Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood calls for mass protests in solidarity with Gaza

Ahram Online, Thursday 15 Nov 2012

Following Wednesday's vicious attack by Israeli military forces on the Gaza Strip, the Muslim Brotherhood calls on Egyptians to converge in condemnation of the 'Zionist entity'

Gaza
Protest outside Egyptian Foreign Ministry in 2010, calling for severing diplomatic ties with Israel and closing Egypt's Embassy in Israel (Photo: AFP)

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood is calling for protests to be held in front of all major mosques around the country 3pm Thursday, calling on the government to cut all diplomatic and economic ties with Israel.

It has also called for large scale protests following Friday prayers at Al-Azhar Mosque.

The military operation carried out Wednesday by Israel killed top Hamas commander Ahmed Al-Jabari and saw the death of 11 others and the injury of tens more.

In a press statement released by the Brotherhood, of which President Mohamed Morsi hailed, the group states that Israel's "criminal aggression" poses a serious threat to stability of the region.

It further condemned US support for Israel and blamed Arab states for "standing idly as Palestinian blood is shed."

It further claimed that the government "cannot stand less than cutting all relations with the Zionist entity, since the Egyptian state needs to stand as a role model to Arabs and Muslims."

Addressing the US government, the Brotherhood called on Washington to uphold human rights principles and the right to self-determination. This should be done, it added, by engaging the UN Security Council on the matter, to condemn the "Zionist entity" and to expose all states that stand in support of it.

It further called on the Palestinian Authority to halt any ecurity coordination with Israeli occupation forces. It also called for the release of all political prisoners of the Islamic Jihad and Hamas, in addition to seeking to achieve the Palestinian national reconciliation.

On Wednesday, only hours after the killings, hundreds of protesters converged outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in downtown Cairo condemning the brutal attacks.

Protesters, including the National Front for Justice and Democracy and Hamdeen Sabbahi's Popular Current, that called for the protest, Nasserists, Revolutionary Socialists and other Palestine solidarity activists, demanded Egypt cut diplomatic ties with Israel and close down the Israeli embassy in Cairo.

Hours later, Egypt announced it had recalled Ambassador to Israel Atef Mohamed Salem.

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