NAZARETH: Thousands of Arab Israelis marched through the streets of Nazareth on Saturday in protest against Israel’s sealing-off of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, according to a photographer.The crowds waved Palestinian flags, green banners and signs from the Arab Israeli Balad Party and two Islamist activist groups which organised the demonstration.

One sign read: “The criminal blockade of Gaza has to be broken,” while another said: “Silence over the blockade is a disgrace.” Israel sealed off Gaza to all but vital humanitarian supplies since the Hamas movement seized power in June 2007 after routing security forces loyal to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in a week of bloody street battles.

The crowds also called for Palestinian unity, condemning the factional infighting that last year cleaved the territories into two political entities.—AFP