Thousands of Moroccans stage pro-Palestinian demos

Tens of thousands of Moroccans marched in support of the Palestinians in the country's two main cities on Sunday, after Israel's devastating eight-day bombardment of the Gaza Strip. Protesters in Rabat, who numbered more than 45,000 according to police, condemned Israel for "crimes against humanity" during the assault that killed more than 160 Gazans, and criticised Washington for supporting the Jewish state. "The army of (the Prophet) Mohammed will return, liberation is at hand," the protesters shouted, waving Palestinian and Moroccan flags. The peaceful demonstration also called for the "liberation of Palestine and Jerusalem." Moroccan Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane headed the march, alongside other government ministers and Khalid Sefiani, coordinator of the Moroccan Action Group in Support of Iraq and Palestine, one of the organisers. A similar demonstration was held in Casablanca, Morocco's largest city, attended by numerous NGO activists as well as Islamists, notably from the Party of Justice and Charity, a radical group that is banned but tolerated. The Israel-Hamas conflict, which ended on Wednesday, left 166 Gazans dead, most of them civilians, according to the health ministry, while six Israelis -- four civilians and two soldiers -- were killed in rocket fire from Gaza. The Palestinian Islamist group said Sunday that the bombardment, in which 200 homes in the enclave were completely destroyed and another 8,000 partially affected, had cost more than $1.2 billion in direct and indirect damages.