Amman  - Several thousand Jordanians demonstrated Saturday in Amman and other major cities in condemnation of the Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.

King Abdullah II was leading an effort with world leaders to ensure a speedy halt to the Israeli "aggression", the royal court said.

The Israeli attack first sparked a demonstration in Amman by the country's professional associations and opposition parties.

The protests later spread to the cities of Zarqa, Irbid, Mafraq, other localities and Palestinian refugee camps with participants calling for retaliatory Arab action against Israel.

They also dropped strong hints that Egypt was "colluding" in the Israeli offensive - particularly it came less than 48 hours after Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Levni visited Cairo, met with President Hosny Mubarak and declared there that Hamas' domination of the Gaza Strip would be Israel's target.

Demonstrators called for the cancellation of the peace treaties already concluded by Arab countries with the Jewish state. Jordan and Egypt are the only two Arab countries which have signed such pacts.

King Abdullah urged the world community "to shoulder its legal and ethical responsibilities by ensuring an immediate end to the Israeli aggression", the royal court said.

"Violence will not bring security and peace to Israel and will only aggravate the crisis," the king said. (dpa)