SANAA, 4 July 2006 — Thousands of protesters took to the streets in the Yemeni capital Sanaa yesterday to protest the Israeli incursion in the Gaza Strip and to demonstrate solidarity with the Palestinians.
Protesters first rallied in a parade square in southern Sanaa and then marched to the UN headquarters in the western neighborhood of Setteen, where hundreds of policemen lined up blocking the street leading to the UN compound.
Protesters backed by Yemeni political parties including the ruling General People’s Congress burned an Israeli flag as they chanted “Allahu Akbar” (God is Great).
Others shouted: “With our soul and blood we sacrifice for you, Palestine.”
“They are plotting against the government chosen by the Palestinian people,” Sheikh Abdel Magid Al-Zanadani, an official with the opposition Islah party, told the crowds.
Protesters held up banners calling on the international community to intervene. “Restore peace to the land of peace, read one banner.” A statement was handed over to UN officials in Sanaa condemning the Israeli military offensive and calling the United Nations to help put an end to it.
