SANAA, 2 March 2003 — More than 300,000 Yemenis took to the streets yesterday to denounce the United States and Israel as an “axis of evil” and urge Arab leaders meeting in Egypt to deny Washington any help in a war against Iraq.

In one of the biggest anti-war protests in the Middle East, students and members of Yemeni political parties gathered in the capital for the demonstration, and called on Arab states to kick out from their countries any US forces poised to attack Iraq.

“America and Israel are an axis of evil,” banners read, recalling the words US President George W. Bush used to describe Iraq, Iran and North Korea.

Other placards read “No to Military Bases in Arab Land” and “No to Blood for Oil.”

The protest was held as Arab leaders began a summit in Egypt’s Sharm El-Sheikh resort to agree a unified policy on Iraq they hope can prevent a US-led war in the volatile region.

Yemen’s senior presidential adviser, Abdul Karim Al-Iryani, read a statement to the crowd which urged Arab leaders to prevent any “aggression” against fellow Arab nation Iraq.

Yemen, whose parliament last week passed a law requiring advance permission for protests, has seen some of the largest peaceful anti-US demonstrations in the region over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Iraq.

Anti-US sentiments have been on the rise in the Arab world as the United States pours troops and arms into the Gulf region ahead of a possible attack on Iraq over its alleged weapons of mass destruction. Baghdad denies it has such arms.

Some Gulf Arab states, such as Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain, host US forces and may be springboards for a war.

Saturday’s protest followed one in Yemen on Friday by around 7,000 people calling for a war against Americans and urged Arab states to expel their US and British envoys.

The Arab state, which has been trying to shed its image as a haven for extremists, has proven to be hostile ground for US troops and citizens despite government efforts to cooperate in Washington’s anti-terror campaign.

Last year, three American missionary doctors were killed by an extremist, the latest in a wave of attacks on foreign targets including the bombing of a US warship in 2000 which killed 17 American sailors.