Demonstrations in Israel's main regional ally Turkey led
swelling Muslim protests Sunday over the ground offensive
in Gaza, as a Palestinian demonstrator was shot dead by Israeli
troops in the West Bank.
However, a demonstration in Paris backing Israel attracted
several thousand supporters.
In Istanbul, organisers claimed as many as 700,000 people
had turned out for their protest. Police in Turkey refused
to give numbers, but central Istanbul's sprawling Caglayan
square was packed with a sea of protesters.
"The bastards of the devil, go away from Palestine and
the Middle East," said one banner in English.
Predominantly Muslim, non-Arab Turkey signed a military cooperation
accord with Israel in 1996, but Ankara also has close ties
with the Palestinians, whose cause enjoys widespread support,
particularly among Islamist circles.
Thousands of Moroccans rallied in the capital Rabat, accusing
Arab leaders of having failed the Palestinian people.
The demonstrators, about 40,000 according to police estimates,
chanted expressions of anger over "the silence of Arab
regimes."
Protesters also accused Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak
of having "sold Gaza for (US) dollars".
