Amsterdam - A Dutch-Danish proposal to deploy European Union observers at the Egypt-Gaza Strip border has been received positively, Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen told parliament Friday.

Verhagen said in a letter to the parliament that the EU, Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the US welcomed the proposal aimed at preventing arms-smuggling from Egypt to Hamas factions. Iran and Hamas had not responded to the proposal, he said.

Parliament was due to discuss the Dutch position on the situation in Gaza, with the government saying it is trying to forge a ceasefire through diplomacy while urging Israel to restrain its military operations and let humanitarian aid and international media into Gaza.

Prior to Friday's debate, some 300 people took part outside parliament in a pro-Israel rally organized by Jewish and Christian organizations.

They offered a petition to the chairman of the foreign affairs committee in parliament, emphasizing Israel's right to defend itself against terror.

Thursday night saw some 200 people, mainly young demonstrators of Moroccan descent, take part in a pro-Palestinian rally in Utrecht, fourth largest city of the Netherlands. Police arrested five people. (dpa)