Pro-Palestine protests erupt in West Asia following Gaza hospital strike
Pro-Palestine protests have erupted across West Asia following a recent airstrike on a hospital in Gaza. The strike on Tuesday killed 500 patients and also caused significant damage to the medical facility. Demonstrations were reported in countries including Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq, with protesters calling for immediate international intervention in the conflict. At least 2,778 people have died and 9,700 have been injured in Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip since the war began, the Palestinian health ministry said.
Protests in Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq
These protests underscore the deep-rooted tensions between Israel and Palestine. Jordan's capital, Amman, witnessed hundreds of thousands of protesters marching toward the Israeli Embassy. Per Petra New Agency, multiple instances of arson were also reported. In Lebanon, protesters tried to enter the US Embassy in Beirut. In Iraq's capital, Baghdad, scores of people tried to cross a bridge and enter the Green Zone, which houses foreign embassies and other high-ranking officials. In Iran's Qom and Esfahan, anti-Zionist demonstrations were reported.
Rise in anti-Semitism across globe
While pro-Palestine protests have been reported ever since the conflict began on October 7, they have exacerbated since Tuesday's attack. Notably, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) denied any involvement and blamed it on an Islamic Jihad rocket that misfired. The conflict has also exacerbated anti-Semitism across the world. Multiple incidents of hate crime and violence have been reported in the US, Australia, and Europe. In London, three Jewish schools have been shut down due to protests, the BBC reported.
Biden's meeting with Arab leaders in Jordan canceled
Gaza's hospital carnage comes ahead of United States President Joe Biden's visit to the region. In light of the situation, Jordan's Foreign Ministry canceled a regional summit scheduled between Biden, Jordan's King Abdullah II, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Biden's visit is aimed at reiterating the US's "iron-clad" support for one of its closest allies—Israel. He was also scheduled to meet the Arab leaders in Jordan to mitigate the exacerbating conflict.
