Protests mark Jerusalem Day, anniversary of Israel's creation

TEHRAN, Iran -- Tens of thousands of people demonstrated Friday across the Middle East in a day of solidarity with Palestinians, with some calling for trying Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as a war criminal and punishing the United States for supporting Israel.

Iranian President Mohammad Khatami joined the estimated 10,000 people who converged on Tehran's Enqelab Square in the annual protest for Jerusalem Day. Accompanied by a squad of bodyguards, Khatami walked with the crowd to the nearby Tehran University where he took part in Friday prayers.

The protesters called for Sharon to stand trial for "crimes against humanity."

"Sharon is a war criminal and must be punished!" the demonstrators shouted.

Similar demonstrations took place in Bahrein, Egypt, Syria and southern Lebanon. The demonstrations occurred on the anniversary of the 1947 decision by the United Nations to partition Palestine and allow creation of a Jewish state.

In Nabatiyeh, Lebanon, thousands of Hezbollah supporters turned out in heavy rain to hear Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah vow ongoing support for the Palestinian uprising and suicide attacks against Israel.

"On Al-Quds Day, we affirm that our choice is clear: Resistance which will regain Arab rights and holy sites in Jerusalem," Nasrallah told the crowd from a bulletproof glass podium.

Al-Quds, meaning "the holy," is the Arabic name for Jerusalem.

Al-Quds Day is held on the last Friday of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

The annual protest was created by the late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to honor Jerusalem as an Islamic city.