Palestinians are calling for a general strike in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to protest US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s visit to the region scheduled for later this week, accusing Washington of backing Israel’s military campaigns against Hamas and Hizbullah. Leaflets distributed in the West Bank and Gaza by representatives of several Palestinian factions called for a ‘day of rage’ [a euphemism for violent protests] against Rice’s visit. The groups also called on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to refrain from meeting with Rice. ‘We reject Rice’s visit to the Middle East and we will expose its real goals,’ read the leaflets, signed by the National and Islamic Forces in Palestine. ‘This visit comes in the wake of Israel’s US-backed comprehensive aggression against the Palestinians and Lebanese.’ The factions accused Israel of waging a war of ‘genocide’ against the Palestinians and Lebanese after receiving a green light from the US administration. They also strongly condemned the US for vetoing a United Nations Security Council resolution that would have condemned Israel for its offensive operations in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. The Popular Resistance Committees, an alliance of armed organizations, including Hamas and Fatah, […]