By Sami Aboudi and Yasmine Saleh
CAIRO | Fri Sep 9, 2011 2:34pm EDT
(Reuters) - Egyptian activists demolished a wall around the Israeli embassy in Cairo Friday after thousands demonstrated at Tahrir Square to push for a timetable for transition to democracy and an end to military trials for civilians.
Activists who spearheaded an uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak in February have been piling pressure on the ruling military council to fix a date for parliamentary and presidential elections and to get rid of officials who served under Mubarak.
After Friday prayers, thousands had converged on Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the protests that toppled Mubarak, for what was billed as "Correcting the Path" protests.
Some of the demonstrators later marched to the other side of the Nile in Giza, where they used hammers and large metal rods to destroy the wall, erected this month by Egyptian authorities after daily protests over the killing of five Egyptian border guards in Sinai.
"This action shows the state of anger and frustration the young Egyptian revolutionaries feel against Israel especially after the recent Israeli attacks on the Egyptian borders that led to the killing of Egyptian soldiers," Egyptian political analyst Nabil Abdel Fattah told Reuters.
Egyptian police stood aside as activists tore down the concrete wall to the cheers of hundreds of demonstrators.
"It is great that Egyptians say they will do something and actually do it," Egyptian film director and activist Khaled Youssef said, standing among the protesters outside the embassy.
"They said they will demolish the wall and they did ... the military council has to abide by the demands of the Egyptian people," he said.
Israel Radio cut into its Sabbath programing with bulletins about the Cairo demonstrations. Citing Foreign Ministry sources, it said the ambassador was safely at his official residence and that Israel was in contact with Egypt, the United States and European powers about the incident.
"Police will not do anything to the protesters and they will be left unharmed to continue demolishing the wall," one security source said.
Tensions between the two countries sparked a series of angry protests that reached a climax last month when a demonstrator scaled the building and removed the Israeli flag.
The five security men died during an Israeli operation against gunmen who had killed eight Israelis. Egypt threatened to withdraw its ambassador from Tel Aviv. Israel has stopped short of apologizing, saying it is still investigating how the Egyptian troops were killed.
Protesters also demonstrated outside the Interior Ministry, near Tahrir Square, where some hurled stones at the building.
TAHRIR PROTESTS
Fridays demonstrations were organised mostly by secular groups which had been pushing for reforms, a new constitution and an end to the trial of civilians before military courts.
Islamists, including the political party set up by the Muslim Brotherhood -- Egypt's best organised political force after the dissolution of Mubarak's National democratic Party -- have distanced themselves from the planned protests.
The country's military rulers have promised to hand back power to a civilian government after elections, which they said would be held before the end of 2011. The council has also facilitated the trial of Mubarak and several of his aides, including former Interior Minister Habib al-Adli, on charges of corruption or conspiring to kill some 850 demonstrators.
But many Egyptians remain skeptical.
"Since January 25 until today, we don't feel there has been any change," said Kamel Ebrahim, a 37-year-old civil servant who was among the thousands in Tahrir Square.
"Thugs and thieves have multiplied and the Field Marshal has done nothing to improve things," he said, referring to Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, head of the ruling military council.
The protests also put pressure on Tantawi, who is due to testify in Mubarak's trial in a closed session Sunday. The judge has banned all media coverage of the proceedings during the week also. Other senior figures, including former officials under Mubarak, will also testify.
"This is your last chance, either you say the people are in my heart or you leave," a man who identified himself only as a driver said. "Will you be able to say that Mubarak did not give orders to shoot?" he said, standing beneath a large poster on which Tantawi's face was spliced together with Mubarak's.
Activists said they have no plans to camp in the square.
Protests were also organised in Alexandria, Egypt's second largest city, and in Suez. Witnesses said military police detained three activists during a demonstration in the city.
In Alexandria, thousands of protesters chanted "The trial, the trial or the gang will stay in power."
One of the protesters, Hazem Ahmed, 26, a member of Egypt's Democratic Front party said, "I joined the protest today because of the slow pace of the trials and it being not serious."
(Reporting by Dina Zayed, Shaimaa Fayed and Seham Eloraby, Abdel Rahman Youssef in Alexandria and Yusri Mohamed in Suez; Additional reporting by Dan Williams in Jerusalem; Writing by Sami Aboudi; Editing by Louise Ireland)
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