Article: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43611859
At the beginning of a six-week protest march along Gaza's border with Israel, some 17,000 Palestinians organized to demonstrate their opposition to illegal Israeli settlements that have been steadily growing since its founding in 1948. The march, called the "March of Return," is being staged by Palestinians who wish to return to their homes that have been confiscated behind Israeli borders as a result of continual conflict.
However, things got ugly when protesters began to throw rocks at the Israeli forces along the border and burn tires and were met with live bullets and tear gas. In the confrontation, 16 Palestinians were killed and hundreds were injured, the biggest single death count since thousands of Palestinian civilians were killed in the Gaza wars of 2014. Although the Israeli ambassador to the UN claims that the bloodshed was Hamas' doing, the protest was a collective demonstration from the Palestinian people, and was beyond the orchestration of Hamas alone. No Israeli soldiers were injured or killed in the protest.
This brings up the question of whether disproportionate force was used against the protesters. Although IDF patrols reported having rocks and molotov cocktails flung over the border fence at them, the fact that no Israelis were injured or killed and hundreds of Palestinians were injured and 16 were killed brings into question whether alternative means of containment could have been used (no Palestinians made it over the fence). This development has warranted criticism from Turkish president Erdogan, which has been met with equally critical remarks from Israeli prime minister Netanyahu.
I personally think that the violent nature of the protest was counterproductive, but at the same time, the protesters did not show enough of a threat to the Israeli forces to merit fatal gunfire. In addition, many of those killed or injured were not violently protesting, as the IDF soldiers were not very picky in their targets. More generally, I can understand why the protesters were angry, as Israeli land grabs have been demonstrated to be illegal under international law, and the only reason the UN hasn't taken action is because of the US' veto power in the UN. Overall, it is frustrating that Israel claims to be promoting a peace agreement when they recently moved the US' embassy to Jerusalem, a highly controversial piece of land that was considered a neutral zone under the previous agreement, and now continues to play the victim and blame the Palestinians for inhibiting the peace process.
Do you guys think that the Israeli response was justified? How/when will the Israeli-Palestinian conflict be resolved? Do you think the Trump administration's approach is helping anything? Opinions on US media coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian issue? Considering that the US is the only major power that is holding the UN back from reprimanding Israel's illegal settlements, do you think the P5 veto is justified?
2 comments:
I definitely don't think that the Israeli response was justified. Rocks thrown at armed soldiers should not constitute in a retaliation of live rounds that automatically threaten and take lives (Boston Massacre?). The Israeli military said that they only fired at specific "instigators" of violence, but video footage and eyewitnesses testify to unarmed protestors far away from the fence still being shot, despite them not posing an immediate threat. The ICC is investigating war crimes against Israel for violence against civilians and I think that the investigation is well-deserved.
I think that the US's unconditional support for Israel is one of the most hypocritical alliances to ever exist. The US has historically championed self-determination, democracy, freedom and human rights, and Israel violates every single of those values with its dispute with Palestine. While the violence and violation of human rights isn't one-sided, Israel has time and time again denied Palestinians recognition and infringed on their settlements and territories. I understand that Israel is one of the very few allies the United States has left in the Middle East and that losing their favor would mean a significant decrease in authority and access to that area, but a lot of the hostility the Middle Eastern countries show the US is by our own doing from when we messed around in their politics and their business, and we should face the consequences of our actions. Other people don't deserve to suffer because we're trying to cover for our mistakes.
That being said, I do understand the hesitance regarding Hamas as a influencing factor in Palestine's leadership. Hamas is recognized as a terrorist group in the United States and the US supporting the Palestinian state in which a terrorist group holds power is problematic and arguably rewarding terrorism, which is also against our values.
It is saddening to hear about such brutal violence raging in Israel against the Palestinians. It is encouraging to hear that previous US presidents (such as President Carter and Clinton) have attempted to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but it is troubling that President Trump has only exacerbated the conflict by moving the US embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem. At the same time, I believe the best path forward should not be to blame one side or another, as prior history shows that both the Israelis and Palestinians have fought against each other harshly and caused many deaths and atrocities. The US ought to focus on promoting peace and stability in the region, in order to stabilize mutual reconciliation within our generation.
Post a Comment