Arab world losing tolerance for indifferent leaders

When people feel there is no justice in the world and no legitimate outlet for their justified frustration, things tend to boil over. And that's what happened at a huge anti-Israel, pro-Hamas demonstration in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a.

More than 30,000 people crammed into the main Yemeni soccer stadium on Sunday to express their solidarity with the suffering masses in Gaza. The day before Yemenis had been glued to their television screens watching the scenes of suffering that followed Israeli air strikes. Dead bodies in the streets, dismembered body parts strewn everywhere, the cries of the wounded and the grieving -- scenes Western viewers were only allowed to witness in part.

The people of Sana'a displayed amazing solidarity and love for their Muslim brethren, dressed up in Hamas green and waving the Islamic movement's emblematic flags. Pictures of the assassinated former Hamas leaders Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Abdel Aziz al Rantisi were everywhere. The crowd chanted anti-Israel slogans and supported the right of Gazans to resist the Israeli occupation.

Up until then it was an impressive, lively, yet in its way, quite predictable demonstration. Then something strange happened. As the establishment figures started to make their speeches from the podium, the crowd grew restless. I could hear mumblings of discontent among those around me. One man said he was sick and tired of pointless words of condemnation from Arab leaders. He wanted to see action against Israel, action that would help the Gazans in a practical way, action that would hurt Israel and force it to think twice before shedding Palestinian blood again. More