WASHINGTON, April 21: It was good to be in Washington on Saturday as the city exploded into a medley of rallies in support of peace and Palestine, against capitalist impositions on the economies of developing countries, and to back numerous other causes cherished by liberal public opinion.

Demonstrations were staged to condemn Israel’s actions against Palestinians and to demand a fairer deal from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, which were holding their annual spring meeting in a cordoned off area of the city.

Rally organizers estimate that more than 50,000 people took part in the marches. Police put the crowd turnout at anything from 35,000 to 50,000, but from all accounts, this was the biggest rally in the United States held to back the Palestinian cause.

The demonstrations were peaceful, and no incidents were reported. The anti-globalization protest was to continue over the weekend outside the headquarters of the World Bank and the IMF.

At the Ellipse, where the first rallies had gathered and later in the grounds stretching out from the Washington Monument and along the Mall, it appeared as if peace had broken out in the heart of Washington, which has so often in the past months resounded to war talk.

This was the first major public reaction against Israel since it began its war of attrition against Palestinian towns and refugee camps. It also marked the first significant street protest against the Bush administration’s “war against terrorism”.

Arab Americans, many wearing the Palestinian flag around their necks or draped across their shoulders, dominated the peace marches, holding banners and placards denouncing Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President Bush.

The protesters had come from several places outside Washington, notably Detroit, which has a heavy concentration of Arab Americans, and New York.

For the first time in such rallies, there was a sprinkling of Pakistanis and other South Asian participants. Several Pakistani families had bussed down from New York.

A striking feature of the pro-Palestine rally was the presence of a group of Jewish Orthodox Rabbis who criticized the ‘criminal’ agenda of Zionism, and termed it against the teachings of Judaism.

There was also a kiosk set up by a group calling itself the ‘Jewish Voice for Peace’. Religious overtones were noticeable in many of the speeches because of the fact that many conservative Muslim organizations had joined the rallies.

But the main focus remained on issues of peace and justice. A placard urged the Bush administration to stop trying to win the Jewish vote by funding massacres of Palestinians.

One of the organizers of the demonstrations, ‘Mobilization for Global Justice’, which has been agitating against international monetary and financial policies, said the pro-Palestinian sentiment had overtaken the economic theme, but said the Palestine issue seemed more important right now to the safety of the world.

A group of people from the subcontinent, recalling the carnage in Gujarat, carried placards urging India to remain secular and called for Hindu-Muslim unity. A Korean contingent joined the peace rally, beating drums and urging Korean unity.