Damascus: Thousands of Syrians flocked to the Yousuf Al Azma Square in the heart of the Syrian capital, to condemn the Israeli atrocity in Gaza, carrying Palestinian and Syrian flags.
The demonstrators carried photos of President Bashar Al Assad, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, and the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Twenty-four hours earlier, Syria had strongly condemned the Israeli attack as "barbaric" and President Al Assad had instructed three trucks filled with medical assistance to be donated to Gaza, via the Syrian Red Crescent. Although yesterday was a holiday for the Muslim New Year, hundreds of thousands of Syrians took to the streets of Damascus, wanting to express their anger at what was being brought into their homes by Al Jazeera TV, and other Arab satellite channels.
Speaking to Gulf News, Syrian star Duraid Lahham, said, "I fear that the Arab World has become nothing but sad words for a sad song. Sometimes silence is better than words. Loud words cannot even purchase a tablet of medicine for Gaza. We need action."
Lahham, who was goodwill ambassador for Unicef before resigning as a result of his public support for Hezbollah, added, "When there is a will, there is a way. Just look at the results of Lebanon in 2006, when a group of young men from the Lebanese resistance were able to stand up to Israel for 33 days, while some Arab officials were warm in their beds, enjoying!"
Karim Shukr (24), who wanted the news on TV, added, "It is a pure criminal act, unjustified, that further stresses their criminal history in the Arab world. I also blame Hamas. To a certain extent, they cornered themselves into this situation, but by no means does that justify what Israel is doing."
Civil activist Abdul Salam Haykal, told Gulf News, "The world is an accomplice by standing still to watch the dark clouds of Israeli bombs as they extinguish the lights of Christmas in the Holy Land, and kill the promise of rebirth that comes with a new year."