BEIRUT: Arabs throughout the Middle East stopped work for five minutes yesterday [May 15] in protest against the formation of the State of Israel when the British mandate in Palestine ended 20 years ago.

Demonstrations and rallies in several capitals also marked what was officially described in Cairo as “the usurpation of Palestine by Zionism”. Most business centres in the UAR Capital halted work at noon. A Ministry of Industry spokesman said factories stopped work for only five minutes so that production was not undermined.

In Baghdad, the Workers Federation asked Iraqis to give cash contributions to commando organisations operating against Israel. Some Baghdad University faculties held rallies supervised by the Palestine National Liberation Movement (Al Fatah) and the popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. In Beirut, about 5,000 people, mostly students, staged a demonstration and sought arms and fortification of villages on the Israeli “frontier”. A deputation requested Prime Minister Yafi for compulsory military service and immediate civil defence training. The Premier said the defence of the border villages was being studied by Army Commanders. In Damascus, placards in the streets condemned Zionism and imperialism and paid tribute to “the armed struggle”.

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2018