About 1,500 Palestinians demonstrated in Ramallah today against ongoing IDF operations in Lebanon and particularly what protesters characterized as the "second Qana massacre." Participants in the rally also criticized the U.S. and urged the continuation of the insurgency in Iraq. During the protest, both the Israeli and American flags were set ablaze.
The rally was organized by all Palestinian organizations in Ramallah, headed by Fatah, which is particularly powerful in the city. Senior Fatah member and former Interior Minister Hani al-Hassan surprised those in attendance by announcing that the group ordered its fighters to be on high alert "ahead of the possibility of escalation of the conflict in Lebanon, which could manifest itself in an escalation of Israeli actions in the Territories."
A Jenin journalist who works in Ramallah said that support for Nasrallah and Hezbollah was overwhelming and encompassed the whole of Palestinian society. No official or senior figure in the Palestinian Authority would dare publicly criticize the Lebanese group, he said, but noted that privately some Palestinians are unimpressed with Nasrallah's group. The journalist added that his neighbors in Jenin were celebrating over news that a Hizbullah rocket hit the town of Afula, the deepest point hit by Hezbollah thus far.
Meanwhile, one Fatah activist said that the protest was proof that the entire organization is united in its support of Hezbollah. According to the activist, identified only as Ravia, talk in Israel about moderate Palestinians fearing a Hezbollah victory are a "media spin."
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