Egyptian protesters demand 'jihad' against Israel

CAIRO, Egypt (Reuters) -- About 500 Egyptians called for a "jihad" or "holy struggle" against Israel Friday at a demonstration after Muslim prayers at Cairo's al-Azhar mosque, witnesses said.

The protest, watched by riot police with batons and tear gas, was far smaller than one at the same place last Friday, when about 10,000 people took to the streets.

The worshipers Friday chanted slogans calling for a jihad, the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador in Cairo and the ending of all Arab ties with the Jewish state.

"Boycott those who kill our children in Palestine, boycott American and Israeli goods," read leaflets at the protest. "Boycotting the enemy is a religious and national duty."

The demonstration occurred on the eve of an Arab summit hosted by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to discuss a wave of Israeli-Palestinian violence that has killed at least 108 people, all but eight of them Arabs, and crippled peace talks.

On Tuesday, Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed to stop the bloodshed in a deal brokered by President Clinton at a summit convened by Mubarak.

But violence flared anew in the West Bank Thursday when a an Israeli settler and a Palestinian died in a gun battle. At least three Israelis and 15 Palestinians were wounded.

Egypt became the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979. Jordan followed suit in 1994.

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