KARACHI, April 20: A large number of people staged a demonstration here on Saturday to protest against the killing of innocent Palestinians by the occupation forces of Israeli, and called for their immediate withdrawal.

The protesters at the demonstration, organized by the Joint Action Committee for Peace (JACP) at Karachi Peace Club, also demanded that the minority communities in India be provided security.

Demonstrators were carrying banners and placards with slogans written in support of their demands. Some of the slogans were: “Stop atrocities in Palestine;” “Israeli murderers go back;” “Stop the massacre of Palestinians;” “No to war, yes to peace;” “Ensure safety of Muslims in India,” etc.

The protesters raised slogans in support of their demands and condemned the Israeli leaders and forces. Later, the demonstrators took out a procession and after marching through various streets came to Regal Chowk and demonstrated there.

The organizers also distributed a statement at the demonstration urging the United Nations and the European Union to intervene in the Middle East crisis and force Israel to pull back its armed forces from Palestinian territories.

The JACP demanded immediate withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from the Palestinian territories. It said Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon was a war criminal and he must be brought to justice under the Geneva convention.

It demanded that the United States must withdraw its support to the perpetrators or crimes against humanity and peace talks under the auspices of the international community must be resumed immediately.

The JACP said hundreds of Palestinians had been killed and thousands left homeless without any humanitarian aid as the Israeli army was not allowing the media, international humanitarian agencies and human rights groups to enter the occupied territories.

It urged the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to set up a committee to investigate the involvement of Sharon in crimes against humanity, according to the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the General Assembly Resolutions 260, 2391, 3074 and Security Council Resolution 1296 of the United Nations, on behalf of the victims of the 1982 massacre of Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Lebanon and now in Jenin, Ramallah and other Palestinian settlements.

The JACP said the UN resolutions had made it clear that the perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes should be prosecuted and duly punished. It said the Israeli army, with private militias, had broken all records of brutality by violating international human rights standards.

The statement also includes experiences of an American female student who has asked US citizens to force their government to get the Israeli forces out of Palestinian areas. She says the Israeli army has besieged buildings some of which are burning and males, between 14 and 45 years of age, are taken out and some of them have been shot dead. She has asked her countrymen to march towards the Capitol, stay there and not return till Israeli forces are withdrawn.

Later, the protesters dispersed and went to Schon Circle in Gizri and staged demonstrations and distributed handbills and the statement.

The organizers announced that they would organize another demonstration on the same issue at Karachi Press Club on May 8 at 5pm.

The Mother Mary Trust has also expressed solidarity with the persecuted Palestinians and urged the international community to help lift the restrictions imposed on President Yasser Arafat.