Egyptian student march demands closure of Israeli embassy and end to gas supplies

Egyptian protesters call for severing Israel ties
Thousands marched on the Israeli embassy in Cairo yesterday in the beginning of a concerted campaign to end collaboration with Israel and cut off all gas supplies.

Massed on a bridge next to the high-rise building where the embassy is located, they chanted: "the people demand the cancellation of normalization."

They also chanted: "the gas must stop," in reference to natural gas exports through a Sinai pipeline that unidentified saboteurs blew up earlier in the day.

One of the protesters, left-wing blogger Hossam Al-Hamalawy, said the demonstration came in response to recent remarks by Israeli President Shimon Peres, who praised the Egyptian revolt that toppled the government in February.

"Peres issued a statement recently calling on Egyptian youth to normalize [with Israel], and this is the Egyptian youth's response," he said. more