regional adversary, along with its allied groups across the region, sanctioned state-organized protests. In Iraq, Shia militias backed by Tehran mobilized hundreds of supporters in Baghdad near the bridge leading to the fortified Green Zone, home to the US embassy.
On the Iraq-Jordan border, busloads of supporters from Iran-backed paramilitary groups held a sit-in to express their solidarity with Gaza. “We are here to support our people in Palestine,” declared 26-year-old Hussein Samir, one of the participants.
