Scores of Palestinians killed along Israeli border

Violence takes place as move of US Embassy to Jerusalem marked

Ari Plachta and John Bacon, USA TODAY

Scores of Palestinians killed along Israeli border — The Stuart News, 15 May 2018 — The Stuart News · Stuart, Florida · 15 May 2018

Transcribed from the clipping

JERUSALEM — More than 50 Palestinians were killed Monday in mass protests along the border with Gaza, while Israel celebrated the U.S. Embassy's contentious move to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. The demonstrations have been taking place for weeks and reached a violent apex as Israel also marked 70 years since the Jewish nation was established.

Palestinians annually mark their resulting displacement on Nakba Day, or the Day of Catastrophe, on May 15. The Gaza Health Ministry said 52 Palestinians were killed and more than 1,200 wounded Monday in border clashes with the Israeli military, making it the most deadly day since 2014. Lt. Col.

Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesman, blamed Gaza's Hamas leadership, saying the Islamic militant group encouraged Palestinians to breach the border fence. He said more than 35,000 Palestinians were taking part in “violent riots” and tried to crash through the fence.

White House spokesman Raj Shah also blamed Hamas for the deaths, saying the group was “cynically provoking” the Israeli response. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who blasted the embassy as an “American settlement outpost,” called for three days of mourning.

The embassy move has outraged Palestinians who have long hoped to create a capital for themselves in the city's eastern sector. But Israeli and U.S. officials were determined not to let the violence diminish the embassy celebration. Jared Kushner, son-in-law and adviser to Trump, and Trump daughter Ivanka led the U.S. delegation at the ceremony.

Kushner, whose grandparents survived the Holocaust, drew a standing ovation when he mentioned Trump's announcement last week that the U.S. would withdraw from the nuclear agreement with Iran, Israel's sworn enemy. “The United States stands with Israel because we believe, we know, that it is the right thing to do,” he said.

David Friedman, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, presided over the dedication ceremony and said the embassy move keeps a “promise we made to the American people.” Nearby, more than 500 demonstrators rallying near the ceremony clashed with Israeli forces, and police made at least one arrest. Demonstrators chanted, “Jerusalem is ours!”

Context added by this archive

A third printing of the same day's USA TODAY copy. Photograph credited Mohammed Saber/EPA-EFE. Contributing: Associated Press.

Cite this item

"Scores of Palestinians killed along Israeli border," The Stuart News, 15 May 2018. Covering Palestine archive, CP-2018-013. https://coveringpalestine.org/archive/cp-2018-013