( dpa ) - Hundreds of Arab Israelis, waving Palestinian flags, demonstrated outside Israel's border crossing with the northern Gaza Strip Tuesday, expressing solidarity with Palestinians in the Strip and demanding an end to Israel's economic siege."We must act for an end to the siege and we must act for a mutual ceasefire," Ahmed Tibi, of the United Arab List, told reporters as he protested along with other Arab legislators of the Israeli Knesset (parliament) at the Erez border crossing.
A counter-demonstration by dozens of right-wing Israelis, chanting "they are traitors" at the Palestinian protesters, meanwhile demanded an end to daily rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip.
"If the Qassams stop, the siege will stop. If the Qassams don't stop the siege won't stop," Zvi Hendel, a lawmaker of the ultra-right National Union faction, told reporters at the demonstration, referring to the Gaza-made rockets.