Hundreds march for Palestinian cause in The Hague
January 1, 2009 - 0:0
THE HAGUE (AFP) - Hundreds of Palestinian sympathizers marched Wednesday on the U.S. and Israeli embassies in the seat of the Dutch government, The Hague, demanding an end to Israeli strikes against Gaza.
Chanting ""Allah al Akbar"" (God is great) and ""1, 2, 3, 4, Israel is no more"", the group urged an end to what they termed the ""holocaust in Gaza"" and what they perceive to be Western support for Israel.The protesters, estimated at up to a 1,000 by police, bore black balloons as a token of mourning, and many sported the keffiyeh as a symbol of Palestinian nationalism.
""Anne Frank is turning in her grave,"" read one placard, referring to the Jewish girl who chronicled her years of hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam during World War II.
Other placards read ""Delete Israel from the map"" and ""Watch the new holocaust"".
Benji de Levie, board member of the Dutch Palestine Committee, said Thursday's action sought to draw attention to what he termed the ""Israeli strangulation of Gaza.""
""We want the Dutch government to speak out against Israel,"" he said, advocating a consumer boycott of Israeli products.
Since Saturday, the Israeli bombardment has killed at least 390 people, including 42 children, and wounded more than 1,900 others, according to Gaza medics.
Rockets fired by Palestinian militants have killed four people in Israel over the same period.