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Belgian police crackdown on pro-Palestine protest in front of Israel’s embassy
Police in Belgium have fired tear gas and water cannon for a second day to disperse a pro-Palestine protest in front of the Israeli embassy in the country’s capital, Brussels, according to videos posted online.
The live footage, broadcast by the European Palestinian Media Centre (EPMC) and verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad agency, showed dozens of young people chanting “Intifada” (uprising) as police in riot gear blocked their path towards the Israeli diplomatic mission.
Other videos, posted by the EPMC as well as the Russian Sputnik agency, showed the protesters running for cover after police deployed tear gas and water cannon.
The Brussels Times reported a similar crackdown on Tuesday, when hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Israeli mission, chanting, “Enough is enough, resistance is justified”. The news outlet said one protester who was struck in the face by a police baton required medical treatment.
Xi reiterates Chinese support for Palestine UN membership, commits $3m to UNRWA
President Xi Jinping has signalled China’s desire for closer ties with the Arab world in a speech to the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in Beijing.
Speaking a little earlier today, Xi addressed Bahrain, Egypt, the UAE and Tunisia’s heads of state, as well as foreign ministers from other Arab League nations.
Among other proposals were several pledges to the Palestinian cause, including a donation of $3m to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) and a promise of Chinese support in the reconstruction of Gaza, the Reuters news agency reports.
Xi also reiterated Chinese backing for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and full membership of the United Nations. He added that Israel’s war on Gaza cannot continue indefinitely and the “two-state solution” cannot be wavered.
Egypt’s el-Sisi calls on int’l community to ensure Palestinians not ‘forcibly displaced’
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has called on the international community to ensure that Palestinians are not displaced from war-torn Gaza.
“I call on the international community to immediately provide for long-term humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip and to end the Israeli siege, and to stop any attempt at forcing Palestinians to forcibly flee their land,” el-Sisi said at the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in Beijing.
Earlier we reported that President Xi Jinping had signalled China’s desire for closer ties with the Arab world in a speech at the forum.
