DAMASCUS: Tens of thousands of Syrians and Palestinians have gathered in a Damascus square in a government-orchestrated "march of anger" against Israeli settlements in east Jerusalem.

The crowd at the central Youssel al-Azmi square waved Syrian and Palestinian flags and pictures of Hamas leaders as they shouted anti-Israel slogans Friday.

Senior Hamas official Mohammed Nazzal condemned what he called Israel's "brutal aggression" on holy sites.

The U.S. and Arab countries want Israel to stop building Jewish homes in east Jerusalem — the section of the city that Palestinians want as the capital of a future state.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refuses, saying the entire holy city must remain Israel's eternal capital.