In Lebanon, at least 22 people were injured Friday when police clashed with pro-Palestinian demonstrators trying to march on the U.S. embassy near the capital city of Beirut.
According to witnesses, the demonstrators threw rocks and bottles at police, who had blocked the road to the embassy. Police responded with tear gas to break up the march.
Some 5,000 demonstrators had planned to head towards the embassy to express their outrage at what they said was US support for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's policy towards the Palestinians.
They threw stones at police, who resorted to tear gas and water cannons to break up the protest, which was called by various left-wing political movements urging a boycott of US products.
Meanwhile, other pro-Palestinian protests took place Friday in Bahrain, Yemen, and elsewhere in Lebanon.
Faced with a massive police presence, demonstrators in Jordan cancelled a planned march on the Israeli embassy in the capital Amman. A spokesman for the demonstrators stated that the march was called off in order to protect civilian lives.
Officials in Jordan had deployed large numbers of police to halt the protest and close off all streets leading to the embassy.
AP quoted a Jordanian official as saying the government opposed the march for fear it would eventually turn violent. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
