Embassy Row Sparks Violence in Gaza

Palestinian protesters throw stones after Israeli security forces' intervention during a protest at Al-Bureyc refugee camp in Gaza City, Gaza, on May 15, 2018.
SourceHassan Jedi/Anadolu Agency/Getty

Embassy Row Sparks Violence in Gaza

By OZY Editors

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE

Protests have led to dozens being killed in the wake of the U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem.

By OZY Editors

This week, as Israel marked the 70th anniversary of its formation as a country, the U.S. moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heralded the opening on Monday as a “glorious day,” publicly thanking U.S. President Donald Trump for keeping his promise by becoming the first global leader to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish State, and following through with the diplomatic gesture.

“By moving our embassy to Jerusalem, we have shown the world once again that the U.S. can be trusted,” Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner told the assembled crowds. He also noted that the U.S. remains committed to helping secure regional peace.

But that same day, along the border fence between Israel and Gaza, things were far from peaceful. Since late March, Gazans have staged protests against Israel’s economic blockade of the Palestinian territory. But the embassy move sparked sharper hostilities; Monday saw scores of Palestinian demonstrators killed by Israeli troops and another 2,700 injured, half by gun fire, according to tallies by the Palestinian Health Ministry. Israeli leaders said they were defending their border from terrorists.

 

Yesterday, Palestinians faced the grim task of burying the 60 who were killed, and the Jewish State faced international outrage. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “profoundly alarmed” by Israel’s deadly response, and British Prime Minister Theresa May is seeking an independent inquiry.

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A Palestinian veiled woman demonstrator walks carrying a Palestinian flag (background) as another runs before her (foreground) during a protest near the border with Israel east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on May 15, 2018, marking the 70th anniversary of Nakba — also known as Day of the Catastrophe — and against the relocation of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Source SAID KHATIB/AFP/Getty

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U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Ivanka Trump, the daughter of the U.S. president, unveil an inauguration plaque during the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem on May 14, 2018. The United States moved its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem after months of global outcry, Palestinian anger and exuberant praise from Israelis over President Donald Trump’s decision, which tossed aside decades of precedent.

Source MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Getty

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Supporters of Hamas leader Ismael Haniyeh (unseen) react during his speech near the border with Israel east of Gaza City on May 15, 2018, amid protests marking the 70th anniversary of Nakba and the embassy move.

Source THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty

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Flag Walk, on the occasion of Jerusalem Day, celebrates the retaking of the city after the Six Days War. On this day, numerous students walked through the old city of the Israeli capital, from Damascus gate to the Wailing Wall.

Source CHLOE SHARROCK/Barcroft Media/Getty

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Palestinians carry away a protester injured during clashes with Israeli forces along the border east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip after demonstrations on May 15, 2018.

Source SAID KHATIB/AFP/Getty

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The sun prepares to set over Gaza City on May 15, 2018. Israel was under mounting international pressure amid calls for an independent probe after its forces killed 60 Palestinians during violence along the Gaza border as the United States opened an embassy in Jerusalem.

Source MAHMUD HAMS/AFP/Getty

 

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