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Atta Allah Hanna (right), Bishop of the Orthodox Church in Jerusalem and the Holy Lands, waiting for the start of a pro-Palestinian conference in Rotterdam on Saturday. (AP)
Last update - 13:04 06/05/2007
Pro-Palestinian rally on Holland's Liberation Day draws thousands
By Cnaan Lifshitz

Thousands of pro-Palestinian protestors gathered in Rotterdam on Netherlands's Liberation Day Saturday to demonstrate against Israel, drawing parallels between the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during World War II and Israel's occupation of the West Bank.

Keynote speaker former Dutch prime minister Dries Van Agt addressed the protestors and voiced his regret over Holland's "biased" pro-Israeli stance and boycott of the Hamas.

PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, who was denied entry to Belgium and Holland, addressed protestors on a TV screen via a satellite connection.

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Another Hamas representative, PA Sports Minister Basem Naim, cancelled his participation after he was not allowed to disembark at Brussels' international airport.

"The European and Dutch boycott of Hamas is wrong and even stupid," Van Agt said. "We automatically pardon the occupier and sanction the occupied nation."

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Exciting boring singer
Bill Callahan's voice had the audience mesmerized during a performance in Tel Aviv.
Sin and simplicity
The Malenki Theater's 'Crime and Punishment' adaptation hypnotizes the spectator.
  1.   You can leave out the quotation marks 22:32  |  John 05/05/07
  2.   #1 23:01  |  Peaceful People 05/05/07
  3.   former dutch pm dries van agt-weak/gutless 23:07  |  yahn goodey 05/05/07
  4.   WAS HE ALIVE 23:11  |  TOBIA 05/05/07
  5.   rejecting visas for Hamas 23:17  |  Dik 05/05/07
  6.   Colette Avital not among the keynote speakers? Among "Charlemagne 23:17  |  Absolute Sweden 05/05/07
  7.   Surprise surprise 23:18  |  GZLives 05/05/07
  8.   What Idiots 23:39  |  Solon 05/05/07
  9.   Muslim Colonialism and Apartheid 23:55  |  Frank 05/05/07
  10.   This was just a fringe meeting 00:05  |  Paul Henzen 06/05/07
  11.   like it or not 00:11  |  Sam 06/05/07
  12.   Israel basher Van Agt 00:25  |  Truthseeker 06/05/07
  13.   Rotterdam 00:30  |  Naim S. Mahlab 06/05/07
  14.   repley 00:40  |  jan gelderman 06/05/07
  15.   Sad times... 00:45  |  observer 06/05/07
  16.   Does he represent all Dutch? 00:46  |  Michael 06/05/07
  17.   An Outrage that Levy and Haas Were Not Invited 00:57  |  Tod Zuckerman 06/05/07
  18.   Mostly Arabs 01:06  |  Ron 06/05/07
  19.   dries van agt 01:10  |  rafiq 06/05/07
  20.   #2 01:11  |  John 06/05/07
  21.   Nazi occupation 01:22  |  christa 06/05/07
  22.   Van Agt and his minions celebrate a shameful legacy 01:24  |  Fairplay 06/05/07
  23.   To Naim S. Mahlab 01:25  |  christa 06/05/07
  24.   Mr van Agt does NOT represent Dutch 01:36  |  Bram 06/05/07
  25.   Van Agt in his natural habitat 01:43  |  sh 06/05/07
  26.   Welcome.... 01:50  |  Koni former Swede 06/05/07
  27.   Is Holland an important country for Palestinians? 01:58  |  Tamir Gaza 06/05/07
  28.   more proof if required one does not need brains to be a politicia 02:05  |  ralph 06/05/07
  29.   Nazi occupation of Holland was justified... 02:13  |  iwhitten 06/05/07
  30.   Courage 02:22  |  Mohan 06/05/07
  31.   dutch rally 02:23  |  tom 06/05/07
  32.   A BRUTAL MILITARY OCCUPATION is a brutal military occupation 02:27  |  lakshmi 06/05/07
  33.   # 9, Frank 02:28  |  tom 06/05/07
  34.   Roterdam? I never heard of it before, is it Holland capital? 02:29  |  Tamir Gaza 06/05/07
  35.   Andries van Agt 02:35  |  Gerrit 06/05/07
  36.   Thousands can`t be wrong! 02:36  |  kiwi girl 06/05/07
  37.   West bank Vs Nazi Occupation 02:42  |  Mary 06/05/07
  38.   by the way thank you bram 02:48  |  dovdevan 06/05/07
  39.   No. 9 Frank 02:54  |  steve 06/05/07
  40.   It is Israel`s land 02:59  |  Brod 06/05/07
  41.   Bram 02:59  |  Cornelis 06/05/07
  42.   to jan gelderman #14 i`m an american citizen and it`s 03:11  |  terrornator 06/05/07
  43.   kiwi girl, even millions can be wrong 03:18  |  Bruce 06/05/07
  44.   Mary from Boston 03:27  |  Bruce 06/05/07
  45.   #31 Dutch rally or may be not so Dutch? 03:42  |  Bruce 06/05/07
  46.   Holland will soon have an Arab majority 03:49  |  David 06/05/07
  47.   christa #23 03:57  |  Bruce 06/05/07
  48.   Ethnic Cleansing 04:07  |  Daniel Abrams 06/05/07
  49.   Distortions 04:13  |  Des Carroll 06/05/07
  50.   Did the protest the NON NEGOTIABLE Arab occupation of Kurdistan 04:33  |  PETER.SM 06/05/07
  51.   Holland has over 600 Mosques.Its not hard to hijack the Dutch day 04:44  |  PETER SM 06/05/07
  52.   Im a kiwi girl too... 05:04  |  Jen 06/05/07
  53.   CHRISTA WHAT ABOUT THE WALKING DEAD IN JENIN 05:08  |  TIOBIA 06/05/07
  54.   #29 05:16  |  D.R. Zukerman 06/05/07
  55.   We are the World 05:30  |  David K. 06/05/07
  56.   To Nos. 11, 12 et al. 05:39  |  D.R. Zukerman 06/05/07
  57.   Kudos 05:42  |  JJ 06/05/07
  58.   Israel and South Africa 05:46  |  Palestinian 06/05/07
  59.   Christa from Monaco 05:54  |  Alex 06/05/07
  60.   Sham, shame on you Holland and shame on you Europe!!! 05:58  |  Petra 06/05/07
  61.   comparing Nazi occupation to Israeli 05:59  |  sceptic 06/05/07
  62.   a short memory 06:01  |  misha 06/05/07
  63.   #37 Mary in Boston 06:01  |  Jane 06/05/07
  64.   Lakshmi: i agree 06:10  |  Star of David 06/05/07
  65.   Pure racism 06:15  |  Dennis 06/05/07
  66.   Europeans still need anothr NAZI to learn 06:27  |  arab 06/05/07
  67.   ISRAEL IS THE ANCESTRAL HOMELAND OF THE JEWS 06:28  |  Elizabeth 06/05/07
  68.   Sar-El volunteers from Holland 06:37  |  Boris 06/05/07
  69.   Haven`t you, Europe, leart anything from your own past? Allowing 06:38  |  Yael 06/05/07
  70.   no matter what the underlying motive is... 06:47  |  eric 06/05/07
  71.   Comparisons are irrelevant 07:04  |  Double Click 06/05/07
  72.   Bombing of Rotterdam 07:17  |  Joel 06/05/07
  73.   If they liken ... 07:31  |  Richard 06/05/07
  74.   ERIC The Pals admitt it is Not just a fight for freedom. 07:31  |  PETER.SM 06/05/07
  75.   PALESTINIAN It Is Pals who will NOT accept the rights of Israelis 07:38  |  PETER SM 06/05/07
  76.   take it easy 07:42  |  tvdb 06/05/07
  77.   #58 Palestinian 07:45  |  * BEN JABO 06/05/07
  78.   Trivialization of historical fact 07:54  |  Seadia 06/05/07
  79.   Why not? 08:01  |  Mark Lincoln 06/05/07
  80.   Bravo, Dries Van Agt, but he will be... 08:24  |  Maureen Ann 06/05/07
  81.   Holland , which side are you choosing? 08:54  |  Yves 06/05/07
  82.   pro-palestinian rally on Holland`s ........... 08:56  |  martin list, m.d. 06/05/07
  83.   If it had been anti_palestinian rally? 09:19  |  Lena 06/05/07
  84.   De Dries van Breda 09:28  |  van der Ploeg 06/05/07
  85.   Elizabeth - You are wrong 09:31  |  Amos 06/05/07
  86.   People are just tired of Israel 09:33  |  me me me 06/05/07
  87.   Occupation of Pal land ruins us 09:36  |  Esther