Thousands of Palestinians marched on Wednesday the streets of Gaza in support for Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
The demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and carried banners condemning the United States's police for replacement of the present Palestinian leadership.
Arafat is the leader of the Palestinian people, said the demonstrators.
The demonstrators, mainly are Arafat's Fatah movement supporters, included Children, women, doctors and employees of different civil and security establishments of the Palestinian National Authority.
Hundreds of militants of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Fatah movement's armed wing, were also in the march, firing in the air and chanting slogans against Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and U.S. President George W. Bush.
"Our people reject all kinds of dictation, advices and instructions made by the Americans or anybody else. Our people would continue supporting their leader and would continue their struggle until the (Israeli) occupation ends," a Fatah local official said.
He told reporters that "Arafat is our legitimate leader and he is the chairman of our legitimate leadership, and we refuse any interference into our internal affairs."
The march stopped in front of the Palestinian Legislative Council building and then took a main street of Gaza City, and stopped again for a while in front of the main building of the United Nation Special Coordinator Office.
Afterwards, they headed towards the destroyed headquarters of Arafat that was attacked by 30 missiles from Israeli Apache Helicopters about four months ago.
A masked young man, member of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, reada leaflet before the crowd, saying that the Fatah armed wing is warning any Palestinian official who tries to negotiate or talk with the United States or Israel on behalf of the Palestinian people without getting the permission of Arafat.
(Xinhua News Agency July 4, 2002)
