Angry Palestinian students on Tuesday protested against India’s growing friendship with Israel at a university campus here even as President Pranab Mukherjee was being conferred an honorary degree.
Hundreds of students shouted slogans and carried placards critical of India’s ties with the Jewish state while Mukherjee was being honoured by Al-Quds university at Abu Dis and hailed as a “Knight of Peace“.
Placards with slogans “India why do you cooperate with the occupiers (Israel)”, “Indian President raise your voice against Israel’s aggression”, and “Indian President don’t keep quiet against the butchers slaying Palestinians” were carried by the students as Mukherjee was leaving the campus here in East Jerusalem.
West Asian tension The demonstration came in the middle of heightened tensions and more killings between Israelis and Palestinians which have resulted in hundreds of casualties.
Inside the university auditorium, Mukhkerjee was hailed as “a Knight of Peace” and loudly cheered when he mentioned all the help rendered by India to the Palestinians.