Thousands Of Jordanians Rally İn Solidarity With Gaza

Thousands of Jordanians staged mass protests on Friday to condemn "disappointing" stances by Arab states on an ongoing Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip which has claimed the lives of over 1500 Palestinians within less than a month.



Thousands took part in a demonstration organized by the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood in central Amman. Protesters celebrated reports that Palestinian fighters had captured an Israeli soldier in Gaza and shouted slogans against "disappointing" Arab stances towards the embattled enclave.



In western Amman, hundreds of nationalist and leftist party members rallied outside the capital's trade unions complex.



"We are here to show support for the Palestinian resistance and the people of Gaza, and to demand Arab people to rise in support of Gaza as well," protester Rana al-Safir told Anadolu Agency.



Protesters called on the Jordanian government to withdraw its ambassador in Tel Aviv in protest over the onslaught against Gaza and to revoke a 1994 peace treaty with the self-proclaimed Jewish state.



Solidarity protests with Gaza also reportedly took place in several other cities across Jordan.



Israel has been pounding the Gaza Strip with aerial, naval and ground assaults for almost four weeks, which killed at least 1500 Palestinians and injured more than 8600 others –mostly civilians.



Israel claims that the offensive aims to undermine the ability of Palestinian factions to fire rockets at Israeli cities.



According to Israeli figures, at least 63 soldiers have been killed in battles with Palestinian fighters and three civilians by rocket fire.



Israel's military operation, codenamed "Operation Protective Edge," is the self-proclaimed Jewish state's third major offensive against the densely-populate Gaza Strip – which is home to some 1.8 million Palestinians – within the last six years.



By Saddam al-Yahiya



englishnews@aa.com.tr



www.aa.com.tr/en - Amman