From Egypt to Yemen and from Jordan to Iraq, thousands of people across the Middle East took to the streets or took to social media this Friday to show their commitment and solidarity with the Palestinian cause and the total blockade and offensive launched by Israel to denounce in the Gaza Strip after the Hamas attack on Israeli territory a week ago. Last week’s demonstration of brotherhood in the region, in contrast to the restraint shown by the governments of the region, which at times defied the ban on demonstrations, was once again an expression of broad and sustained social support for Palestine, despite the fact that In the last three years, the normalization of diplomatic and economic relations between Israel and several Arab countries has accelerated. In some cases, the protests also responded to calls for Hamas leaders to mobilize after prayers held Friday afternoon.
Although demonstrations are virtually banned in Egypt, hundreds of people protested this Friday in front of the Al-Azhar Mosque in the capital Cairo, one of the most respected institutions in the Sunni Islamic world. Last week, Al Azhar, which has maintained a forceful stance against Israel’s attacks on Gaza and criticized the West, called on Arab and Muslim governments to adopt a unified position of denunciation and send humanitarian aid to Gaza, distancing itself from it emptyest official discourse.
On Wednesday, ten renowned Egyptian human rights organizations signed a joint statement calling on the government and the international community to do everything possible to bring urgent aid to Gaza, open humanitarian corridors and force Israel, as the occupying power, to lift the siege on the Strip, to establish safe zones for civilians inside and prepare for a ceasefire. During the week, small solidarity protests also took place in front of the journalists’ union in Cairo and on the campus of the elite American university in the Egyptian capital. According to a survey conducted between Monday and Tuesday by an Egyptian population center, 82% of respondents believed the Hamas attack was justified. 88% did not believe Israel had the right to respond.
In Jordan, where a large part of the population is of Palestinian origin, at least hundreds of people demonstrated on Friday near the Al-Husseini Mosque in the center of the capital Amman. There was also a march toward the West Bank border that was met with tear gas by police, according to images shared on social networks and local media. The Interior Ministry announced on Thursday that gatherings near the border were not permitted. More pro-Palestine rallies took place in Amman this Saturday, the day of the Hamas attack, and on Tuesday.
Both Egypt and Jordan have tried throughout the week to stop the spiral of violence in Gaza through diplomatic channels, reiterating that the only way to ensure long-term peace and stability in the region lies in a solution based on the establishment of a Palestinian state based state and the end of Israeli solo efforts. Both are forced to maintain a delicate balance between their good relations with Israel and the West, broad societal support for the Palestinian cause and limited popular support, which is why they have expressed concern in recent days about possible internal contagion of the conflict . .
Mobilizations over the escalation between Hamas and Israel and the siege and devastation of the Gaza Strip also occurred in countries that have recently restored or normalized diplomatic relations with Israel, such as Turkey and Bahrain. Several Turkish cities have been the scene of protests in solidarity with Gaza and the Palestinian people over the past week, including in Istanbul on Friday. A group of demonstrators led a march in the west of the Bahraini capital Manama on Saturday despite the ban on protests in the country.
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Two of the largest demonstrations in the region took place in Iraq and Yemen. In Baghdad, the Iraqi capital, this Friday thousands of people gathered in Tahrir Square to pray and take part in protests of solidarity with Palestine. The influential Iraqi cleric and political leader Muqtada al Sadr, who called for a large demonstration this Monday, thanked those who finally attended early on Friday afternoon. Thousands of Yemenis also marched through the iconic Yemen Gate neighborhood in the historic center of the country’s capital Sanaa, which is controlled by the Houthi movement. Local media reported further protests and demonstrations of solidarity in Syria, Lebanon, Kuwait and Iran throughout Friday.
The leaders of countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel have also adopted a more clearly pro-Palestinian discourse and, in some cases, open support for Hamas. Iraqi government spokesman Bassem Al-Awadi said last Saturday that the attack on Israel was the “natural result of the systematic oppression” faced by the Palestinian people, echoing statements made by the Iranian Foreign Ministry. . And Syria called the Hamas operation an “honorable achievement” and defended resistance to the occupation “in all its forms.”
Although there were no significant protests, the worsening situation in Gaza also put the spotlight on the United Arab Emirates, which normalized its relations with Israel in 2020 with US mediation, and Saudi Arabia, which is in the process of doing so. Both countries have called for an end to the violence, but Riyadh has more forcefully highlighted the occupation, violations of the rights of the Palestinian people and Israel’s “systematic provocations” as sources of instability, while Abu Dhabi has adopted a friendlier position towards Tel Aviv.
Social networks have also been filled, sometimes in the absence of safe alternatives, with messages from the region to express solidarity with Palestine, denounce the devastation suffered by Gaza, and the West’s complicity and double standards in other conflicts like that to criticize Ukraine and the dehumanization of the Palestinian people.
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