Thousands rally in main Egyptian mosque in support of Palestinians

CAIRO, Egypt -- Several thousand protesters at one of Cairo's main mosques called Friday for holy war against Israel to help the Palestinians in their conflict with the Jewish state.

The Middle East on the Muslim day of prayer saw other few protests against Israel's offensive in Gaza, except for small rallies by hundreds in Palestinian refugee camps.

More than 3,000 people packed Al-Azhar Mosque, the most prominent institution in the Sunni Arab world, for prayers and a demonstration organized by the Egyptian government's top rival, the Muslim Brotherhood.

"Rulers of Arab countries, start holy war! God is great!" men shouted, their voices ringing through the rafters of the 1,000-year-old building.

Participants said they had little hope their governments would listen.

"We have a chronic problem in the Arab world; policies don't reflect what the people want. People inside the mosque say they will die to save Palestine, but our governments don't do anything to help," said Mohammed al-Zaeem, 36, a visiting Syrian.

Hundreds of black-clad security forces in riot gear surrounded the mosque in the sweltering noontime sun but there were no arrests.

Police agreed not to arrest protesters if they remained inside the mosque, said Abdel-Galil el-Sharnoubi, a member of the Brotherhood's political bureau.

A top security forces commander said before the march that his officers did not intend to make any arrests but wanted to ensure there were "no disturbances." He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of his dealings with the banned Brotherhood.

Authorities frequently arrest Brotherhood members at protests, and more than 600 are behind bars.

Several thousand people held pro-Palestinian protests in the northern Egyptian province of Damietta.

Clerics from Baghdad to Beirut referred to "American-Zionist terrorism" and a "war to annihilate the Palestinian people."

But Arab governments appeared eager not to enflame popular sentiment. Al-Azhar's government-appointed cleric conspicuously avoided the topic of Israeli-Palestinian fighting in his sermon.

"The U.S. supports Egypt with weapons and soldiers, so our government is paralyzed and unable to do anything," said worshipper Mahmoud Abu el-Bashir.

In Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp, Ein el-Hilweh, fewer than 200 people took to the streets waving a banner: "One Zionist captive, the world moves ... 10,000 Palestinian detainees, the world remains silent."