Islamists Urge Pro-western Regimes to Act

Israel's offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip is putting western-backed Arab governments under pressure from Islamist movements at home and in the region, as well as from Iran, which is stepping up its rhetoric against the US and Israel.

The continuing onslaught yesterday led to the suspension of talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, as well as those between Syria and Israel, brokered by Turkey. Little progress had been taking place on either track, but the symbolism was clear.

"It is not possible to carry on the negotiations under these conditions," Ali Babacan, Turkey's foreign minister, said.

Egypt, which controlled Gaza until it was conquered by Israel in 1967, again came under fire because of its relations with Israel, Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement openly accusing it of colluding with the attacks.

The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's biggest opposition movement, and an ally of the fellow Islamists of Hamas, called on Arabs and Muslims to rise up against "the despicable silence and connivance on the part of most Arab and Islamic governments". Egypt condemns Israel's Gaza operation, but implies that Hamas is to blame for having failed to renew the shaky six-month ceasefire when it expired 10 days ago. "If you can't kill the wolf, don't pull its tail," an article in the state-run daily, al-Ahram, said.

Ahmed Abul-Gheit, Egypt's foreign minister, said he had warned his Israeli counterpart, Tzipi Livni, not to attack Gaza. "Unfortunately, what happened happened," he told reporters after talks with Babacan in Ankara. "The question is, what can we do about it now?"

Abul-Gheit also criticised Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's leader, for urging Egyptians to demonstrate against Hosni Mubarak's government. Pro-Palestinian protests were held in Cairo, but the interior ministry declared a state of emergency for its security forces, cancelling all leave.

In Beirut thousands of demonstrators came out in solidarity with the Palestinians in response to Nasrallah's televised appeal. Israel's actions, Nasrallah said, were against the entire Palestinian people, not just Hamas.

Syria, which openly backs Hamas and is Iran's only Arab ally, called for an emergency summit meeting of the 22-member Arab League to discuss the crisis. But the signs were that Arab governments would again be paralysed by their divisions. League foreign ministers had been due to meet yesterday, but the meeting was postponed until tomorrow. Saudi Arabia has called on the US to intervene.

Buthayna Shaaban, a Syrian government spokeswoman, condemned what was happening in Gaza as "a genocide, a crime against humanity, and a terrorist operation against the defenseless Palestinian people".

The line-up of Arab forces is similar to that during the 2006 conflict, when Syria backed Hezbollah while the conservative and US-backed authoritarian regimes quietly acquiesced in Israel's actions until pressure mounted for a ceasefire.

Iran, which rejects any dealings with Israel, has reacted furiously to the Gaza crisis, perhaps also seeing a welcome diversion from international focus on its nuclear ambitions. Thousands of Iranians shouted "Down with USA" and "Down with Israel" in Tehran yesterday, many carrying banners reading "Israel must be wiped off the face of the earth".

Reports from Tehran said a group of Iranian clerics was signing up volunteers to fight in Gaza. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called on Muslims around the world yesterday to defend Palestinians "in any way possible".

World Reaction

• George Bush demands Hamas stops attacks on Israel and says Israel should avoid civilian casualties in Gaza

• Foreign secretary David Miliband warns that the attacks on Gaza could encourage further extremism and calls for an immediate ceasefire

• The UN's Ban Ki-moon calls for swift end to impasse, saying the violence is "unacceptable"

• Germany says responsibility for the escalation lies "clearly and exclusively with Hamas"

• Turkey calls Israel's attacks "a crime against humanity"

• Syria announces the suspension of indirect peace talks

• France calls for European nations to "use all their weight" to stop the fighting