SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
An estimated 20,000 Palestinians marched along the Gaza-Israel border on Friday. (Photo: Ma'an News Agency)
As 'March of Great Return' Begins, Israeli Forces Gun Down Palestinian Protesters Along Gaza Border
Israeli snipers killed at least 15 Palestinians and injured hundreds more as an estimated 20,000 gathered along the Gaza-Israel border for the launch of the six-week "March of Great Return" on Friday. "Dozens of signs have been set up across the border in Arabic, Hebrew, and English, saying 'We are not here to fight; we are here to return to our lands.'"
Mar 30, 2018
Update:
Today's death toll has risen to 15 with many hundreds more wounded.
Earlier:
With worries that numbers will continue to rise, Israeli snipers killed at least nine Palestinians and injured hundreds more as an estimated 20,000 gathered along the Gaza-Israel border for the launch of the six-week "March of Great Return" on Friday.
\u201c7 Palestinians already killed. Yet again, disproportionate violence by the Israeli military to Palestinian protests\n@theIMEU\n#GreatReturnMarch https://t.co/Tiq8eiBnSQ\u201d— Jewish Voice for Peace (@Jewish Voice for Peace) 1522412433
The beginning of the march coincides with the 42nd anniversary of Land Day, when Palestinians worldwide commemorate six who were killed by Israeli forces for protesting settlements in 1976.
Ahead of the demonstrations, Gadi Eizenkot, Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), gave soldiers permission to open fire on mass demonstrations "in the event of mortal danger" and announced that Israeli forces would deploy more than 100 snipers.
"The instructions are to use a lot of force," Eizenkot told the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
Organizers of the protesters, meanwhile, have encouraged marchers to remain nonviolent, and according to the Ma'an News Agency, "Dozens of signs have been set up across the border in Arabic, Hebrew, and English, saying 'We are not here to fight; we are here to return to our lands.'"
Palestinian protesters have set up tents along the border, and demonstrations are slated to continue through May 15, Reutersreports, "the day Palestinians call the 'Nakba' or 'Catastrophe,' marking the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the conflict surrounding the creation of Israel in 1948."
That's also when the U.S. Embassy is scheduled to open in Jerusalem, after President Donald Trump annnounced last year that he would recognize the city as the capital of Israel and relocate the embassy from Tel Aviv, provoking international condemnation.
"Despite march organizers and Palestinian politicians maintaining that the march be a non-violent one," Ma'an News Agency reports, "Israeli officials have called the protests 'violent riots.'"
Though Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh addressed some protesters on Friday, declaring that "our people went out today to make it clear that we will not give up Jerusalem and that there is no alternative to Palestine and the right of return," advocates for Palestinians countered the narrative that is being pushed by Israeli officials.
Yousef Munayyer, executive director of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, tweeted Friday:
\u201cNote the Islamophobic image juxtaposition chosen here. The message is simple, these brown Muslim folks are barbarians, you and us civilized folks are peaceful.\u201d— Yousef Munayyer (@Yousef Munayyer) 1522415004
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Update:
Today's death toll has risen to 15 with many hundreds more wounded.
Earlier:
With worries that numbers will continue to rise, Israeli snipers killed at least nine Palestinians and injured hundreds more as an estimated 20,000 gathered along the Gaza-Israel border for the launch of the six-week "March of Great Return" on Friday.
\u201c7 Palestinians already killed. Yet again, disproportionate violence by the Israeli military to Palestinian protests\n@theIMEU\n#GreatReturnMarch https://t.co/Tiq8eiBnSQ\u201d— Jewish Voice for Peace (@Jewish Voice for Peace) 1522412433
The beginning of the march coincides with the 42nd anniversary of Land Day, when Palestinians worldwide commemorate six who were killed by Israeli forces for protesting settlements in 1976.
Ahead of the demonstrations, Gadi Eizenkot, Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), gave soldiers permission to open fire on mass demonstrations "in the event of mortal danger" and announced that Israeli forces would deploy more than 100 snipers.
"The instructions are to use a lot of force," Eizenkot told the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
Organizers of the protesters, meanwhile, have encouraged marchers to remain nonviolent, and according to the Ma'an News Agency, "Dozens of signs have been set up across the border in Arabic, Hebrew, and English, saying 'We are not here to fight; we are here to return to our lands.'"
Palestinian protesters have set up tents along the border, and demonstrations are slated to continue through May 15, Reutersreports, "the day Palestinians call the 'Nakba' or 'Catastrophe,' marking the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the conflict surrounding the creation of Israel in 1948."
That's also when the U.S. Embassy is scheduled to open in Jerusalem, after President Donald Trump annnounced last year that he would recognize the city as the capital of Israel and relocate the embassy from Tel Aviv, provoking international condemnation.
"Despite march organizers and Palestinian politicians maintaining that the march be a non-violent one," Ma'an News Agency reports, "Israeli officials have called the protests 'violent riots.'"
Though Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh addressed some protesters on Friday, declaring that "our people went out today to make it clear that we will not give up Jerusalem and that there is no alternative to Palestine and the right of return," advocates for Palestinians countered the narrative that is being pushed by Israeli officials.
Yousef Munayyer, executive director of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, tweeted Friday:
\u201cNote the Islamophobic image juxtaposition chosen here. The message is simple, these brown Muslim folks are barbarians, you and us civilized folks are peaceful.\u201d— Yousef Munayyer (@Yousef Munayyer) 1522415004
Update:
Today's death toll has risen to 15 with many hundreds more wounded.
Earlier:
With worries that numbers will continue to rise, Israeli snipers killed at least nine Palestinians and injured hundreds more as an estimated 20,000 gathered along the Gaza-Israel border for the launch of the six-week "March of Great Return" on Friday.
\u201c7 Palestinians already killed. Yet again, disproportionate violence by the Israeli military to Palestinian protests\n@theIMEU\n#GreatReturnMarch https://t.co/Tiq8eiBnSQ\u201d— Jewish Voice for Peace (@Jewish Voice for Peace) 1522412433
The beginning of the march coincides with the 42nd anniversary of Land Day, when Palestinians worldwide commemorate six who were killed by Israeli forces for protesting settlements in 1976.
Ahead of the demonstrations, Gadi Eizenkot, Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), gave soldiers permission to open fire on mass demonstrations "in the event of mortal danger" and announced that Israeli forces would deploy more than 100 snipers.
"The instructions are to use a lot of force," Eizenkot told the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
Organizers of the protesters, meanwhile, have encouraged marchers to remain nonviolent, and according to the Ma'an News Agency, "Dozens of signs have been set up across the border in Arabic, Hebrew, and English, saying 'We are not here to fight; we are here to return to our lands.'"
Palestinian protesters have set up tents along the border, and demonstrations are slated to continue through May 15, Reutersreports, "the day Palestinians call the 'Nakba' or 'Catastrophe,' marking the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the conflict surrounding the creation of Israel in 1948."
That's also when the U.S. Embassy is scheduled to open in Jerusalem, after President Donald Trump annnounced last year that he would recognize the city as the capital of Israel and relocate the embassy from Tel Aviv, provoking international condemnation.
"Despite march organizers and Palestinian politicians maintaining that the march be a non-violent one," Ma'an News Agency reports, "Israeli officials have called the protests 'violent riots.'"
Though Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh addressed some protesters on Friday, declaring that "our people went out today to make it clear that we will not give up Jerusalem and that there is no alternative to Palestine and the right of return," advocates for Palestinians countered the narrative that is being pushed by Israeli officials.
Yousef Munayyer, executive director of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, tweeted Friday:
\u201cNote the Islamophobic image juxtaposition chosen here. The message is simple, these brown Muslim folks are barbarians, you and us civilized folks are peaceful.\u201d— Yousef Munayyer (@Yousef Munayyer) 1522415004
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.