JAKARTA, July 2: Thousands of Indonesian Muslims rallied in front of the heavily fortified US embassy here on Sunday, condemning Israeli military actions in the Gaza Strip.

Members of Indonesia’s Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) chanted ‘Allahu Akbar’ as they carried banners with pictures of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, a Hamas leader killed by the Israelis in 2004, and posters saying ‘Save Palestine’.

The Indonesian protest, which included many women accompanied by their children, was peaceful, but hundreds of police were on hand to maintain order.

“This is a violation of the sovereign rights of the Palestinian people,” Titaful Sembiring, the chairman of the PKS, told the protesters.

The PKS is part of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s majority coalition in parliament and is represented in his cabinet.—Reuters