Gaza Protesters Charge Fence; 3 Killed, 100s Wounded

[BeyondGeography]

Source: New York Times

GAZA CITY — Urged on by a Hamas leader who told them not to fear death but to welcome martyrdom, hundreds of Palestinian protesters stormed the Gaza security barrier and tried to cross into Israel on Friday.

Israeli troops responded with lethal force, killing at least several people and wounding hundreds, according to Gaza health officials.

The protest was the fifth in a series of weekly demonstrations billed as the Great Return March, meant to highlight the decade-old Israeli blockade of the impoverished coastal enclave as well as to rekindle international sympathy for Palestinian refugees’ claim of a right to return to what is now Israel. At least 40 demonstrators were killed in the first four weekly protests.
As of Friday evening, the Gaza health ministry said three people had been killed, all of them shot in the head. About 350 others had been wounded, 75 of them by live ammunition, the ministry said.

At least some of the casualties occurred when two Palestinians approached the fence with handguns, according to four witnesses, and one fired at least seven rounds at Israeli soldiers before the two fled.

The soldiers threw a hand grenade in response, the witnesses said, but the armed men were long gone. A number of unarmed protesters were wounded, the witnesses said, two of them critically.


Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/27/world/middleeast/gaza-protest-israel.html

[louis c]

1. I thought Jared had this all under control. What happened?

[BeyondGeography]

2. Piece of cake

[TranssexualKaren]

3. Just a little history to put this into perspective...

In 1988 the king of Jordan renounced his claim to the West Bank. At that time Israel could have honorably walked away too, they didn’t.
The king of Jordan knew that it was only a matter of time before an emerging Arab majority within its boarders would leave it with two impossible choices, 1) extend full citizenship to the Arabs and except the possibility that Israel could actually get voted out of existence or 2) set up an apartheid like system which would mean that Israel would ultimately go the way of South Africa. Israel under Netanyahu has chosen option 2.
My first impulse may be to recognize that Israel is an island of democracy swimming ina sea of feudalism. This doesn’t change the fact that a government, any government that does’t enjoy the support of its people has no right to exist...PERIOD. STOP

[BeyondGeography]

4. 1948 is the year these people have in mind

[TranssexualKaren]

5. True but irrelevant.

[BeyondGeography]

6. Hardly

The protests are building toward what is meant to be a climax on May 15, when Palestinians will mark the 70th anniversary of what they call the Nakba, or catastrophe — the establishment of Israel and the war surrounding its creation. During this time, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were expelled from their villages.

[TranssexualKaren]

7. Even if we recognize that there is blood on everyones hands here...

And that the origins of the revolt are based in animus doesn’t change the fact that the an emerging majority of physical people in Israel don’t want It. In my book that trumps everything.

[TranssexualKaren]

8. Maybe I missed your point,

What are you saying?

[Behind the Aegis]

10. Are you claiming Israel has no right to exist?

Or are you saying something else?

[DavidDvorkin]

12. That's becoming increasingly acceptable on DU.

[Archae]

9. This sentence stands out to me...

"Urged on by a Hamas leader who told them not to fear death but to welcome martyrdom"

Hamas is a radical fundamentalist Islamic group, they are just as bad as ISIS.

As long as these idiots follow Hamas "leaders" who want to destroy all of Israel and kill all Jews, they will continue to cause violence like the OP.

[EX500rider]

11. I am guessing he said all that while standing WAY in the back

[Archae]

14. Of course. Radical "leaders" are almost always total cowards.

They urge on their followers from the safety of the rear.

[DavidDvorkin]

13. From safety, they use the passion of the young

to advance their hold on power.