¡¡¡¡GAZA, March 21 (Xinhuanet) -- The Palestinian radical group Islamic Jihad (Holy War) Friday called upon Arab and Islamic countries to declare a war against the United States that leads a war against Iraq.

¡¡¡¡The group said in a leaflet that the Arab and Islamic nations "have to fight America with all what they have of power and energy and hit the US economical interests and demonstrate in every town and neighborhood in their countries."

¡¡¡¡"A bright future is waiting for you Arabs and Muslims if you continue with your Jihad and resistance against the Imperial-Zionist coalition and their aggressive colonialist plans," the leaflet said.

¡¡¡¡Iraq as a country "is not the target of this crazy war, it is the while nation beginning with Palestine up to Afghanistan," the group said, adding that "today is Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria and Iran come after."

¡¡¡¡The leaflet blasted US Secretary of State Colin Powell for his statement that the United States wants to draw a new map for the region, saying "that serves the interests of America and Israel."

¡¡¡¡Also in the leaflet, the group claimed responsibility for firingfour missiles at an Israeli army convoy of jeeps and armor vehicleseast of Gaza City, saying that the missiles had directly hit the target.

¡¡¡¡Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians demonstrated in several West Bank and Gaza Strip cities in support for Iraq and condemning the US-led war that began on Thursday aiming at disarming Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

¡¡¡¡About 5,000 demonstrators took the streets of Gaza City, waving Palestinian and Iraqi flags and holding banners condemning the US-led war against Iraq and posters of Saddam Hussein.

¡¡¡¡Demonstrations went out of the mosques in the Gaza Strip after the weekly Muslims Friday prayers and shouted slogans called upon Saddam Hussein to attack Israel and defeat the US and British forces.

¡¡¡¡Most of the Palestinian political groups, leaders and supportersparticipated in the demonstrations in the Gaza Strip, including theIslamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), Islamic Jihad, Fatah and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

¡¡¡¡The quadriplegic Hamas founder and spiritual leader Sheikh AhmedYassin, sitting on his wheeling chair, participated in the rally and called upon all "the Mujahideen (freedom fighters) men and women in Iraq to use roadside bombs and suicide bombing attacks in Iraq against the Americans."

¡¡¡¡Yassin told reporters in the rally that he predicts that "triumph would be in the side of the Iraqi people and the Palestinians against the Americans and the Israelis."

¡¡¡¡"But this depends on how much support the Arab and Muslim nations all over the world would give Iraq and the Iraqi people," said Yassin, who called upon the Iraqi people "to kill every American who enters into your territories."

¡¡¡¡During the rally, dozens of demonstrators burned the flags of the United States, Britain and Israel, and shouted Allaho Akbar (God is Great) and "we sacrifice our soul and our blood for Saddam." Enditem