Israel prevents Quds Day rally

Israel has deployed extra troops in and around al-Quds (Jerusalem), preventing Palestinians from holding a rally in the city on the International Quds Day. According to Palestinian sources, Israeli troops have fired tear gas at Palestinians when they tried to cross Israeli-controlled checkpoints into East al-Quds. Palestinians accompanied by international activists had planned to march toward al-Quds from north, west, south and east on Friday to mark Quds Day, which calls for the liberation of Palestine and an end to Israeli occupation. Millions of people around the world have marked the annual international anti-Israeli occasion. Quds Day demonstrations have been reported in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Afghanistan, Pakistan and several other countries. The pro-Palestinian demonstrations have also been planned in France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. In Iran, millions of people took to the streets across the country to mark the occasion and express solidarity with the Palestinian cause. Iranian demonstrators also denounced Israel's atrocities against the Palestinian people and condemned the violent crackdown against opposition protesters in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini declared the last Friday of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan as the International Quds Day in August 1979, calling for international rallies in support of Palestinians and against Israel.