This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/30/palestinians-march-to-gaza-border-for-start-of-six-week-protest-israel
The article has changed 10 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Palestinians die in clashes with Israeli forces during major border protest | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| At least seven Palestinians have been killed and hundreds wounded by Israeli forces in Gaza, Palestinian medics have said, as protesters kicked off a planned six-week demonstration demanding the right of return for refugees. | |
| Israel’s military said 17,000 Palestinians were “rioting” in six locations in the Gaza strip on Friday, rolling burning tires at the security fence and its troops, which it said were “responding with riot dispersal means and firing towards main instigators”. | |
| Israeli forces enforce a no-go zone for Palestinians on land in Gaza close to the fence and regularly fire on frequent protests along the frontier when young Palestinian men hurl stones and firebombs. | |
| But organisers said the “Great March of Return” demonstration intended to be peaceful, and would comprise of families of men, women, and children camping near the heavily fortified security fence. Cultural events, including traditional dabke dancing, are planned. | |
| While protest camps within Gaza were set up a few hundred metres back from the barrier, large crowds marched on Friday towards the fence, and some people started throwing rocks. | |
| Israel dismissed the entire demonstration as a Hamas ploy and its military prepared by deploying reinforcements around Gaza, including more than 100 special forces sharpshooters and paramilitary border police units. | |
| “We are identifying attempts to carry out terror attacks under the camouflage of riots,” Maj Gen Eyal Zamir, commander of the Israeli military’s Southern Command, which includes the border, said on Friday. | |
| Ahead of the protest the Israel Defence Force’s chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot told Hebrew-language media: “If there will be a danger to lives, we will authorise live fire. The orders are to use a lot of force.” | |
| The Palestinian health ministry said at least 500 Palestinians have been hurt by live fire, rubber-coated steel pellets or teargas fired by Israeli forces at several locations along the fence. | |
| The protests coincided with the start of the Jewish Passover and the Christian celebrations of Good Friday, when Israel security forces are customarily on a state of high alert. | |
| Hours before protests even started on Friday, the first fatality occurred. A Palestinian farmer was killed and a second Palestinian was wounded by an Israeli tank shell, according to the Gaza’s health ministry. | Hours before protests even started on Friday, the first fatality occurred. A Palestinian farmer was killed and a second Palestinian was wounded by an Israeli tank shell, according to the Gaza’s health ministry. |
| Witnesses said the man was working on his land near the frontier, but an Israeli army spokesman said the two suspects were “operating suspiciously”. Gaza’s health ministry later said three men were shot dead at the frontier during the protest and many others were wounded by live fire, rubber-coated steel pellets or tear gas. | |
| Ahead of the protest, Israel has made clear it was considering force to prevent what is feared might be a “deliberate charge on its borders”. | |
| The Israeli foreign ministry pre-emptively placed the blame for any clashes on “Hamas and the other Palestinian organisations who have manufactured this entire campaign”. | |
| Friday marks Land Day, a commemoration of the killing of six unarmed Arab protesters in Israel in 1976, who were demonstrating land confiscations in northern Israel. | Friday marks Land Day, a commemoration of the killing of six unarmed Arab protesters in Israel in 1976, who were demonstrating land confiscations in northern Israel. |
| Gaza’s rulers Hamas back the sit-in, which is expected to last until 15 May. On that date, Palestinians commemorate the Nakba, or “catastrophe”, when hundreds of thousands fled their land or were expelled from their villages during the war that led to the creation of Israel in 1948. The demonstrators are demanding that Palestinian refugees be allowed the right of return. | |
| The majority of Gaza’s two million residents are refugees from the mass displacement or their descendants, according to the United Nations. | The majority of Gaza’s two million residents are refugees from the mass displacement or their descendants, according to the United Nations. |
| On 14 May, Israel will mark its 70th anniversary and a controversial new US embassy is set to be opened in Jerusalem after US president Donald Trump broke with international consensus to recognise the holy city as Israel’s capital. | |
| The move infuriated Palestinians, who claim the annexed eastern sector of the city as the capital of their future state. It also led the Palestinian leadership to reject the US as a mediator for peace. | The move infuriated Palestinians, who claim the annexed eastern sector of the city as the capital of their future state. It also led the Palestinian leadership to reject the US as a mediator for peace. |
| The peace process has been at death’s door since the former secretary of state John Kerry’s peace mission ended in failure in 2014. But the international community – apart from the US – is united in saying recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is disastrous for any hopes of reviving meaningful talks. The status of Jerusalem is one of the pivotal issues that diplomats and peacemakers have said must be agreed between the two parties in negotiations. | The peace process has been at death’s door since the former secretary of state John Kerry’s peace mission ended in failure in 2014. But the international community – apart from the US – is united in saying recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is disastrous for any hopes of reviving meaningful talks. The status of Jerusalem is one of the pivotal issues that diplomats and peacemakers have said must be agreed between the two parties in negotiations. |
| Palestinians will see Trump’s announcement as the end of their hopes and demands for East Jerusalem as a capital of a future independent state. While few want a return to violence, many will feel diplomatic efforts have got them no closer to a state of their own. | Palestinians will see Trump’s announcement as the end of their hopes and demands for East Jerusalem as a capital of a future independent state. While few want a return to violence, many will feel diplomatic efforts have got them no closer to a state of their own. |
| The Israeli government will be thrilled. Ever since it captured (and later annexed) East Jerusalem in the 1967 six-day war, Israel has claimed the city as its “eternal and undivided” capital, and has longed for international recognition. Some 200,000 Israelis living in illegal settlements will also celebrate. | The Israeli government will be thrilled. Ever since it captured (and later annexed) East Jerusalem in the 1967 six-day war, Israel has claimed the city as its “eternal and undivided” capital, and has longed for international recognition. Some 200,000 Israelis living in illegal settlements will also celebrate. |
| Trump’s Middle East envoy, Jason Greenblatt, said ahead of Friday’s protest that Hamas was “encouraging a hostile march on the Israel-Gaza border”. | Trump’s Middle East envoy, Jason Greenblatt, said ahead of Friday’s protest that Hamas was “encouraging a hostile march on the Israel-Gaza border”. |
| Saeb Erekat, a senior Palestinian negotiator, accused the Israeli government of preparing the ground for attacks. “Israel’s official incitement against the rights and lives of the Palestinian people has little to do with Israel’s security and a lot to do with perpetuating control over our lives by attacking every non-violent action,” he said in a statement. | |
| Desperation among Gazans also deepened after Washington cut funding to the UN agency responsible for Palestinian refugees, sparking fears that schools and healthcare provided by UNRWA would exacerbate an already dire humanitarian situation. | Desperation among Gazans also deepened after Washington cut funding to the UN agency responsible for Palestinian refugees, sparking fears that schools and healthcare provided by UNRWA would exacerbate an already dire humanitarian situation. |
| The coastal enclave has suffered from a crippling blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt since 2007 when Hamas seized control, with the movement of goods and people tightly restricted. | The coastal enclave has suffered from a crippling blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt since 2007 when Hamas seized control, with the movement of goods and people tightly restricted. |
| An already-disastrous humanitarian situation worsened after the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority refused to pay for Gaza’s electricity, in part to press it’s political rival Hamas to loosen control of the area. | An already-disastrous humanitarian situation worsened after the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority refused to pay for Gaza’s electricity, in part to press it’s political rival Hamas to loosen control of the area. |
| Agence France-Presse contributed to this report | |
| Gaza | Gaza |
| Palestinian territories | Palestinian territories |
| Israel | Israel |
| Middle East and North Africa | Middle East and North Africa |
| Hamas | Hamas |
| Saeb Erekat | Saeb Erekat |
| news | news |
| Share on Facebook | Share on Facebook |
| Share on Twitter | Share on Twitter |
| Share via Email | Share via Email |
| Share on LinkedIn | Share on LinkedIn |
| Share on Pinterest | Share on Pinterest |
| Share on Google+ | Share on Google+ |
| Share on WhatsApp | Share on WhatsApp |
| Share on Messenger | Share on Messenger |
| Reuse this content | Reuse this content |